30 Summer Vegetable Dishes That Won’t Hurt Your Wallet

Summer vegetables in all their glory

Summer is the peak season for fruits and vegetables. Full of sunshine, they give us the best of themselves. We even take advantage of it to prepare jars and homemade preserves as well as jams, in preparation for the colder days to come. Indeed, available in large quantities – since they are in full season – summer fruits and vegetables allow you to stock up on vitamins, without hurting your wallet since they have not been imported from the other side of the world. If they are also locally produced and organic, it is the Holy Grail!

The tomato, the star vegetable

It’s impossible to talk about summer recipes without mentioning tomatoes. Tomatoes, which are a fruit, let’s remember, from a botanical point of view, but cooked like a vegetable. So they are not strictly speaking a vegetable, but are used as such. Are you tearing your hair out? No need, here, we’re going to write that it’s a vegetable for the sake of our scenario, even if we know full well that it’s false — although it was classified as a “vegetable” by the United States Supreme Court in 1893 so that it could be taxed but that’s another story —. Skipping this delight in summer recipes would be at best a shame, at worst an aberration! So this season, the tomato joins the ranks of the great team of summer vegetables for an epic journey on the paths of gluttony.

Gourmet tomato tart, runny shakshuka, colorful caprese salad, generous pasta, so many recipes in which the tomato works wonders.

Eggplant, the hidden vegetable

The eggplant has all the makings of a secret vegetable. Under its dark, purplish, slightly leathery skin, the eggplant hides its cards wonderfully. Its flesh, a light cream-pale yellow color, transforms when cooked into a deliciously melting purée. For example, it is used to prepare a delicious eggplant caviar, generously seasoned with garlic, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, etc.

Other delicacies in which this vegetable is a hit: eggplant lasagna, caponata, moussaka, etc.

Zucchini, the light vegetable

Zucchini also has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. Firstly: it can be enjoyed raw or cooked. A significant time and energy saver, especially when you’re in a hurry! Simply diced, seasoned with olive oil, a hint of lemon, fleur de sel and a touch of Espelette pepper, and there you have a fresh and delicious starter, perfect for the season. Secondly: it’s light. Zucchini contains 16.5 kcal per 100 g, which is to say a trifle, a trinket, a trifle. Thirdly: it goes with everything. Indeed, with its neutral taste – some would say bland – it is the support of choice for any masterpiece. A blank canvas that supports all tastes, colors, spices, in short, madness. It’s certain, with it, you win every time!

Many other vegetables such as peppers or cucumbers are part of the list of summer vegetables. So many fresh and delicious flavors to discover with the following 30 recipes.