The best dishes made from summer vegetables and fruits

The summer harvest season won't last long! Make the most of it with our best recipes for tomatoes, corn, watermelon, zucchini, green beans, and peaches.

How to Cook - The Best Summer Fruit and Vegetable Dishes

Salad with cherry tomatoes and sour milk dressing

Photo of the dish - Salad with cherry tomatoes and buttermilk dressing

Grab some colorful cherry tomatoes from the farmers market (or your own garden) and top them with a creamy, tart sour milk-basil dressing.

Recipe: Salad with cherry tomatoes and sour milk dressing

Pappardelle with corn and cherry tomatoes

This quick pasta sauce is full of summer flavors: it's made with corn and tomatoes.

Recipe: Pappardelle with corn and cherry tomatoes

Warm salad with plums and peaches

For an easy side dish or weeknight dinner, sauté peaches and plums with onions and a simple vinaigrette, then serve warm with fresh herbs, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, and prosciutto.

Recipe: Warm salad with plums and peaches

Green beans with lemons and capers

Garlic and green beans—simple ingredients with rich flavor—come together in this flavorful side dish that cooks in 15 minutes.

Recipe: Green beans with lemons and capers

Watermelon and cucumber salad

The base of this savory salad is juicy watermelon. Toss the flesh with crisp cucumbers, sliced onions, and creamy goat cheese. Soak the red onion in cold water for 10 minutes to intensify its flavor.

Recipe: Watermelon and cucumber salad

Basil Gnocchi

Fresh herbs add a rich flavor to any dish, and they're abundant in summer. Add chopped basil to the gnocchi mixture and serve with classic ingredients: sliced fresh tomatoes, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.

Recipe: Basil Gnocchi

Cabbage salad with blueberries

Michael Symon's kale and blueberry salad is sure to be the talk of the town at your picnic.

Recipe: Cabbage salad with blueberries

Tomato sauce from overripe tomatoes

These overripe tomatoes look like they've been left in the sun, crushed, or dropped on the floor—or maybe all three. But don't throw them away. Cracked or bruised tomatoes are great for making a sweet, delicious sauce.

Recipe: Tomato sauce from overripe tomatoes

Okra Stir-fried with Chili Paste

Photo of the dish - Okra, fried in a wok with chili paste

Okra is a popular staple in American Southern cuisine, but here it's enhanced with Asian ingredients: chili paste, oyster sauce, and fried shallots. Fried shallots can be purchased in jars at Asian markets, or you can simply deep-fry thin slices at 180°C until crispy.

Recipe: Okra Stir-fried with Chili Paste

Fresh Peach Cake

For this dessert, Ina layers two layers of peaches between layers of dough—it's perfect for both breakfast and picnics.

Recipe: Fresh Peach Cake

Grilled Eggplant Ratatouille

Photo of the dish - Ratatouille with grilled eggplant

This recipe gives vegetable lovers a great excuse to heat up the grill. Ratatouille is made with fresh, seasonal tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini.

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant Ratatouille

Tomato salad

When summer tomatoes are abundant, this simple fresh salad can be made every night.

Recipe: Tomato salad

Lazy lasagna with tomatoes and zucchini

In the summer, when you don't feel like messing around with pasta casseroles, a lazy lasagna is the perfect option. Make a lighter version of this favorite Italian dish by adding grated zucchini, tomatoes, and cheese to torn lasagna sheets.

Recipe: Lazy lasagna with tomatoes and zucchini

Fettuccine noodles with summer vegetables and goat cheese

The sauce for summer vegetable pasta is made with goat cheese: melt it and add it to the hot pasta.

Recipe: Fettuccine noodles with summer vegetables and goat cheese

Ratatouille Soup

Make a savory, invigorating soup with seasonal vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper.

Recipe: Ratatouille Soup

Zucchini fritters

Ina admits that zucchini can be a bit boring. But not in this recipe—make them into fritters as a side dish with red onion.

Recipe: Zucchini fritters

Tomato sauce from baked tomatoes

First, Alton roasts Roma tomatoes with onions, garlic, and herbs, then adds white wine to the puree for a rich flavor. This versatile sauce can be used with everything from pasta to soups and sandwiches.

Recipe: Tomato sauce from baked tomatoes

Tuscan Tomato Soup with Bread – Pappa al Pomodoro

This hearty summer soup uses day-old Italian bread and a puree of ripe tomatoes and basil leaves.

Recipe: Tuscan Tomato Soup with Bread – Pappa al Pomodoro

Lemon Curd Bread Pudding

Photo of the dish - Bread pudding with lemon curd

Tyler uses seasonal fruits and citrus, adding a simple lemon curd and berries to a single-serve bread pudding. The airy brioche bun soaks up the berry juices and creamy curd beautifully.

Recipe: Lemon Curd Bread Pudding

Summer vegetables stuffed with bulgur and mushrooms

Photo of the dish - Summer vegetables stuffed with bulgur and champignons

Fill halved bell peppers and zucchini with a mixture of bulgur, sliced peppers, and cremini mushrooms. Use red and yellow peppers for a colorful and filling vegetarian dish.

Recipe: Summer vegetables stuffed with bulgur and mushrooms

Pasta with fried artichokes, zucchini and minced meat

Tyler makes a simple, versatile tomato sauce by sautéing sweet cherry tomatoes in olive oil and garlic. Zucchini and fresh artichokes, available at the market in the summer, pair perfectly with the savory sauce.

Recipe: Pasta with fried artichokes, zucchini and minced meat

Summer sorbet

Complete your summer meal with a refreshing fruit sorbet from Alton. Try different combinations of berries and stone fruits, such as blueberry and peach.

Recipe: Summer sorbet

Tomatoes stuffed with mushrooms and cheese

Serve a mixture of three types of mushrooms and panko breadcrumbs on these gorgeous stuffed tomatoes. After a few minutes under the broiler, the cheese and parsley topping turns into a beautiful golden brown.

Recipe: Tomatoes stuffed with mushrooms and cheese

Zucchini Cake with Honey Lemon Butter

Summer is zucchini season. This recipe makes two loaves of zucchini bread with lemon zest and cinnamon. Serve with honey-smoked butter.

Recipe: Zucchini Cake with Honey Lemon Butter

Perfect grilled corn on the cob with green butter

Bobby's recipe guarantees perfectly grilled corn on the cob. Complete the dish with two types of butter: one herb-infused, the other seasoned and garlicky.

Recipe: Perfect grilled corn on the cob with green butter

Lightly salted vegetables in the refrigerator: cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers

Use Ted Allen's simple method to pickle fresh vegetables and enjoy your summer harvest longer. These pickles can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Recipe: Lightly salted vegetables in the refrigerator: cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers

Tomato pie

Seasonal tomatoes are the star ingredient in this savory, light pie with a cheesy cornmeal crust and onion filling.

Recipe: Tomato pie

Spicy green salad

Add a simple dressing to the salad: fry the allspice and cumin in a pan, then toss with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and sugar. You can make this dish with any salad greens you find at your local market.

Recipe: Spicy green salad

Panzanella in tomato bowls

Claire stuffs plump heirloom tomatoes with a simple bread salad. Toss grissini sticks with garlic-infused olive oil, red wine vinegar, onion, and juicy tomato pulp.

Recipe: Panzanella in tomato bowls

Eggplant salad

When buying white or purple eggplants, choose ones that are undamaged and not too soft. Add them to lasagna between layers of dough and cheese, fry them and serve with tomato sauce, or make a warm salad with fresh herbs and lemon juice.

Recipe: Eggplant salad