23 Recipes That Will Use Up Every Last Fruit & Veggie From Your Garden (Or Local Farmer's Market!)
Though I have admitted recently to being a little sick of summer, I’m not a complete monster. I know I’ll be sad when many of my favorite warm weather fruits and veggies—peaches! tomatoes! zucchini!—become less readily available, particularly because we created and updated some especially GORGEOUS recipes this year (I mean, just look at our blackberry-peach salad😍). To celebrate them and say goodbye to summer right, I’m making these 23 dinners, drinks, sides, and more one last time. They’re all pretty easy (much of the glory of summer produce is how it pretty much does the work for you), and are wonderful whether you enjoy them solo on a weeknight or serve them to friends at a end-of-summer dinner party. Best part? They’re all pretty versatile, so use whatever produce you over-bought at the farmer's market or that grew rampant in your backyard garden to make them.
Blackberry-Peach Salad
Packed with fresh fruits, cooling cucumber, and juicy tomatoes, this vibrant summer salad works as a colorful centerpiece to lunch or dinner, or as an accompaniment to fish or grilled meat. The combination of juicy peaches, tart blackberries, fresh herbs, and toasted walnuts piled over zesty honeyed ricotta packs an incredible punch.
Get the Blackberry-Peach Salad recipe.
Ratatouille
While you might immediately think of the 2007 animated film Ratatouille, did you know that the namesake French dish is actually pretty easy to make? Though the film makes the cooking of a traditional ratatouille recipe look incredibly high-stakes, we promise it's a meal that's simple to make on any odd weeknight.
Get the Ratatouille recipe.
Grilled Zucchini Carbonara
Grilled zucchini carbonara is a combination of cheesy, lemony egg yolk-enriched sauce, al dente spaghetti, and charred zucchini bits that melt into the dish. Try it once and we have a feeling you might keep this recipe on your weekly summer dinner rotation.
Get the Grilled Zucchini Carbonara recipe.
Burrata Salad
Think of burrata salad as Caprese salad's fancy cousin. Peak-summer tomatoes are topped with this luscious cheese (think a shell of mozzarella filled with a soft, creamy filling) and garnished with a shower of peppery basil leaves and savory chives. 😍
Get the Burrata Salad recipe.
Fruit Tart
If you’re one of the many who are stunned by the shiny fruit tarts in bakery windows, then this recipe is for you. Good news: It’s surprisingly easy to make a stunning fruit tart right at home! Make it as the star of your holiday parties, or as an easy, warm-weather treat to indulge in anytime.
Get the Fruit Tart recipe.
One-Pan Summer Vegetable Ragú
Take a flavorful trip to the Mediterranean with this easy oven-roasted stew that brings to mind cozy (yes, cozy!) summer days. Zucchini, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, and onions create a tender and jammy medley, complemented by the subtly tart and slightly sweet Aleppo pepper.
Get the One-Pan Summer Vegetable Ragú recipe.
Peach Margaritas
We've packed peachy goodness into these margaritas with two ingredients: peach schnapps and peach puree. This gives multiple levels of peach flavor without sacrificing on the booziness.
Get the Peach Margaritas recipe.
Spinach Salad
A spinach salad may sound simple, but with our favorite mix-ins, this salad turns into an incredible combination of flavors and textures. This salad is not only perfect as-is, but is ripe for variations and additions (i.e., it can take whatever other fruits & veg you've got!).
Get the Spinach Salad recipe.
Strawberry Jalapeño Chicken
Seasoned chicken breast gets pan-seared until golden brown, smothered in a strawberry chipotle sauce, and topped with fresh strawberry-jalapeño salsa to create this playful, bright dish. Sweet-and-spicy lovers, this is bound to become your go-to, post-farmer's-market-haul dinner
Get the Strawberry Jalapeño Chicken recipe.
Zucchini Casserole With Garlicky Bread Crumbs
This summery vegetarian side may be quick and easy, but the colorful shingled veggies make for an impressive presentation. Even the most reluctant vegetable-eaters won't be able to resist that cheesy herbed bread crumb topping. 😋
Get the Zucchini Casserole With Garlicky Bread Crumbs recipe.
