Vegetarian

Cucumbers are transformed into candy-like bites in this unexpected dessert inspired by Eton mess, a British summer classic typically featuring layers of strawberries, broken meringue, and whipped cream. 

For this dinner-worthy sandwich, you’ll sear the eggplant on the stove, then marinate it in oil and vinegar to make it silky-soft and flavor-packed. 

Pickling is an ideal way to reap the benefits of summer vegetables long after the season is gone. 

This pungent, spicy, and garlicky broth is inspired by rasam, a South Indian soup.

A quick sear gives corn kernels caramelized edges and concentrated flavor. Here, they're cooked with crisp chickpeas, then tossed with za'atar and dressed with a mixture of ginger, jalapeños, miso, and tahini. 

These Bangladeshi sweet fritters are fluffy and tender on the inside, crispy and craggy on the outside.

This standby salsa recipe using either tomatillos or tomatoes for the base lasts five days in the fridge or up to a month if you freeze it.

Forget soaking your beans! Make like Rick Martinez and use this smart-cooking method instead. 

Precooked, compact, and way more flavorful than store-bought frozen spinach, these portioned greens are ready to go.

This super-flexible, all-purpose salad turns cabbage into luscious tangles of crisp leaves coated in a rich and bright dressing.

You’ll find a version of this quicker-than-quick dish on many Korean tables as a banchan, or small plate. But with rice and a side of greens, it’s dinner exactly when you need it: right now.

In my family, this smoky, crispy, North Indian–style okra is an iconic, clamored-after dish. The key is to cook the okra for a long time, with a lot of whole spices. It’s a foolproof and quick way to get the most flavor out of the summer vegetable, while avoiding any slimy texture. 

To make chitranna, which translates to “mixed rice" in Kannada, bright yellow rice, colored with turmeric, is sautéed in oil that's been seasoned with black mustard seeds, curry leaves, chile, the umami-rich spice asafetida, and urad dal and chana dal, two lentils that add a nutty taste and crunchy texture. The dish is finally garnished with fried peanuts, grated coconut, cilantro, and a generous amount of lemon juice, resulting in a symphony of savory, sour, sweet, spicy, and herbaceous notes.

Palya is a classic South Indian recipe usually composed of a single vegetable chopped into bite-size pieces and sautéed in oil that has been seasoned with black mustard seeds, asafetida, chile, and curry leaves. The dish is then finished with lemon juice, grated coconut, and cilantro. This same preparation is referred to by different names such as thoran or poriyal depending on which state in South India you are in. Seasonal produce is preferred, but the combination makes even the saddest of vegetables at the back of your fridge sing. 

Juicy ripe peaches, raw sweet corn, and roasted peanuts come together in this peak summer snack—a perfect way to refresh after a day in the sun.

This Persian rice dish, known as kateh gojeh farangi, is the ideal late summer comfort food. The cinnamon tames the natural acidity of tomatoes, creating a sweet-savory aroma and flavor.

Snatch up summer’s last big, juicy heirloom tomatoes and join Sohla El-Waylly for a grilled naan and tomato party. Grated raw tomato and ghee-sizzled nigella seeds create a base for pretty-in-pink raita and do double duty smeared on the naan during grilling. Meanwhile, big tomato wedges get tossed in spiced yogurt before charring on the grill. The dough for the naan is sticky and soft, but don’t be tempted to add flour. A supple and moist dough is key to a tender, bubbly bread. Just keep kneading and the dough will grow bouncy and smooth. If you haven’t worked much with yeast, don’t fear! Flatbread is a forgiving place to start playing with fermentation.

It’s almost silly how easy this dish of impossibly delicious, ooey-gooey cheesy chiles is to execute. 

Growing up, my mum would make these moong dal dosas often. I love their vibrant green color, but they're also deeply flavorful and extremely nutritious, thanks to the mung beans and spinach. 

In Brigid Washington's home country of Trinidad and Tobago, this garlicky eggplant dish, known colloquially as baigan or melongene, isn’t considered a recipe because all it requires is a low flame, a handful of garlic cloves, a generous dash of curry powder, and eggplant.

In this pizza, which is reminiscent of a Sicilian pie, the dough is enriched with whole-wheat or rye flour, then topped with a thin layer of anchovy-spiked tomato sauce (skip the fish, if you wish), and once it comes out of the oven, grated Parmesan and a mountain of greens. You have several pan options: For the thinnest crust with the crispiest bottom and edges, use a 13x9" rimmed baking sheet. If you don’t have one, you can also use a 10" or 12" cast-iron skillet: Your dough will be a bit thicker, more pillowy, and not as crisp. Or you can also easily double the recipe and use an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet. Just make sure to plan ahead: This dough needs to rise in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Too much zucchini? We've got you covered.

A little bit of prep work has a big payoff—a tasty, versatile lunch just waiting for its gochujang-lime dressing.