The sun may be shining, the birds may be chirping and the produce may be plentiful, but sometimes you need a cozy, comforting meal to fill your tummy and soothe your soul. (And let’s face it, a salad just isn’t enough.) Here are some dishes that celebrate summer’s best produce and also make you feel like you just took a long nap.
Tomatoes and zucchini seem to be everywhere now, so put them to great use in this heartwarming dish from Martha Rose Shulman. Roasting the zucchini instead of frying it means less oil and less fuss. Martha has a recipe for sauce, but feel free to use your favorite recipe or better yet, store bought.
Tender and sweet, this zucchini bread from Alison Roman is a cinch to put together, and eating a slice warm from the oven and slathered in melty butter may be more effective than therapy. This recipe makes two loaves of bread so you can share one or freeze one for later.
Recipe: Classic Zucchini Bread
Also known as Texas caviar, this cheerful medley of beans, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño, and onion is one of those dishes that just seems to (poof!) disappear. For a little creamy richness, add avocado cubes.
In this surprising dish from Melissa Clark, juicy pork meatballs play with sweet peaches, fresh basil and tangy lime for a savory-sweet meal that hits all the notes. Use any ground meat you like and feel free to replace the peaches with ripe nectarines or plums. (Just make sure they are super ripe.)
This watermelon margarita from Alexa Weibel is everything you want in a summer cocktail: refreshing, slightly sweet and just spicy enough to keep it interesting. (For those who abstain from alcohol, try this one cucumber and watermelon punch.)
Recipe: Watermelon Margarita
Dan dan noodles are traditionally made with ground pork and pickled vegetables, but in this tasty vegan riff on Hetty McKinnon’s Sichuan classic, fried eggplant comes before the pork. The recipe calls for tahini, but soft almond or peanut butter will work in its place.
This cobbler from Edna Lewis, the Virginia chef whose books helped define the Southern culinary canon, has a pie crust topping that lets the stone fruit flavors shine. Mrs. Lewis liked to make it with a toaster top, with bits of raw dough in the filling, which cook into dumplings as the fruit juice thickens.
This beautiful dish is inspired by Panzanella, the beloved Tuscan bread salad, but Hetty McKinnon brilliantly swaps the bread for fried store-bought gnocchi — and we love it. Shelf-life gnocchi work best, but frozen will also work; just don’t disturb them while they cook so they don’t fall apart.
In this 30-minute vegan recipe, Jocelyn Ramirez sears meaty oyster mushrooms in a pan, making them just as crunchy and delicious as chicharrón, or fried pork belly. If you’re hungry, consider doubling the mushrooms, as they will shrink quite a bit during cooking.
Recipe: Crispy Mushroom Tacos
Comfort me with fried chicken. In this riff on veal Milanese from Melissa Clark, chicken chops are pounded to an even thickness, then breaded, fried, and served with a simple tomato-mozzarella salad dressed with basil oil.
Recipe: Milanese Chicken With Tomato, Mozzarella And Basil Salad
Get started. Two pounds of fresh corn kernels go into this classic casserole from Ali Slagle that’s made with corn and a simple yet rich batter of flour, cheddar, sour cream, eggs, and butter. Fry until bubbly, then eat straight from the pan until your mood improves.
Genevieve Ko’s spicy-sweet kung pao chicken, which she adapted from Grace Han and Pearl Han, comes together in just 15 minutes well spent. New York Times Cooking associate editor Krysten Chambrot recently put it: “It was so delicious and easy and made me feel like I was being taken care of.”
Recipe: Easy Kung Pao Kip
If you haven’t made Marian Burros’ famous plum pie yet, what are you waiting for? This recipe first appeared in the newspaper in 1983, but it is reprinted several times because the readers clamored for it. It’s wild customizable: It works with just about any summer fruit (including pears and apples), you can bake it in just about any shape, and it’s very hard to mess up.
Recipe: Original plum pie
Tomato and basil, summer’s cutest couple, star in this classic Martha Rose Shulman risotto. A savvy reader added a bit of fresh mozzarella for a caprese-style risotto. Making risotto takes some time and attention, but maybe all that stirring is soothing? One can hope.
This ice cream cake from Ali Slagle is so much fun to make because it really just comes together, and you can use any store-bought ice cream flavors you like. Start with a cookie crust, a layer of ice cream, a layer of ice cream sandwiches, and then another layer of ice cream. Drizzle with Magic Shell (and maybe colorful sprinkles?) before serving. Trust us: Even the moodiest guest will love it.
Millie Peartree’s classic mayonnaise-based macaroni salad is inspired by the salads served at Kennedy Fried Chicken restaurants. It is perfectly balanced: savory from the mayo and slightly sweet from carrots and a hint of sugar. “In the summer, a dish is just as comforting as mac ‘n cheese in the winter,” wrote one reader.
Recipe: Macaroni Salad
“Who knew you could make ribs in a slow cooker, and they could be so juicy and luscious with a comical lack of effort?” asked one reader. Sarah DiGregorio, that’s who! This is the ideal recipe for rib lovers who don’t have a grill and don’t want to heat up their kitchen. (These beauties need a quick whim, but only for a few minutes.) A pressure cooker version can be found here.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Hot Honey Ribs
Bibim guksu, or “mixed noodles” in Korean, is the perfect summer meal. It’s cold, it’s spicy, and it’s very easy to make yourself. Bibim guksu usually doesn’t contain kimchi, but in this recipe from Darun Kwak it offers welcome spicy and sour notes.
Yes, this is a tomato sandwich recipe. This one, from Melissa Clark, is based on: bread with tomatoand “involves rubbing the guts of a ripe tomato over toasted garlic bread,” then with more tomato, onion, mayo, and, if you like, bacon.
Recipe: tomato buns
Melissa Clark saves us again with this ridiculously easy machine-less peanut butter ice cream. The secret ingredient? Unsweetened oat milk creamer. The end result is luscious and creamy and beautiful.
These Vallery Lomas Crispy Fritters are made with fresh corn, cheddar, scallions, cayenne pepper, and a simple batter, then baked until golden and crisp. Eat them alone or as a side dish with grilled chicken.
This gooey dessert from Jerrelle Guy isn’t quite spoon bread and not quite cake, but nestled somewhere in between. It can be made with almost any fresh or frozen ripe summer fruit, but serve it with a spoon as it is too soft and yielding to cut with a knife.
Recipe: strawberry spoon cake
Go to the farmers market. Two whole pounds of eggplant and zucchini go into this hearty weeknight meal from Kay Chun. The secret to unsoaked eggplant is to fry it slowly in a non-stick skillet until it softens and caramelizes without adding much oil.