30 Recipes to Celebrate Summer
The temperatures here in Rome are already into the 90s (into the the 30s for the rest of you,) I’ve switched out my sweaters for sundresses, and my freckles have come out of hibernation. In short: my favorite season has (unofficially — it’s not yet June 21st) arrived, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
In non-pandemic times, the Eternal City would be crowded with tourists by now, but I have to say that so far, I’ve only spotted a handful. Therefore I’ve been taking advantage of the mostly empty capital to visit usually packed sites like the Colosseum, which I hadn’t actually properly seen in years. Photos below — a serene Colosseum is a sight to behold:
So! Sunshine aside, I’ve been revving up to cook with the season’s best — basil! tomatoes! zucchini! — and am here to help you get in to the summer spirit as well. Below is a compilation of 30 of the blog’s best summer recipes, covering breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner — stay tuned for a separate post on all of the blog’s summer dessert recipes!
Want to see more of the blog’s recipe compilations? Click here!
Peach Pancakes
Pancakes that turn out soft and fluffy (lots of sour cream!) and light and airy (baking powder and baking soda!) bejeweled with peaches that go sweet and caramelized in the pan. These are perfect served with a little butter and a lot of maple syrup. Click here for the recipe!
Blackberry Waffles
These tender, cinnamon waffles are studded with tart blackberries and scrumptious when served with maple syrup and extra berries on top. Bonus: unlike the stove, the waffle iron doesn't heat the kitchen up in the summer (win!). Click here for the recipe!
Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes
Cornmeal gives these pancakes a more substantial consistency and wholesomeness that regular all flour pancakes do not have; they are also fluffier than the average pancake thanks to beaten egg whites. They’re sweetened with honey, too, which goes fantastic with the blueberries. Click here for the recipe.
BREAKFAST APRICOT BERRY CRISP
Who said crisp has to be for dessert? Oatmeal and fruit are all suitable candidates for the first meal of the day, so why not bake them up with a touch of sugar and cinnamon, a little butter, and a handful of walnuts, and then dollop the resulting breakfast-splendor with yogurt? Click here for the recipe!
AVOCADO BASIL DIP
A dip made with creamy avocado, tangy yogurt, spicy garlic, tart lemon, and herb-y basil — think of this as a cross between guacamole and pesto. Bonus: this dip is beyond easy to make, just a matter of putting everything into a food processor and pressing the "On" button. Click here for the recipe.
FRIED ZUCCHINI FLOWERS
The common filling for these flowers here in the Eternal City is mozzarella cheese and anchovy —. if anchovies aren’t for you however, I’ve also provided a recipe for a ricotta and basil filling which is equally delicious. Click here for the recipe.
eggplant caponata
Briny olives, sweet raisins, tangy vinegar, mild eggplant, mellow celery, salty capers, and toasty pine nuts come together to make the flavor symphony that is caponata, a classic Sicilian dish that goes great as a side to fish or eaten on its own. Click here for the recipe.
three-cheese zucchini tart
This tart is simple but elegant: thinly sliced zucchini fanned out over three types of cheese, all encased in a flaky, buttery crust. The term opposites attract is definitely true here, as the mild zucchini is complemented perfectly by the louder, tangier filling. Click here for the recipe.
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
This is an A+ use of your annual zucchini haul, calling for 3 zucchini in one go. Resourcefulness aside: these are light as air, crisp and golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside, not to mention easy as pie, a matter of a little grating, stirring, and frying. Click here for the recipe.
CORN FRITTERS
Crisp, addictive fritters that also happen to be incredibly simple to make and are pretty flexible, too. Use whatever cheese or herbs you'd like, serve them with a basil/tomato salad, as a side to whatever you've put on the grill dinner, or for brunch with an egg on top. Click here for the recipe.
tomato, goat cheese, basil shortcakes
Who said shortcakes have to be sweet?! Here we have a recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: buttery, dreamy biscuits, tangy goat cheese filling, and sweet balsamic tomatoes with basil. Bonus: the biscuits make a perfect vehicle to catch the tomato juice and balsamic left on your plate.. Click here for the recipe.
GREEK PANZANELLA
Classic panzanella on vacation in Greece: toasted bread soaks up the vinaigrette here without becoming too soft, and there are other colorful guests at the panzanella-party, too -- crisp fresh cucumbers and bell peppers, sweet cherry tomatoes, bitingly sharp onions, briny olives, and salty feta. Click here for the recipe.
rice-stuffed tomatoes with potatoes
The rice here is intensely tomato-y, the basil is bright and flowery, and the potatoes are seasoned with nothing more than a little olive oil and salt, which is all they ever really need. Bonus: these are excellent served room temperature on those Summer days where the idea of eating anything more than tepid is overwhelming. Click here for the recipe.
pomodori gratinati
Here the overall tomato-ness of our tomatoes is intensified and concentrated with a little roasting, the perfect vehicle for the filling: sharp-salty Parmesan, assertive garlic, and summery basil, all held together with a little bread and a good bit of tomato for an extra tomato punch. Click here for the recipe.
corn tomato pie
A supremely seasonal Corn, Tomato, and Zucchini Pie, or flaky, buttery, whole-wheat pastry wrapped around candy-like caramelized onions, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, emerald green coins of zucchini, and lots of melted cheese, with a bit basil thrown in for good measure. Click here for the recipe.
corn, zucchini, feta salad
Marvelously sweet corn is paired with zucchini, another summer M.V.P, here fresh and feather-light, beautiful combined with lots of bright basil and refreshing parsley and earthy zucchini flowers, and, well, since cheese makes everything better: a sprinkle (or two) of sharp, salty feta. Click here for the recipe.
