25 Fresh Recipes to Make Before Summer Ends
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on May 16, 2024
Iโm trying to embrace every long summer day before theyโre all gone. Letโs hit the pool and the farmersโ markets and make the most of these hot-weather days.
To that end, Iโve rounded up twenty-five salads, main dishes, sides and desserts featuring ripe summer produce. Hurry and make these fresh summer recipes while you still can!
I struggled to keep this list at a reasonable number, so be sure to check out my full summer archives and summer recipes Pinterest board for even more summer recipes. Iโll be back with more new recipes later this week!
1) Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles
โMade this for dinner tonightโฆ so delicious! I took a shortcut and bought my zucchini already spiralized at Whole Foods. The sauce is amazing, so flavorful! Iโm excited to have some of it leftover to eat during the week :)โ โ Halley
2) Summertime Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Jalapeno Pesto
โJust devoured this for lunch! So good! My toddler loved it too, so Iโm sure we will be making this many times this summer. Thanks!โ โ Sarika
3) Arugula & Watermelon Salad
โThanks for posting this recipe! Made it for dinner tonightโฆit was delicious! My husband loved it. Will definitely make it againโ โ Denise
4) Mediterranean Tomato & Feta Dip
โDelicious, refreshing dish! I served as an appetizer for a dinner party and my guests loved it on a warm summer night. With the leftovers, I added to a basil pesto pasta and it was perfect. Thanks, Kate!โ โ Courtney
5) Summertime Fruit Salad
โI made it over the weekend and loved it! I made it with basil and maple syrup. Your blog is now my go-to cook book.โ โ Denise
6) Berry Spinach Salad with Spicy Maple Sunflower Seeds
โThis is amazingly delicious, and so quick to make. Love the heat of the cayenne on the sunflower seeds. I use so many of your recipes and am enjoying the new cookbook with the beautiful photos. Congratulations!โ โ Susan
7) Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Orzo Pasta
โI know this is an older post, but my husband and I have made it at least 6 times in the last 3 months. Easily my favorite recipe at the moment. Thank you for many delicious summer days!โ โ Rebecca
8) Green Bean Salad with Toasted Almonds & Feta
โKate, this recipe is ridiculous! I knew when I read it, I had to try it โ but I was still blown away. Green beans are in season for me right now and Iโve been making this recipe at least twice a week (sometimes moreโฆ). I love the sour-salty-crunchy combination, and itโs so easy to make. Iโve been enjoying it hot (partly because I canโt wait for it to cool down), and itโs delicious. Thanks for another stellar recipe!โ โ Sarah
9) Sweet Corn & Black Bean Tacos
โMade this last night for dinner andโฆAMAZING! Everybody loved it, even the teenager who was like โew radishesโ and then took the corn salad leftovers for lunch today. Thanks, Kate!โ โ Rebecca
10) Strawberry Salsa
โWe thought we would give this a try but had little expectations for it. Turns out it is excellent! We will definitely make it again.โ โ Krista
11) Summertime Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce
โI made this yesterday and it was soooo good! We have a heat wave here in Germany right now so this was the perfect balance between refreshing and something warm for lunch. Will definitely make again :)โ โ Sam
12) Simple Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Dipping Sauce
โI made these skewers last night for a dinner party and they were beautiful as well as tasty! They were a huge hit and I would definitely make them again!โ โ Jody
13) The Ultimate Gazpacho
โI just returned from a mother/daughter trip to Spain and fell in love with Gazpacho. I came home determined to make it myself. Your recipe most closely mirrors what I had there. I am now making it at every entertaining opportunity to share a bit of Spain with my friends. Thanks for a great recipe!โ โ Mary
14) Simple Peach, Basil and Ricotta Flatbread
โKate, I love this recipe! Itโs such a good, quick, summery dinner. I popped it in the oven after a late night at work last week (when I was starving!) and the timer went off just after I had changed into some comfy clothes. Everyone: if youโre having a โsweetsโ craving, trying drizzling a little honey over the entire assembled dish. NOM.โ โ Jennifer
15) Basil Pesto
โBest recipe ever, I am not even kidding you! I made the vegan version yesterday and it turned out so creamy and SO heavenly. Itโs my new go to!โ โ Barbie
16) Creamy Cherry Tomato & Summer Squash Pasta
โMade this for the first time tonight, as my husband and I are trying more vegetarian dishes. It is outstanding! So good, and super easy. My husband isnโt a fan of goat cheese, so he just had Parmesan on his half, and it worked well (I love goat cheese and it added so much creaminess to the sauce). Thanks for a great recipe!!!โ โ Martha
17) Heirloom BLT Salad (with Coconut Bacon!)
