These New Summer Sides Keep Cooking to a Minimum

Summer produce is the oh-you-shouldn’t-have gift that keeps on giving. The stone fruit and tomatoes are tender and juicy enough to eat out of hand. The corn is not only knee-high, its kernels are nearly bursting with sweetness. The zucchini is, well, abundant. And none of it needs a lick of heat to make it to your plate. These low-cook, high-reward side dishes celebrate peak-season fruits and vegetables straight from the market stall, or the backyard garden if you’re lucky. Try our tangy, just-spicy-enough Tomatoes With Curry Yogurt begging to be paired with a crusty baguette to sop up all that dressing. Or plow through your CSA shares with this Smashed Zucchini With Tahini-Ginger Dressing that will leave you wishing you had an extra pound or two of summer squash. Dive into the full list below—and don’t forget to wear sunscreen.

Tomatoes With Curry Yogurt

Summer’s long-awaited queen, the tomato, needs very little to be enjoyed at the height of ripeness. I may be guilty of biting into a sun-warmed heirloom straight over the sink, elbows up, as one might a juicy peach. When you want to exert a touch more effort, this tomato salad will deliver. Sweet tomatoes find a foil in the form of a tangy, lightly spiced yogurt. Curry powder and a touch of sugar round out a lively sauce punctuated by lime, jalapeño, and umami-rich Kewpie mayo. The quantity is on the generous side on purpose in case you want to drizzle some over whatever meat or veg is on the grill, or save it for your lunch salad tomorrow. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor

Orecchiette With Fresh Corn Alfredo

When tasseled corncobs finally hit the market stalls, you know it’s well and truly summer. The ready-to burst kernels deserve a dish that puts them front and center. You’ll toss hot pasta with a mixture of raw corn, Fresno chile, and plenty of fragrant basil. This recipe forgoes the fuss of standing guard over a pot of simmering sauce and instead celebrates the vegetable as its unadulterated self. When at their peak, the golden kernels don’t actually need a hardy boil or the lick of grill flames to tenderize or mellow. Instead let them tuck inside al dente orecchiette, adding pops of starchy sweetness like citrine gems. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor

Smashed Zucchini With Tahini-Ginger Dressing

As summer progresses, so does the influx of zucchini. Its abundance begs the same question every year: What do you do with all of it? Especially during the dog days of August, when even the idea of getting near a stovetop makes you sweat. My solution is to smash the heck out of it, give it a quick dip in a potent marinade, and enjoy it raw. Yes, raw. You’ll plow through so much zucchini each time you make this salad (two pounds a pop), you might need to buy more next time you’re at the market. And it’s a great make-ahead dish too. Stash it in a baggie (no need to worry about your salad getting smushed) and bring to any cookout, beach picnic, or poolside hang. —J.S.

Stone Fruit and Salami Panzanella Salad

Panzanella is toast masquerading as salad, and to me, this is a very good thing. As someone who would happily eat bread for, or at least with, every meal, I revel in the ability of torn shaggy croutons, kissed with olive oil and salt, to provide a base for whatever farmers market bounty is available. Tomatoes are a classic pick for the Tuscan bread salad, but why not reach for another peak-season ingredient, like peaches or plums? I’ll take any excuse to turn stone fruit into a main course. Salami, or really any cured meat, sets the tone with richness and salt, while sliced pickled chiles (along with some of their brine) offer a buzz of heat and floral flavor, the bridge between the sweet and savory elements of the dish. There’s no need to turn your oven on just to crisp the bread either; use a regular ol’ toaster, in batches if you have to, then tear it apart for an effortless summer salad. —Chris Morocco, food director