Father’s Day Dinner Ideas: Appetizer, Entrées and Desserts

Use these tips to create a memorable Father’s Day celebration for the dads in your life.

1. 1. Choose a theme. Since it takes place in June, a popular Father’s Day dinner theme is a summer cookout, but you could opt for a Mexican food menu or Italian classics, depending on what your dad likes.
2. 2. Consider the number of people. Choose dishes that are easy to make for the size of your party. If you plan to host a large group, grill or bake enough of your main dishes at once so that you don’t have to spend time making additional plates.
3. 3. Make it a celebration. Make Father’s Day feel like more than another weeknight meal by doing something special. For example, if you don’t grill often, but the dad in your life loves barbecue, consider preparing pulled pork.
4. 4. Prepare your dad’s favorite foods. Father’s Day is all about celebrating the fathers and father figures in your life. Prepare their favorite dishes so they feel special.

Father’s Day dinner is a special opportunity to celebrate the fathers and father figures in your life. Get inspiration for your Father’s Day menu with this list of recipes:

• Barbecue sauce: If you decide to grill on Father’s Day, prepare barbecue sauce to accompany the meat you make. The ingredients in barbecue sauce vary widely, but most include different ratios of tomato and vinegar for the base, and any combination of liquid smoke, onion powder, garlic powder, and spices. Try Aaron Franklin’s BBQ rib sauce recipe.
• Beef shish kebab: Middle Eastern shish kabob is the perfect easy-to-make food for outdoor grilling. Shish kebab is a dish of small pieces of meat grilled on skewers, sometimes with vegetables. Try serving it with warm flatbread such as pita bread. Add a bowl of hummus, tzatziki, or tahini for dipping extra pita bread.
• Brisket: Impress your dad by slow cooking brisket on Father’s Day. Brisket is a flavorful, juicy cut of beef that takes time to prepare. Follow Aaron’s Franklin’s tips to smoke brisket, and serve it with a refreshing side dish like pasta salad or grilled vegetables.
• Brown sugar cookies: Brown sugar cookies are a twist on traditional white sugar cookies, made with brown sugar for a deeply sweet molasses flavor. You can form brown sugar cookies into balls and bake as-is, or roll them out flat and cut into fun shapes perfect for celebrations with the whole family.
• Caprese salad: Caprese salad (known as insalata Caprese in Italy) is an Italian salad that features basil leaves, mozzarella, and summer tomatoes. Caprese salad is a perfect summer appetizer when fresh tomatoes are abundant.
• Chicken Parmesan: If you want to forego the grill, try chicken parmesan. Chicken Parmesan, or chicken parmigiana, is a crispy fried chicken breast that you bake in a tomato sauce then top with melted mozzarella, Parmesan, or provolone cheese.
• Chicken wings: Make buffalo wings by baking chicken wings and slathering them in mild hot sauce, melted butter, garlic, white vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper. This gluten-free dish is the best wings recipe to make for Father’s Day. Serve the wings with blue cheese or ranch dressing.
• Fried chicken: Fried chicken is a Southern favorite and makes for a great main course. Try Thomas Keller’s fried chicken recipe, and either serve it as a main course or with sides as a sandwich.
• Grilled chicken: Juicy grilled chicken breasts cook quickly, so they're perfect for a big Father’s Day cookout. Grilled chicken breasts also make for an excellent sandwich. You can toast slices of bread right on the grill, then top with mayonnaise, cooked chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes.
• Lemon cheesecake: End your meal with a sweet treat with a zesty lemon cheesecake for dessert. Lemon cheesecake is a layered dessert with a buttery, crumbly crust and rich cheese-based filling.
• Meatloaf: Meatloaf is a hearty comfort food that is easily customizable to your dad’s preferences. Meatloaf has a ground beef base that is often mixed with veggies, eggs, and other ingredients to increase the flavor and texture, then topped with a meatloaf sauce made with Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, chili sauce, Italian seasoning, or even ketchup.
• Peanut butter brownies: Put a twist on classic brownies to round out your Father’s Day dinner. Make peanut butter brownies, a perfectly chewy, salty, and sweet dessert with a flavor that mimics a classic peanut butter cup.
• Pear salad: A pear salad recipe is a quick way to use seasonal pears and other mix-ins of choice. Add salty, earthy, and crunchy ingredients to complement the sweet pears. Serve pear salad as a side dish with barbecue chicken or add a protein to the salad to make it a main course salad.
• Pot roast: Pot roast is a classic comfort food and the ultimate way to feed a crowd. Simply add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and set, so your pot roast is ready when your guests arrive for dinner.
• Potato salad: Serve a potato salad as a side. Potato salad is a side dish that combines cooked potatoes with mayonnaise, mustard, fresh herbs, and crunchy elements like pickles or crisp radishes.
• Pork chops: Oven-baked pork chops are an easy-to-prepare main course. Coat the pork chops with your favorite seasoning mixture and bake them. Serve alongside vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, broccoli, or spinach.
• Pulled pork: Pulled pork is a classic barbecue dish that consists of slow-cooked, shredded pork with BBQ sauce. You can serve pulled pork on sandwich buns with coleslaw, sliced onions, more barbecue sauce, and pickles.
• Red cabbage slaw: Red cabbage slaw, or cabbage salad, is a mix of shredded red cabbage (or purple cabbage), carrots, seasonings, and dressing. Serve your red cabbage slaw with hot dogs or fish tacos for Father’s Day.
• Stuffed bell peppers: Stuffed peppers make for a hearty side dish or fun main course. Serve the stuffed peppers with a side of Mediterranean chickpea salad or Greek salad with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives.
• Suadero tacos: Take your tacos to the next level for Father’s Day by making flavorful suadero tacos. Suadero tacos, also known as tacos de suadero, are a popular Mexican dish that involves braising and frying beef, then tucking the meat into a warm corn tortilla.

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