Easy Summer Vegetable Recipes

Find a great sale on sweet corn? Does your backyard zucchini plant not know when to quit? Neighbor blessing you with fresh garden tomatoes? We’ve got you covered with cheap and easy summer vegetable recipes to work into your meal plans.

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Whoever started the myth that vegetables can’t be delicious must not have had access to fresh-from-the-garden summer vegetables. I’m pretty sure that’s peak deliciousness!

When summer rolls around, there’s nothing better than fresh fruits and veggies, straight from the field. If you’ve got a backyard garden, so much the better. Your farm to table experience can be quick and delicious.

Not sure what to do with your bounty? Check out these easy summer vegetable recipes!

What are summer vegetables?

I suppose your summer harvest will depend on the climate you live in, but generally speaking you should be able to find these fresh summer veggies in season and on sale, at least in the northern hemisphere:

Chile Peppers – delicious fresh in salsas but also tasty in a number of other dishes roasted or grilled

Sweet Corn – tasty eaten straight off the cob with butter and salt, but the kernels are great for adding to salads, bowl meals, casseroles, and baked goods.

Cucumbers – great for eating plain, sliced in sandwiches, or dressed in salads

Eggplant – delicious roasted or grilled, can be made into a dip or blended into sauces

Green Beans – so tasty as a side dish or stirred into casseroles; great in pasta salad

Sweet Bell Peppers – great eaten fresh or cooked, bell peppers work in salads, sandwiches, salads, pizza, and on their own as veggie dippers

Tomatoes – tossed with olive oil and garlic, tomatoes are delicious fresh in salads, sauces, and bruschetta, but can be cooked as well into sauces, casseroles, soups, sautes, and pasta dishes.

Zucchini – tastes best cooked with olive oil and herbs, or shredded and added to baked goods.

Shopping Tips

If you can grow your own summer vegetables or make good use of a CSA box, that’s the best for seasonal produce. Follow these tips for buying fresh produce from the store:

• Buy summer vegetables on sale and at their peak of freshness. In most cases, these veggies should be bright, shiny, and firm with no bruising or soft spots. 
• For best taste and texture, only purchase what you can use or freeze in the next few days. If they start to get more than ripe, refrigerate and use as soon as possible.
• Be sure to check out our post on How to Freeze Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs!

Easy Summer Vegetable Recipes

Rather than search the internet for good recipes, take a few minutes to browse the healthy summer vegetable recipes we have on Good Cheap Eats. They are guaranteed to be quick, easy, and friendly to your budget.

Chile Peppers

Chiles are the spicy counterparts to sweet bell peppers. They are delicious grilled, sautéed, or roasted. You can even stuff them with a variety of fillings.

Sweet Corn

Is there anything better than juicy corn on the cob dripping with butter? Yep! These easy recipes fit the bill for using your corn kernels this summer.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers taste best fresh or pickled. Buy them firm and shiny for best taste and texture.

Eggplant

Eggplant may seem obscure but it can be delicious. Try it in a few different recipes to see how you like it. I love to grill it lightly to put on pizza. So yummy!

Green Beans

Summer fresh green beans are delicious! They taste best lightly cooked; don’t make them mushy!

Sweet Bell Peppers

Choose bell peppers that are shiny and firm. Store in the fridge and use fresh or cooked. Remember that if they start to wilt you can still use them. You can even freeze bell peppers.

Tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes are absolutely delicious, especially when you can get them fresh from the garden. If not, don’t fret. Grocery store tomatoes have improved over the years. Grape tomatoes tend to have a lot of flavor.

Not sure How to Core, Seed, & Chop Tomatoes? It’s easy!

Zucchini

Zucchini grows quickly, almost overnight which means that some backyard gardeners will have way too many squash. These are some of our favorite zucchini recipes for summer.