Lunch
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Zucchini-Peach Salad With Creamy Lime Dressing
Raw zucchini deserves to be a summer salad staple. With just time and salt, sliced zucchini softens into tender bites that absorb any dressing that graces them. This easy salad pairs thinly sliced zucchini coins with sweet, juicy, ripe peaches in a loose, creamy, lime-forward dressing. It’s a full-on journey, in just a mouthful.
Lobster Rolls
There are two longstanding, popular styles of lobster rolls, and they differ in two primary ways: temperature (cold versus warm) and sauce (mayonnaise versus butter). One style hails from Maine, where chilled lobster meat is tossed in a mayonnaise dressing (often with minced celery and chives), while the Connecticut version warms lobster meat in butter and serves it glistening in the butter sauce. These rolls embrace the best of both worlds and are both buttery and bright. The lobster meat is warmed in butter, quickly tossed in a light mayo dressing, then tucked into butter-toasted buns. Serve with potato chips and tangy coleslaw for a classic summer meal.
Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls
Connecticut-style lobster rolls celebrate the pure flavor of lobster, simply warming the cooked meat in melted butter to bring out its inherent sweetness and preserve its plump texture. (Maine-style typically serve chilled lobster meat tossed with mayonnaise.) The approach is simple: Toast your buns in butter until golden, then heat the cooked lobster in the same skillet just until warmed. The use of salted butter seasons the meat, so no extra salt is required (though seasoning to taste is never discouraged). Although the optional celery seed is not traditional, its herbal brightness nicely highlights the seafood flavor. Serve these lobster rolls with potato chips and tangy coleslaw for a classic summer meal.
Air-Fryer Zucchini
Popping zucchini into the air fryer is a quick way to cook the beloved summer vegetable, but the squash’s high water content can lead to sogginess. For crisp, can’t-stop-eating zucchini, employ these smart tricks: Remove the seeds, don’t salt before cooking, thoroughly dry the zucchini pieces, and finally, toss them with a little mayo before sprinkling with a mixture of panko, Pecorino Romano and cornstarch. You’ll end up with tasty, lightly crisped zucchini nuggets with a salty bite. For a vegan version, substitute vegan mayonnaise or olive oil and use nutritional yeast in place of the cheese.
Fennel and Lentil Salad With Caper-Mustard Dressing
Quietly dazzling, this salad is a dish you’ll turn to time and time again. It’s ideal for when you want something simple and hearty without being too filling. Made mostly of pantry ingredients, it has a punchy, acidic dressing that’s lightened up with fresh ingredients like fennel and parsley. While satisfying enough on its own, it works well with simple proteins like salmon, chicken or a jammy egg. Eat it for lunch during the week, and refresh leftovers by adding some baby spinach, fresh dill or more parsley.
Summer Fish Tea
Fish tea is an endlessly flexible soup recipe found across the Caribbean, consisting of fish, starchy vegetables like pumpkin and yellow yam, and seasonings, which can all vary depending on the cook. Some prepare it with a helpful packet labeled "fish tea flavored soup mix," while others prefer making it from scratch with fresh fish heads. This weeknight version lands somewhere in the middle, showcasing tender-crisp summer vegetables like corn and green beans in a delicate broth scented with ginger, allspice and juicy hunks of snapper. If Scotch bonnet chiles are unavailable, habanero will work. Making a small puncture in the whole pepper will allow some heat to permeate the broth, but not an overwhelming amount. For a spicier soup, make a larger incision. To make this soup preparation even faster, you can cut the vegetables for the soup while the broth simmers.
Dumpling and Smashed Cucumber Salad With Peanut Sauce
Serving as a luscious, umami sauce for pan-fried potstickers, peanut sauce yet again proves itself to be the hero of weeknight cooking. The sauce needs no cooking, just some hot water to soften the peanut butter, which also helps the sauce come together smoothly. By design, it is slightly runnier than usual, allowing it to casually drape over the dumplings. Right after whisking, the sauce may look too loose, but let it sit for a few minutes as it relaxes and thickens into the perfect consistency. Frozen potstickers — which have a flat base for pan-frying — work best, but you could use other types of dumpling too, cooking them according to their package instructions. The cucumbers are smashed and then salted, which not only draws out moisture, but also tenderizes them every so slightly, delivering just the right amount of freshness and crunch.
Tomato-Watermelon Salad With Anchovy Bread Crumbs
Slightly sweet and very savory, this juicy, colorful salad is perfect for summer, when tomatoes and watermelon are at their peak. Briefly marinating the tomatoes helps season them thoroughly and draws out their juices, which lend a soft, round note to the tart sherry vinegar in the dressing. Note to anchovy-avoiders: Their presence in the bread crumbs isn’t obvious or assertive. They melt into the oil, leaving behind just a hint of their saline, umami character. Serve this as a side dish to grilled or toasted meats or fish. Or, to make it a meal, you can add crumbled goat cheese or feta, but it would also be nice with a can of tuna flaked over the top or some chickpeas mixed in.
