Literally Just 13 Recipes Packed With Summer's Best Flavors

Grilled corn on the cob caked with crumbled cotija cheese and drizzled with aioli sauce. A light, refreshing spinach salad sprinkled with diced watermelon and walnuts. If neither one of these dishes scream “summer” to you, then maybe the rest of these summer-appropriate recipes loaded with summer fruits and veggies will. 

From watermelon salad to sweet corn pie, your summer isn’t complete without these lunch, dinner and dessert recipes featuring summer’s most popular flavors, from strawberries, peaches and blueberries to zucchini, okra, cucumbers and more.

Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad

Now that a lot of us are spending a lot more time at home than usual, we’ve gotten into gardening which means we have lots of ripe tomatoes ready to be used. If that’s true for you, we highly recommend giving this easy and delicious salad a try. It’s the perfect side dish for just about any summer meal.

Get the recipe from 12 Tomatoes. 

Watermelon avocado spinach salad with poppy seed dressing

Does it get any lighter and more refreshing than this watermelon avocado salad? Loaded with feta cheese, almonds, red onions and drenched in poppy seed dressing, you’ll crave this every day of the week.

Get the recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod.

Pickled Watermelon Rinds

After you’ve used up your watermelon for that watermelon avocado salad, don’t toss the rinds! Pickle them! They are a great snack or addition to salads, sandwiches and wraps.

Get the recipe from Leite’s Culinaria. 

Lemony cucumber couscous salad

For a quick, filling, pick-me-up, turn to this citrusy couscous salad with cucumbers, parsley and crumbled feta cheese. When you do make this 20-minute pasta salad, though, don’t use bottled lemon juice. 

Get the recipe from Budget Bytes.

Five-minute strawberry dessert

Short on time but want to indulge in a batch of fresh strawberries? Slice ’em in half and lay ’em out over a spread of ladyfingers coated in a generous layer of cool whip and Danish dessert.

Get the recipe from One Sweet Appetite.

Okra & green tomato fritters

On summer nights when you’re willing to heat up some oil in a skillet, make these okra and green tomato fritters first. Mix coarsely chopped okra, cornmeal, flower, tomato, onion and garlic powder into a batter; then, fry one tablespoonful-worth of batter at a time until crispy brown. 

Get the recipe from Southern Bite.

Blueberry dump cake

Dump cakes are basically the lazy cook’s go-to dessert, and if you have yet to make one, then turn to this blueberry cobbler dump cake, which requires just five ingredients and takes all of 35 minutes to make.

Get the recipe from Cake Whiz.

Sweet corn & zucchini pie

The most summer-appropriate savory pie has to be one loaded with sweet corn and zucchini — and this pie from Pinch of Yum has just that, plus yellow onions, sliced mushrooms and a heap of mozzarella and Swiss cheese baked into it. 

Get the recipe from Pinch of Yum.

Grilled peach avocado salad

You can never have too many avocado-fruit salads, and I Heart Umami’s grilled peach avocado salad combines two popular summer flavors, as well as fresh arugula and salty prosciutto, tossed with a touch of balsamic vinegar.

Get the recipe from I Heart Umami.

Lime coconut zucchini bread

You haven’t had zucchini bread quite like this. A Latte Bread not only injects a touch of lime and a dash of sweet coconut into the loaf, but also tops off the loaf with a drizzle of lime glaze and toasted coconut. 

Get the recipe from A Latte Food.

Roasted poblano & sweet corn chicken salad

Healthy, filling and flavorful, the Creative Bite’s chicken salad is equal parts hot (thanks to the poblano peppers and cayenne pepper) and sweet. Plus, the chicken salad substitutes mayonnaise for Greek yogurt, so you won’t feel too guilty for eating more than one lettuce cup.

Get the recipe from The Creative Bite.

Creamy cucumber salad

On sweltering days, this 10-minute, creamy cucumber salad made with Greek yogurt, fresh dill, lemon, fresh herb, honey, vinegar and sliced red onions will cool you right off. 

Get the recipe from Joyful Healthy Eats.

Prosciutto, melon & mozzarella salad

Sweet and salty, this prosciutto, melon and mozzarella salad is the perfect opportunity to stock up on fresh produce at the farmer’s market. Be sure to also have EVOO, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar on hand, too.

Get the recipe from Dreams and Epiphanies.

A version of this article was originally published July 2019.

 

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