17 Light Dishes to Make for Lunch This Summer

Pasta with Chunky Tomato and Summer Vegetable Sauce

Lynch's rustic pasta is spicy and satisfying. It's adaptable to whatever summer vegetables are at their peak; here she uses tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash and eggplant.

• Fusilli with Summer Tomato Sauce

Barley and Grilled-Vegetable Salad

This fresh salad is the ideal meal to consume during your summer pool days.

• Vegetables with Walnut Dressing

Fish Tacos with Tomatillo-Jalapeño Salsa

For her light and satisfying tacos, chef Deborah Schneider fills warm corn tortillas with meaty charred halibut and aguachiles, a brilliant, spicy, tart salsa.

• Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Skillet Corn and Peppers with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

After seeing Bobby Flay slather corn on the cob with lime butter before grilling on a cooking show, Hopkins came up with this skillet variation using kernels. To reflect the Central American influence on Southern cuisine, Hopkins adds sweet-hot Padron peppers, but you can substitute jalapenos.

• Corn Relish

Tomato-and-Mozzarella Salad with Orange Oil

This update of a classic caprese salad combines heirloom tomatoes, several types of basil, mozzarella and orange-scented olive oil.

• Grilled Tomato Salad with Mozzarella and Unagi Sauce

Lobster Sliders

These lush, miniature takes on classic New England lobster rolls are a staple of this sleek South End lounge and restaurant, one of the few places in Boston that serves great food late at night.

• Shrimp Salad Sliders

Crunchy Tofu Tacos

Joe Kim playfully combines fried tofu and peanuts in this take on tacos.

• Tofu-and-Vegetable Tacos with Eggplant-Ancho Spread

Harissa Chicken with Green-Chile-and-Tomato Salad

Grilling gives foods a great smoky flavor, but for even more of that flavor, turn to wood-fired ingredients like smoked paprika and chipotle chiles.

• Herb-Marinated Chicken Skewers with Harissa

Grilled Squash, Corn and Kale Salad with Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette

The creamy sunflower seed dressing for this hearty summer salad is flavored with za'atar, the classic Middle Eastern spice mix that often includes thyme, oregano or marjoram, sesame seeds, tangy sumac and often salt.

• Kale Caesar Salad with Herb Roasted Grapes

Summer Bulgur and Green Bean Salad

This lovely side dish of light, fluffy bulgur studded with bits of toasted almonds and crisp green beans is a wonderful alternative to rice.

• Roasted Squash with Crispy Bulgur Crumbs

Grilled Summer Squash with Blue Cheese and Pecans

For grilled squash with a uniformly crisp texture, chef Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer in North Carolina cuts her squash lengthwise into quarters and then removes the seedy interior. This gorgeous summer squash salad is tossed with a bright, lemony dressing.

• Grilled Summer Squash with Bagna Cauda and Fried Capers

Crackly and Chewy Grilled Flatbreads with Herbed Cheese Spread and Tomatoes

What turns a flatbread made with just 4 ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, and water) from everyday to extraordinary is the starter—a yeast, flour, and water base that ferments overnight and gives the bread its distinct flavor and chew. Here the starter gives the flatbreads a crackly texture that’s then burnished on the grill. Top and finish like a pizza with Herbed Cheese Spread and fresh tomatoes, or tear into pieces for dipping.

Bitter Greens with Soft-Boiled Eggs

The key to enjoying greens like radicchio and escarole in their raw state is to temper their bracingly bitter edge with the rich, the citrusy, and the sweet. The creamy golden yolks of soft-boiled eggs and a zesty vinaigrette bring everything together here. For crunch, batons of toasted sourdough (think chic croutons) are ideal for dipping in the egg.

Green Corn Soup

This silky, cool corn soup gets its verdant flavor and color from spinach and jalapeños.

Cold Saimin Salad with Soy-Ginger Grilled Pork

This Hawaiian-style cold ramen noodle salad recipe is topped with slices of savory, crispy pork shoulder, crunchy bean sprouts, tender ribbons of egg, shredded nori, and slices of Japanese pickled cucumber. A cooling dressing of dashi, rice wine vinegar, and sake brings it all together. It makes a refreshing lunch or a hearty side dish at a cookout.

Lobster Bisque

Lobster shells from the tail, claws, knuckles, and legs are full of flavor and, when very gently simmered in water, yield a clean-tasting, briny stock. Seasoned with mirepoix, sherry, and herbs, this classic bisque is thickened with fragrant jasmine rice. Serve it hot or cold for a knockout lunch or simple supper.

Spring Onion and Salami Sheet-Pan Pizza

When making sheet-pan pizza, bring the dough to room temp before shaping. This ensures the gluten is relaxed and the dough doesn’t shrink from the pan edges.