Our Fave Warm Weather Recipes Featuring Summer Vegetables (2024)

Easy to throw together and made up of simple, classic ingredients, bruschetta was made for chill warm weather snacking. While you can make it all year round, the best time to enjoy this appetizer is summer, when fresh tomatoes are at their peak.

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When you’re looking for simple, refreshing, and reliable, you’d be hard pressed to find a dish better than classic Greek salad. Filled with fresh veggies, tangy feta, and a simple dressing made of ingredients you might already have in your fridge, this bright salad only takes 15 minutes to prepare, making it a perfect last-minute addition to any summer celebration.

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Also known as Mexican street corn, elote is an unbelievably popular antojito (little craving or street food) that you can find all over Mexico and the U.S. This dish can vary, but in our recipe, grilled corn is covered in a creamy mayo and sour cream mixture before being topped with chili powder, cotija cheese, and plenty of lime juice.

Get the Elote (Mexican Street Corn) recipe.

This simple summery pasta has it all: tender, garlicky morsels of eggplant, a cheesy panko topping, and lots of fresh basil. Just add your favorite pasta, and you've got dinner!

Get the Garlicky Feta Eggplant Pasta recipe.

Ratatouille, a classic end of summer dish from the South of France that features our favorite late-season produce, takes on a new form in this beautiful spiraled casserole. Instead of cooking the ratatouille on the stovetop, enjoy it right out of the oven, or you can bake the dish ahead of time and let the ingredients mingle in the refrigerator overnight for even more flavor.

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We found the perfect funky balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy in this Thai-inspired sauce to blanket your cauliflower steaks. Try the sauce and if needed, balance it out to your taste with brown sugar for more sweetness, red pepper flakes for more heat, lime juice for more pucker, and salt.

Get the Thai-Inspired Grilled Cauliflower Steaks recipe.

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.

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Zucchini is one of our favorite vegetables to grill in the summer. Why? It's healthy, it's easy, and it cooks SO FAST. This recipe takes just 10 to 15 minutes from start to finish!

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This dish is like summer in a skillet, thanks to just-burst cherry tomatoes, kernels of sweet summer corn, and basil-topped chicken breasts. Definitely make sure to drizzle every last drop of the garlicky cream sauce over your plate—it picks up all the flavors of the dish and is one of the best parts.

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Cucumber salad is a summer picnic staple, and for good reason: When tossed in a bright vinegar-based dressing and packed with thinly sliced onions, cukes can withstand warm temperatures and sit out at a sunny outdoor gathering for hours.

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Mushrooms can get sidelined at a BBQ as a lame side dish, but when tossed in a balsamic-soy glaze, they'll get ALL the attention.

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Here, we’re taking the creamy tangy sauce that usually goes on Mexican street corn (or elote), spreading it over pre-made pizza dough instead, and loading it up with corn, more chili, and lots of cheese. Twenty minutes later, it’s crispy, corny perfection.

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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. 😋

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Fresh garden green beans are one of summer’s most perfect gifts, so if your family cookout doesn’t feature a big bowl of this salad, you’re seriously missing out. Fresh green beans are tossed with cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta in a simple red wine vinaigrette for a Greek-inspired side that’s as light and fresh as it is seasonal.

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Nashville hot chicken may be king in the land of regional American food, but Nashville hot cauliflower is coming to steal the crown. Coated in hot sauce-spiked buttermilk batter, fried to golden brown perfection, and drizzled with the iconic spicy oil, this vegetarian dinner is crispy, flavorful, and SO delicious.

Get the Nashville Hot Cauliflower recipe.

Nothing says summertime like a good cruciferous slaw, and this tangy, crunchy broccoli slaw will make you the star of your next summer cookout. It’s got the classic slaw veggies—shredded cabbage and carrots—with the addition of raw broccoli, toasted walnuts, and sweet craisins tossed in a maple and lemon dressing. We think it's perfect, but feel free to switch it up a bit too (pecans, raisins, or honey/agave would all be good subs).

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This versatile, flavorful corn salad is the perfect thing to do with leftover grilled corn (besides eat it straight off the cob, ofc!). Mix and match your favorite cheeses, herbs, and nuts, but keep the citrus for brightness and oil for a little richness. And if you like a little *kick*, add some sliced jalapeños or a big pinch of red pepper flakes too.

Get the Grilled Corn Salad recipe.

Move over, meat: It’s the humble bell pepper’s time to shine. Grilling bell peppers is a quick and easy way to pack in a ton of flavor, and this recipe is so easy that it’ll make you think twice before buying your next jar of roasted ones.

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This easy summer salad comes together quickly and works as a side dish, a great topping for tacos, or as an appetizer with tortilla chips. Think of this as a medley of the most exciting parts of a vegetarian burrito bowl, unadulterated by rice, and hyped up by a little honey-lime action.

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This is our simplest, easiest corn recipe, but the flavor combo options are endless—check out the rest of our grilled corn ideas too.

Get the Grilled Corn On The Cob recipe.