Summer Squash

Sautéed vegetables are piled atop a creamy goat cheese-custard filling.

Bonnie Wilkens Metully of Cincinnati, Ohio, writes: "As much as my husband and I love to go out to eat, it's just more fun, intimate, and cozy to cook and entertain at home. I've taught a lot of our friends just how easy it is to prepare restaurant-quality dishes themselves. Who taught me? My older sister, who's a professional chef. She showed me the importance of getting everything prepped beforehand and seeking out the freshest ingredients." This terrific dish also works well as an appetizer if it's cut into bite-size pieces.

Denise Anderson, Lexington, Ky.
"I created this chili when my husband and I were trying to eat less meat."

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Offer your favorite corn bread along with the kebabs and salads.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

A fresh take on a Midwest staple, featuring homemade gravy and plenty of vegetables.

Smoky, charred summer squash are doused in a savory chimichurri for a side you’ll want to make all summer long.

This creamy summer squash casserole with its buttery, crushed cracker topping counts as eating your veggies, right?

Zucchini is one of summer’s most abundant offerings; here it stars on a pesto pizza alongside ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and a showering of mint.

Too much squash on your hands? Never a problem with this silky, creamy, low-effort pasta full of shallots, anchovies, and brown butter hazelnuts.

Serve this spring-y Persian kuku, full of tender leeks and zucchini, with warm flatbread or on a sandwich.

Grilling gamechanger? Use a skillet on the hot zones to blister tomatoes without losing any of their juices while simultaneously charring larger veggies on the grates alongside.

This vegetarian recipe makes a strong case for replacing a veggie burger with a slab of melty, salty cheese.

When you start with good kimchi, all you need is a little neutral oil to make a vinaigrette that will flatter any selection of raw and blanched vegetables.

With the help of the large holes on a box grater, zucchini transforms into a pile of soft shreds. Cook it down with olive oil, onion, and garlic and it becomes a creamy, caramelized mush that’s great spread on toast (like in the recipe this one was inspired by, Jennie Cook’s Zucchini Butter), stirred into scrambled eggs, or turned into pasta sauce with the assistance of cream and lemon juice. You’ll be amazed by how many zucchini cook down into this one dish—a very good thing when you’re staring down a pile of this prolific summer star.

The crosshatch pattern isn’t just for show (even though it does look cool)!