Summer is the quintessential season for outdoor parties, cookouts and picnics. This often means you’ll find plenty of burgers, hotdogs and various meats on the menu. But with all the gorgeous fruits and vegetables available in the summertime, it would be a waste to not feature some of the delicious produce the season has to offer. Whether you’re a vegetarian or just looking to cut back on meat from time to time, finding meatless outdoor party options is not as challenging as it may seem. Produce such as figs, watermelon, and dragon fruit are best eaten in the summer and we’ve got plenty of amazing recipes for them.
As part of our summer vegetarian recipe roundup, we’ve included cookout staples such as potato salad and salsa with our own special twist. Pastas are also delicious summer main dishes and are great for feeding a big crowd. Skip the heavy cream or meaty sauces and instead, keep things light with a lemon and olive oil-based sauce for flavoring. Grilled vegetables are an appetizing alternative to meat, if you’re still in the mood for that smokey, grilled flavor. For more ideas and tips on grilling produce, check out our guide, Learn How: Grilling Fruits and Vegetables. As for the rest of our recipe lineup, here are our top produce picks for having the tastiest vegetarian summer yet.
Lemon Basil Artichokes with Pasta
A light, lemony pasta is most fitting in the summertime. After all, who needs heavy meat-based sauces when all you need is lemon zest, salt and pepper to give your pasta incredible flavor? Our convenient, ready-made Steamed Artichoke Hearts take out the extra steps of prepping and cooking and is vacuum-sealed to give it its signature just-picked flavor. Toss with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil and flavorful shallots and you have yourself a summer go-to pasta recipe for dinner.
Fingerling Potato, Fig and Tarragon Salad
Potato salad taken to the next level. You’ll find no lack of flavors in this gorgeous potato salad. Dried Calimyrna Figs add richness and sweetness while the tarragon gives it delicious aroma and a distinct licorice flavor. Our Fingerling Potato Medley makes it easy to create colorful and creative dishes for the summertime and includes a combination of delicious varieties. Known to soak up a lot of different kinds of flavors, Fingerling Potatoes are truly a great ingredient to have on hand.
Nothing beats the heat like a cool, crisp and refreshing Asian Summer Salad. This is our take on a classic restaurant favorite and is which is best served with a side of vegetable potstickers or egg rolls. Organic Oranges and Organic Carrots give this salad its sweetness and brightness while fried wonton wrappers and Roasted Soy Nuts give it a pleasant crunch. To take this salad to the next level and give it its signature Asian flair, drizzle a generous helping of your favorite Ginger Sesame Dressing.
Lemon Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Asparagus
We love pasta and the flavors of lemon together, so it’s only fitting that we share with you our version of a lemon spaghetti. This is an easy and elegant meatless summer dish to serve at casual backyard BBQs and parties. The multicolored Baby Heirloom Tomatoes give this dish a gorgeous vibrancy and the asparagus adds a delectable crunchy texture that’s hard to beat. Finish with toasted pine nuts and a hearty dusting of grated nutty and savory Parmesan cheese.
Japanese Grilled Miso Eggplant
Tis’ the season for outdoor grilling. And while plenty of meat is often present at backyard BBQs, there are also many great meatless options as well. When we’re grilling vegetables, we love to include Japanese Eggplant as part of the spread. More delicate in flavor and thinner-skinned than the common eggplant, Japanese Eggplant holds up well on the grill. This recipe by Chef Martin Yan is both sweet and savory, with delicious flavors of miso, soy sauce, dashi and more.
Fava Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
Although a beloved favorite, fresh fava beans are not always easy to to shell and prepare. Our Peeled and Steamed Fava Beans are conveniently ready to eat or use in any recipe. For a light and cool summertime favorite, a chilled Fava Bean salad works beautifully with sweet Organic Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Onion and aromatic Chervil. Enhanced with just a squeeze of lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper, the delightful natural flavors of all the vegetables and herbs speak for themselves.
Mango salsa is delicious but watermelon salsa just might be better. Colorful, fresh and vibrant, watermelon salsa is always a crowd pleaser and tastes best in the summertime. Jalapeño Chiles add heat and pizzazz to the sweetness of the fruits, which include summer favorites such as Red Watermelon, Organic Honeydew, Organic Blueberries and more. There’s nothing quite like a cool, refreshing and chunky helping of this stuff for a morning pick-me-up or topping for grilled fish.
Fruit skewers a fun and creative way to serve fruit. After all, during the summer, everything seems to taste better on a stick. You can just about any of your favorite fruits for skewers, but since we’re talking about the summer here, we’re going to take things up a notch. Organic Pineapples, Strawberry Papayas, Tropical Dragon Fruit, Lychees and more give these fruit skewers their exotic island flair. The best part? You’ll never have to leave your backyard to take a trip to the tropics with this recipe.
Which vegetarian recipe is your favorite in this lineup? What are some other delicious ways you like to go meatless in the summer?
These look amazing! Are these vegan too ? 🙂
Most of these are, except for the Lemon Spaghetti, which contains cheese. But you could always leave the cheese out and it’d still be delicious! 🙂
I will, thanks 🙂