5 Labor Day Recipe Ideas That Won't Break The Bank

Labor Day weekend is approaching and many people are looking forward to a long weekend and good food to celebrate the end of summer. It isn’t uncommon for people to hold potlucks for holidays like Labor Day and if you’re like me, you always wait until the last minute to figure out what you’re bringing. Here are a few quick, easy, and cost-friendly Labor Day recipe ideas.

Classic Deviled Eggs

Is it a real cookout without deviled eggs? The recipe below will serve six and is always a hit and can be cooked up for less than $5.

What you’ll need

6 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup mayonnaise
Kosher salt

Boil six large eggs until cooked through. After the eggs have cooled, peel them and cut them in half long-ways. Place the whites on the tray you intend to serve them on. Then, scoop out the yolk and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add mustard, mayo, salt, and pepper to the bowl containing the yolks. Use a mixer to blend the yolk mixture together. Once the mixture is blended, spoon it into the empty centers of your eggs evenly. Refrigerate the eggs until you are ready to serve them.

Grilled Flank Steak

A not-so-typical Labor Day recipe idea you might want to try is grilled flank steak. Flank steak is often cheaper than, say, a ribeye or t-bone. A 1.5-pound piece of flank steak will serve six and runs about $6.97 per pound. Here’s how you prepare it.

What you’ll need

1½ pounds flank steak
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup olive oil
Desired dried herbs and seasoning

Marinate the steak in a large Ziploc bag with Worcestershire sauce, oil, and desired seasonings (I recommend dried basil and thyme with a touch of fresh lemon juice). After marinating the meat for at least one hour, place it on a hot grill or grill pan to cook. You’ll want to brown it on each side. To get a medium-rare piece of meat, cook it about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Once it is cooked to your liking, let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Homemade Chili Dogs

Another easy and fairly cheap Labor Day recipe is the classic chili dog. If you’re not a fan of canned chili, you’re not alone. This homemade chili dog recipe is super cost-friendly (less than $10 to prepare all 8 hot dogs), makes eight servings, and is absolutely delicious!

What you’ll need

1 pound ground beef
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1/4 cup water
1 (1.25 ounce) package chili seasoning mix
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns

To make your homemade hot dog chili, brown 1 pound of ground beef in a skillet. Once the meat is cooked, drain any access juice from the pan. Add a bottle of chili sauce, chili seasoning, mustard, water, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan. Let the chili come to a simmer. Serve on top of hot dogs.

Potato Salad

This potato salad recipe is a little different from what you may have seen traditionally. It will make between six and eight servings and costs less than $7 to make.

What you’ll need

2 pounds of potatoes (I like the red potatoes)
3 large eggs
1 cup of Duke’s Mayonnaise
1/4 cup of vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil potatoes (and peel, if desired). In a separate pot, boil your eggs. While these items are cooking, mix together mayo, vinegar, and honey. You want this mixture to still be slightly thick to stick to the salad. If it seems too loose, add more mayo. Place this in the refrigerator.

After the potatoes and eggs are done, peel the eggs and sliced them into small pieces. Allow the potatoes to cool before cutting them into smaller pieces. Once your potatoes and eggs are sliced, slowly fold in your mayo mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and put back into the fridge for one hour before serving.

Oven-Baked Smores

This definitely isn’t a classic Labor Day recipe idea but it will be the perfect ending to your cookout! This oven-baked smores recipe serves 15 people and is a great alternative to the messy, tasty treat. The entire recipe will cost less than $10.

What you’ll need

18 graham crackers
Pinch of salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 extra-large Hershey bars (or 7 regular-size ones)
24 jumbo marshmallows

Crush graham crackers into a powder (you can use a food processor to do this). Combine the graham cracker crumbs with salt, sugar, and melted butter. Pack the graham cracker crust into a 13×9 pan. Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes and let cool 5-10 minutes. After you’ve allowed it to cool, arrange chocolate bars on the crust and marshmallows on top of the chocolate. Place back into the oven for 10-12 minutes or until marshmallows are evenly toasted. You can cut into these immediately to get the full smores experience or let cool for a cleaner cut. If they cool down too much, they can be reheated in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Amanda Blankenship

Amanda Blankenship is the Chief Editor for District Media. With a BA in journalism from Wingate University, she frequently writes for a handful of websites and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, son, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.