โI donโt know where my mind was when I decided to make this recipe for my boyfriend tonight. He hates coconut and he thinks kale is overrated. As I was making this I thought โoh, noโฆ my he is going to hate this.โ But he loved it and went back for seconds! And he adored the dressing.โ โ Ashley
18) Caprese Pasta Salad
โI loved this pasta! It was so easy and fast to make, and so fresh even when I heated it up the next couple of days. Iโll definitely be making this again.โ โ Rachel
19) Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza
โI made a batch of this pesto and cooked one pizza at the beginning and a second at the end of the week. I pit different toppings on it, and both times was told it was the best pizza Iโve made in a long time! Very yummy, thank you!โ โ Margo
20) Erinโs Baked Eggs on a Bed of Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
โOh goodness, this was delicious! Iโd been looking for a little something different from my weekend-go-to egg breakfast, and this was such a nice replacement! And what I love is how light this was still for breakfast, a great way to start the morning.โ โ Patricia
21) Cilantro-Pepita Pesto with Squash Ribbons and Fettuccine
โNot only was this delicious when I made it, the leftovers were just as good โ a major plus for me because I always want to have good leftovers to bring to work for lunch. I added some roasted sweet potato to one of my portions of leftovers and the flavors worked well together. I know this has been up for awhile, but thanks for another great recipe Kate!โ โ Amanda
22) Greek Wedge Salad
โThanks for the recipe, Kate. I made this tonight and it received rave reviews! It was refreshing as a Greek salad always is, but the Lemon Tahini dressing made it so vibrant. It was so easy and so delicious! Next time I may add beans for a complete meal. The presentation is gorgeousโcanโt wait to serve it to guests.โ โ Judi
23) Gluten-Free Peach Crisp
โThis was crazy delicious, thank you! I made it for my parents who said going gluten free will be terrible. They loved it!! Great job!โ โ Jem
24) Healthy Zucchini Muffins
โWords cannot express how much I want everyone to make these :) They are moist and delicious! I used coconut oil and maple syrup. I also made a divine cashew frosting for those days when you just want some on top, and they go perfectly together! :) Iโll be making them breakfasts this week too! Thanks, Kate!โ โ Stephie
25) Watermelon White Sangria
โThis was wonderful and so beautiful to serve at a party. LOVED this.โ โ Courtney
More resources you might appreciate: 13 healthy make-ahead breakfast recipes, 16 recipes that pack well for lunch and 20 simple weeknight dinners. You might also like my monthly seasonal produce guides and essential kitchen tools. View all roundups and resource posts here.
I just preferred your cookbook from Amazon! Are these recipes in the book? So many of them sound delicious.
Hi, Jane! Unfortunately, none of these are in the book. The book is full of 100+ all-new or re-vamped recipes. You can click on the links to get to these ones, though!
Hi Kate! Iโm a long-time fan of your blog and have made many of your recipes (the healthy banana bread is a favorite of my boyfriend), and I recently made quinoa as you recommended in your last post- it turned out great! I just ordered your book on Amazon (donโt ask me why it took so long for me to do that, I donโt have a good answer) and I canโt wait to read it! Thank you for the years of fantastic recipes- keep them coming! :)
Thank you for such a kind note, Alex! Iโm so glad youโve enjoyed the blog, and I hope you love the book!
Just wonderful, I have to try the 25 summer recipes, lovely light airy site, thank you.
But I clicked subscribe andโฆnothingโฆ? Pls help me.
Wishing you great success and pleasure.
Susan
Hi Susan, Iโm not sure I understand your question. Did you enter your email address in the box and then click โsubscribeโ? That should subscribe you to my email newsletter. You can see all of my subscription options here.
Thanks so much for sharing this Kate, Iโm always on the lookout for new delicious recipes. I have tried the roasted eggplant and tomato orzo pasta twice now and absolutely love it. I never really know what to do with eggplant so this recipe is a winner!
Eggplant can be a bit of a head-scratcher for me, too. Iโm so glad you found a great use for it!
Really love your blog! I always experiment in kitchen after reading your blog and mom loves it. <3
Aw, I love hearing that! Thanks, Harry!
Hi Kate
I just wanted to thank you so much for your awesome blog! Your recipes make the tastiest vegetarian food I have ever had, use the cookbook and blog recipes nearly everyday! The simple honey scones are probably my favorite. I have one suggestion/request, perhaps in the future when you write posts like these you could add a link to a previous post with recipes for the opposite season for your readers in the Southern Hemisphere โ it would really help so much to know exactly where to look!
Thanks again for your amazing blog, you have really helped me to embrace real food and live a healthier life!
Great recipes for summer season really love it Thank you great man
Thanks!
YUM! I want to try the squash pasta and the pesto pizza so badly. They look phenomenal. Lately, Iโve been craving these dishes TONS so badly. Pizza, especially!
Let me know what you think, Cassie!
The name is enough to make your mouth water! Falooda is a famous summer dessert and enjoyed by everyone in scorching summers. It provides an instant coolness. Now imagine a falooda with toppings of saffron, pistachios and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Doesnโt it sound like a super delicious treat? Treat this treat not just to yourself but also to your guests and make them jump with joy. Itโs quite a tough recipe so do have patience while preparing it.
Thank you for your post.
Thank you, Rick!