Panzanella Salad
The epitome of summer is a huge bowl of panzanella in the center of the table: generous bronzed croutons tossed with chunks of juicy tomato, shallots, and torn basil in a bright vinaigrette. It might technically be called a salad, but you’ll probably find yourself snacking on it for breakfast, dinner, dessert...
Get the Panzanella Salad recipe.
Grilled Zucchini With Ricotta & Walnuts
Grilled zucchini is already plenty delicious on its own, but adding a few dollops of herby whipped ricotta and crunchy toasted walnuts will transform how you look at the humble squash.
Get the Grilled Zucchini With Ricotta & Walnuts recipe.
Strawberry Upside-Down Cake
Pineapple upside-down cake is the most classic, but you can pretty much put anything underneath cake batter, bake it, flip it, and have a stunner of a dessert. For this version, we kept it simple with strawberries—make this to use up any that are just on this side of over-ripe.
Get the Strawberry Upside-Down Cake recipe.
Zucchini Bread
Though zucchini bread can sometimes feel like the forgotten cousin of banana bread, we're here to say, come summertime, this squash-filled quick bread deserves its time in the spotlight. Not only does zucchini keep a loaf extra moist, but it also adds a slightly savory note that prevents it from being too sweet.
Get the Zucchini Bread recipe.
Campfire Berry-Peach Cobbler
You can cobbler over a fire—and it even browns like the real thing. Stupid-easy to prep, this bubbling fruit skillet is impossible to mess up. Change up this recipe with your favorite berries, we think strawberries or blueberries would pair nicely with peach too.
Get the Campfire Berry-Peach Cobbler recipe.
This easy cherry cobbler is adorned with a buttery, buttermilk biscuit topping. The cherries create their own sauce while baking, but hold their shape well and stay nice and tart.
Get the Cherry Cobbler recipe.
Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella Salad
Here, grilled plums get tossed with crispy pancetta, tangy goat cheese, fresh cherry tomatoes, and grilled sourdough bread, then drizzled with a maple-Dijon dressing, turning this humble salad into a work of art.
Get the Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella Salad recipe.
Viral Spiral Cucumber Salad
Looking for a fresh twist on your classic cucumber salad? Spiral-ify it. Featuring a spicy sweet harissa dressing and showered with feta and dill, this take on viral TikTok spiral cucumber salad will be the first dish to disappear at your summer potluck.
Get the Viral Spiral Cucumber Salad recipe.
Warm Figs With Honey & Greek Yogurt
Indulge in the perfect ending to any meal with a delightful bowl of warm figs, dressed in a citrus honey and served with a touch of Greek yogurt. The juicy, sweet figs pair flawlessly with the zesty orange, creating a heavenly flavor combination.
Get the Warm Figs With Honey & Greek Yogurt recipe.
Peach Bruschetta
Summer is that beautiful time of year when both peaches and tomatoes are in season and peak quality, and this easy appetizer celebrates that. Ready in 30 minutes, this great for serving at a no-frills summer dinner party, but could easily make a great end-of-summer lunch as well with minimal effort.
Get the Peach Bruschetta recipe.
Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
Switch up your classic lasagna recipe for a lighter, summer-worthy dinner that doesn't sacrifice on any of the flavor or richness. Instead of lasagna noodles, I use zucchini in this recipe wrapped around creamy ricotta. All baked in marinara sauce, this summer dinner is a must-have to add to your rotation.
Get the Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups recipe.
Creamy Corn Pasta
Don’t be fooled by the name—this pasta has no cream. Instead, you’ll puree fresh corn, sautéed garlic, and scallions into a luscious sauce that’s topped with Parmesan, basil, and even more corn. With just these few ingredients, you can have a crowd-pleasing summer pasta on the table in only about 30 minutes.
Get the Creamy Corn Pasta recipe.
Tomato Salad
You might say to-may-to and you might say to-mah-to, but no matter how you say it, a tomato salad is a summertime classic. With juicy tomatoes, a simple red wine vinaigrette, thinly sliced red onion, herbs, and crumbled feta, this salad is like the little black dress of the season.
Get the Tomato Salad recipe.
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