10 of Our Favorite Summer Recipes

Images of spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and four bowls containing Mexican chocolate popsicles.

Summer is fleeting and is meant to be enjoyed outdoors, and not in the kitchen. Here, 10 of our favorite summer recipes to help you do just that, while still enjoying the bounty of fresh produce that summer offers.

A glass of raspberry lemonade with tequila garnished with a mint sprig.

Karl Petzke

1 of 10

Raspberry Lemonade with Tequila

Raspberry lemonade—enlivened with tequila—may be the best of all summer porch or backyard patio drinks on a long, hot day.

Recipe

Fork with lobster salad and tomato salad, two small leaves of basil

Ellen Silverman

2 of 10

Lobster Salad

This is not your classic lobster salad–not by a long shot. It's got juicy cherry tomatoes, basil, red onions, and mayonnaise mixed in with chunks of fresh, sweet lobster meat.

Recipe

A black skillet filled with summer tomato pasta, sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Amber Wilson

3 of 10

Summer Tomato Pasta

This summer tomato pasta with basil is made with a handful of pantry staples, including fresh tomatoes, spaghetti or bucatini, and plenty of grated Parmesan. A fast, easy, no-fuss summer meal that's on the table in just 30 minutes.

Recipe

A white bowl filled with warm chicken with green beans and chard, topped with edible flowers.

Jonathan Lovekin

4 of 10

Warm Chicken with Green Beans and Chard

This warm chicken with green beans and chard is essentially a salad of grilled chicken with summer vegetables including beans, tomatoes, and Swiss chard with a lovely lemon vinaigrette. It also happens to be healthy, low-carb, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

Recipe

A grilled pizza with summer tomato sauce and scallions, cut into 8 wedges on a wooden board.

Andrew Janjigian

5 of 10

Grilled Pizza with Summer Tomato Sauce

For this pizza on the grill, I’ve presented a “Margarita” that uses fresh mozzarella, Pecorino or Parmesan, fresh tomato sauce, basil, and scallions (an Al Forno signature move).

Recipe

Grilled peaches with honey and black pepper scattered on a piece of parchment paper.

Eva Kolenko

6 of 10

Grilled Peaches with Honey and Black Pepper

These grilled peaches with honey and black pepper are an easy summer dessert that caramelizes the natural sweetness of stone fruits and turns them tender and soft. A drizzle of honey and a slight bite from black pepper takes them over the top.

Recipe

A white bowl filled with peach, burrata, and basil salad.

John Kernick

7 of 10

Peach, Burrata, and Basil Salad

Peach, burrata, and basil salad is one of those non-recipe recipes that’s a riff on Caprese salad. Arrange some oozing pieces of burrata cheese on a plate, top with peach chunks, and toss in some basil.

Recipe

Three grilled pork burgers topped with coleslaw and yum yum sauce on a wooden serving tray.

Ken Goodman

8 of 10

Grilled Pork Burgers

These easy grilled pork burgers can be made in a Big Green Egg or on a gas or charcoal grill.

Recipe

Four Mexican chocolate pops in colored bowls in a tray of ice.

Leigh Beisch

9 of 10

Mexican Chocolate Pops

This Mexican chocolate pops recipe is a frozen whirl of bittersweet chocolate, brown sugar, rich cinnamon, un pocoquito of cayenne pepper, and lots of half and half.

Recipe