NECTARINES, PROSCIUTTO, BURRATA
Salty rich prosciutto, creamy mild burrata, sweet juicy nectarines, and peppery arugula will make for one of the best dishes you’ll have all summer — added bonus: this is a no cook dish and is the perfect summer lunch, light dinner, or even appetizer. Click here for the recipe.
watermelon feta salad
Both the feta and the watermelon balance/complement each other perfectly, an odd ingredient couple that happens to be a match made in heaven. The dressing -- olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of honey -- allows the ingredients to shine without overwhelming them. Click here for the recipe.
insalata di riso
Insalata di riso is an Italian summer classic — it’s cool and refreshing, and every bite has a different mixture of flavors. My version has everything but the kitchen sink: tuna, olives, tomatoes, peppers, arugula, and a lemon dressing.. Click here for the recipe.
insalata di tonno e fagioli
One of my go-to dishes in the Summer: insalata tonno e fagioli -- tuna and bean salad -- is light and refreshing and lemon-y, filling enough for dinner, and good for you, too, just what you want for dinner in your air conditioning-less kitchen in the middle of a boiling evening. Click here for the recipe.
SPAGHETTI WITH CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE
This a no frills recipe -- there is no cream, no guanciale or pancetta, no bechamel, no ravioli or stuffed pasta in sight. Instead, we have just the basics: olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and spaghetti, perhaps the simplest cut of pasta. Click here for the recipe.
TROFIE AL PESTO
A pesto made with walnuts , cherry tomatoes, and Parmesan, one that is tomato-y and and buttery and fresh and herby all at once with a little crunch thanks to the walnuts. I serve this pesto with fresh trofie, but also it is equally good with any dried pasta of your choice. Click here for the recipe.
pasta con pesce spada e melanzane
A perfect summer pasta: lots of juicy tomatoes, creamy mild eggplant, and substantial swordfish, all tied together with a sprinkling of bright fresh parsley. Its extremely easy to throw together and a nice change of pace from the usual spaghetti alle vongole that is so popular here in the Summer.. Click here for the recipe.
fettucine with brie, tomatoes, basil
This is a recipe that my mom has been making for years now, inspired by a recipe published in the Silver Palate Cookbook. The olive oil, brie, and tomatoes combine to make a fantastic no-cook sauce, and the longer you let the ingredients marinate, the better the sauce becomes. Click here for the recipe.
spaghetti with zucchine, egg, basil
Think of this as comfort food, summer edition -- with a silky, luscious sauce, sweet summer-y onions and zucchine, and a sunny sprinkle of synonymous-with-summer-basil. A dish of this is downright perfect with a little extra Parmesan grated over the top, eaten forkful by twirly forkful. Click here for the recipe.
Rigatoni with eggplant, mozzarella, tomatoes
A melanzane alla parmigiana inspired pasta, which requires half the effort but still has the flavors that I was craving. Just chop and saute' a few ingredients to make your sauce, let it simmer while you cook the rigatoni, toss everything together, and voila’ — you’re new favorite pasta. Click here for the recipe.
tiella di verdure
Here we layer vegetables in their uncooked state with rice, cover it all with splash of water, bake it, and watch as it emerges triumphantly from the oven, the tomatoes juicy, the potatoes soft and creamy, the zucchini tender, the onions sweet, the rice perfectly cooked, and the water (gasp!) nowhere to be found. Click here for the recipe.
salmon with strawberry avocado salsa
Roasted salmon is topped with sweet strawberries, sharp onion, creamy avocado, and tangy lime to make every bite of this salsa sing, and all of it is rounded out with a little honey and basil to keep things interesting. Every bite is different, and a million times better than the jarred salsa from my youth. Click here for the recipe.
AVOCADO CHEDDAR BURGERS
The recipe for my ideal burger — a juicy beef patty with sharp cheddar, buttery avocado, and a little lettuce and tomato for freshness. For my perfect burger, the bun must always be toasted, if only for the practical reason that it makes it sturdier and more likely to support all of the delicious ingredients inside. Click here for the recipe.
roasted eggplant burgers
This veggie burgers swap the meat for still-substantial eggplant, plus breadcrumbs for texture and Parmesan for punch. Add tangy lemon juice, garlic, and basil, and we’ve got a winner, a true dish in its own right and miles away from the feeble vegetarian alternatives you usually come across. Click here for the recipe.