Shrimp Salad With Sesame-Ginger Dressing
Give in to the convenience of already poached shrimp in this bright main-dish salad, perfect for lunch or a light dinner. The core is easy and uncomplicated: Fresh ginger and chiles are married with sesame seeds and oil in a tangy vinaigrette for tender shrimp, crisp cucumbers and a bed of peppery arugula. It’s decidedly unfussy and very easily adaptable — add scoops of avocado or soft-boiled eggs for extra richness or simply serve with buttered toast and make open-faced sandwiches. Individual chiles have their own heat ranges, just like our taste buds. Use the amount in the recipe as a guide, but trust your instincts to adjust.
Basil and Olive Pasta Salad With Tomato Dressing
Ripe summer tomatoes are transformed into a fragrant, fruity dressing for this pasta salad. Giving the tomatoes a quick salt bath encourages them to release their tangy juices and further intensifies their flavor before they are blended with basil and garlic. While this dish is best with summer tomatoes, this salting technique makes it possible to use out-of-season ones, too. This dressing is thicker than most, so use a robust short pasta with lots of crevices, curves and swirls to hug and carry the sauce. Eat this pasta salad as is, or dress it with a creamy fresh cheese such as mozzarella, burrata or ricotta, or stir through some leafy baby spinach or arugula for freshness.
Old Bay Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
If a shrimp boil dove into a bowl of macaroni salad, you might end up with something like this: a crowd-pleasing, lemony, peppery, glossy shrimp-and-pasta salad. To infuse all the elements with the flavors of a seafood boil, season the water that cooks the pasta, peas and shrimp with lots of Old Bay. The peas add sweetness to balance the pep (though corn kernels would also be great), while celery and red onion lend crunch, and herbs freshen things up. Eat warm, or refrigerate the salad for up to 6 hours. If the mixture stiffens, thin with water and toss until silky.
Simple Summer Salad With Feta
This refreshing, seemingly everyday green salad has a surprise at the bottom: A layer of creamy feta stirred into yogurt awaits, giving tangy richness by the forkful. Its base of greens, radishes and avocado is dressed with a simple lemon-Dijon vinaigrette, making this salad endlessly adaptable, depending on the season and your pantry. For crunch, you could add a handful of toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds or broken bits of toasted pita, inspired by fattoush. If in need of protein, some chickpeas or white beans will do the trick. You could even turn this into a more filling summertime snack or meal by layering the feta-yogurt sauce on top of crunchy store-bought tostadas and piling the salad on top.
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Broccoli Rabe, Pecorino, and Anchovy Pizza
To complement the smoky bitterness of the charred rabe, pair it with a blend of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, a healthy number of anchovy fillets, and a simple tomato sauce. No creamy, melty mozzarella here—this pie is all about its savory punch.
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Avocado Toast With Mango, Chili Powder, and Mint
Juicy, tart mangoes are surprisingly excellent at cutting through the richness of the avocado in this open-faced sandwich. A sprinkle of chili powder adds contrasting heat that more firmly anchors this toast in savory territory.
Pasta and Pickles Salad
This recipe is your invitation to the pasta and pickle party. Dill pickles work double time here: The brine is added to the creamy dressing to bring acidity, while a generous amount of pickles are used in the salad, bringing crunch and saltiness. The sourness of the pickles and the punch of the quick-pickled shallots really cut through the heaviness that is often found in creamy, mayonnaise-laden pasta salads. (This one skips mayo for lighter crème fraîche or sour cream.) An emphatic handful of dill reinforces the grassy notes of the pickle; if you have parsley or scallions lying around, you could throw those in too. Experiment by adding other pickles — sauerkraut, beets, radish, daikon would all work — or bulk this pasta salad up with some chopped romaine, chickpeas or hard-boiled eggs.
Chilled Tofu With Gochujang Sauce
This silken tofu, draped in a tangy, savory, chile-sweet gochujang sauce, is a warm weather epiphany: No cooking whatsoever. The sauce is essentially a chojang, a portmanteau of the Korean words for vinegar, cho, and for gochujang, the fiery fermented red chile paste, one of South Korea’s most delicious exports. Often served alongside salted boiled broccoli with sesame, this sauce is also excellent with tofu or on cold, crisp lettuce or hydrating cucumber and pepper. Make a double batch of the sauce, if you like, to keep in the fridge for last-minute crisper-drawer raids. Enjoy this on its own or with a bowl of cooked rice.
Mapo Tofu Scramble
The bold, savory, spicy flavors of mapo tofu are paired with the creamy richness of scrambled eggs in this hearty and comforting anytime-of-day meal. The dish comes together quickly and all in one skillet: Ginger, scallions and spiced pork are first sizzled and simmered, making way for eggs that are soft-scrambled then folded into the tofu mixture. Round out this superfast meal with a sprinkling of freshly sliced scallions or chopped herbs and some buttered toast.
Avocado Hand Rolls
A fresh pot of perfectly steamed white rice is always a good place to start any meal. Though you could use leftover rice for this recipe, there is no greater comfort than just-cooked rice, especially when it’s seasoned like sushi rice with salt, sugar and acid. Build a meal around that pot: Sushi rice tastes great when stuffed into sheets of roasted seaweed with rich, creamy avocado. You can also tuck sliced cucumber, imitation crab sticks or sushi-grade raw fish into these rolls. If you have an extra 10 seconds, don’t hesitate to whip up the spicy soy sauce and lime juice dipping sauce (see Tip).
Harissa-Grilled Steak With Juicy Tomatoes
What makes this steak so great is that it’s just as delicious warm for dinner as it is cold and eaten for lunch. When choosing harissa for the marinade, look for it in a tube or can, which will have a thick, paste-like consistency (we want that explosive, concentrated red chile flavor), rather than jarred harissa, which tends to be saucier and has less potent flavor. Yogurt is the actual secret ingredient here, because the sugars will caramelize and help the meat develop a beautiful brown crust. If you have time, let the steak marinate in the yogurt mixture for a few hours or overnight to let it tenderize the meat, but if you only have 15 minutes while the grill heats up (see Tip), it’ll still be delicious.
Salt and Pepper Zucchini
In this vegetarian rendition of classic salt and pepper shrimp, zucchini is pan fried with a coating of panko, giving it a golden brown exterior and tender interior. Zucchini’s mild nature makes a perfect backdrop for big salt and pepper flavor, the spiciness of jalapeño, and the sweetness of sautéed onion. Though the seasoning is packed with salt and pepper, granulated sugar is what brings balance to the dish. This recipe does ask for a bit of time and effort, as frying is labor intensive by nature. However, it makes an impressive vegetarian main dish or appetizer at a summer cookout and can upgrade your “Meatless Monday.” If desired, prepare the zucchini a day ahead by freezing it after breading. Place the pieces in a single layer on a parchment lined sheet tray, freeze until completely solid (about three hours), and then fry them — without thawing — when ready. Fried zucchini is best when eaten hot, so prepare any sides you may be serving ahead of time. This dish pairs well with cooked rice (sushi rice would be particularly nice) or a big, leafy salad.
One-Pot Tuna Orzo With Zucchini
Sweet, savory and super-simple, this dish is made mostly from pantry staples and cooked all in one pot. Chewy raisins add an unexpected sweetness tempered by a bit of acidic red wine vinegar. Canned tuna is a great protein choice for weeknight dinners but be sure to buy the oil-packed variety for cooking — it’s much more tender. If you find it, high-quality oil-packed jarred tuna is even tastier. That said, jarred and canned tuna is fully cooked, so it’s best added at the end to warm the tuna through without overcooking it.
Spinach One-Pot Pasta
This shockingly simple dish achieves success thanks to a small yet mighty powerhouse: Salty, umami-rich anchovies melt into the cooking oil, giving the dish subtle complexity and oomph. This pasta uses only a few ingredients and just one pot, and the method is smart and streamlined: As you boil your pasta, you set your spinach in a colander then drain the cooked pasta directly on top. You’ll dissolve the anchovies in olive oil in the empty pot, then return the cooked pasta and wilted spinach to the pot, along with cheese and red-pepper flakes, stirring to form a glossy sauce that is aided by the moisture released by the spinach. A great back-pocket recipe for nights when prep work seems impossible, this recipe is a satisfying meal all on its own, but feel free to stir in some white beans if you’d like to bulk it up.
Pesto Beans
Part quick and rustic bean stew and part deconstructed pesto, this pesto-inspired one-pan meal requires no blender and minimal slicing. It all starts out by sizzling nuts with a little turmeric in olive oil until golden. The Parmesan cheese makes a creamy base for softened shallots and tender beans; then freshly torn basil leaves and lemon juice are stirred in at the end so they stay vibrant and fresh. Top with the beautifully toasted nuts, golden olive oil and a bit more Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread on the side.
Grilled Hasselback Kielbasa With Jalapeño Honey
Sweet, spicy and crisp, these grilled sausages and onions are a good reason to fire up the grill. Instead of leaving the sausages and onions plain, coat them with a mixture of honey, whole-grain mustard and pickled jalapeños beforehand. When hit with the heat, it will caramelize into a sticky glaze. Cutting deep slits in the sausage creates more crispy bits and area for the glaze to settle, and ensures that the sausage won’t explode or shrivel. The pickled jalapeños cut through the richness and can be nestled between the slits on the kielbasa for surprising pops of heat. Pile the sausage and onions into buns, eat alongside coleslaw and potato salad or cut the jalapeno-studded kielbasa into small pieces to serve with toothpicks for an appetizer.