Summer salads and sides
Keep things fresh this summer with our easy salads and sides. These low-effort, high-flavour recipes are all packed with seasonal produce.
Salads are perfect for lunch or supper on sultry summer days. Why swelter at the stove? Instead, throw together a colourful Cos wedge salad, elegant courgette, blackcurrant and feta salad or peach caprese.
Our versatile summer sides are perfect for barbecues, picnics and other gatherings. Everyone loves a retro pasta salad (try this simple runner bean one to use up a glut). Potato salads are a perennial crowd-pleaser. Try verdant green potato salad packed with peas and broccoli, or elevate this spud dish into something special with Jersey royals and brown crab.
Throw in dips, healthy bean dishes, simple tapas and colourful barbecue sides and you’ve got the recipe for a delicious summer.
Showing 1-16 of 260 recipes
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Pickled recipes
Giardiniera
Giardiniera are crunchy Italian pickles, commonly served in the north as an antipasti, that are incredibly moreish and simple to make.
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Easy
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Tomato salad recipes
Insalata pantesca (Pantelleria-style cherry tomato salad)
This cherry tomato salad recipe comes from Pantelleria, an island between Sicily and Tunisia. It's perfect for a lunch in the sun.
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Easy
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Italian vegetarian recipes
Tuscan panzanella
Learn how to make the classic Tuscan bread salad, panzanella. It's a great way to use old bread and make the most of late summer produce.
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Easy
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Filling salad recipes
Green beans, bulgur, feta and pomegranate with sunflower seed dressing
Tender green beans, filling bulgur wheat, pomegranate and feta join forces in this filling summer salad from food writer Claire Thomson.
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Easy
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Tomato recipes
Tomato, mango and burrata chaat
India meets Italy in Gurdeep Loyal's tomato, mango and burrata chaat. This recipe is a remix of caprese salad with a chaat street-food twist.
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Easy
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Sweetcorn recipes
Elotes (Mexican-style street corn)
Corn on the cob is the sweet taste of summer. Elotes – Mexican grilled corn – takes things to a different level with a zingy cheesy topping.
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Easy
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Best of the best recipes
Best-of-the-best ratatouille
Want to make perfect ratatouille? Follow our recipe for the ultimate French summer stew, packed with aubergine, tomato and courgettes.
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Medium
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Courgette recipes
Tamarind chickpea stuffed courgettes
Roasting these stuffed courgettes enhances their sweetness. Tamarind and lime add brightness to the creamy chickpeas in this easy dish.
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Easy
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Courgette recipes
Courgette ribbons with pesto alla trapanese
This fresh and crunchy salad is ideal for a speedy lunch or barbecue side. Coat courgette ribbons in pesto for an incredible flavour pairing.
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Easy
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Summer recipes
Tomato tonnato
Make the most of tomatoes when they're at their peak summer best in this tomato tonnato recipe. It's ready in 10 minutes and tastes like the best tuna sandwich you've ever eaten, in salad form.
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Easy
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Sardine recipes
Grilled sardines with courgette and red pepper salsa
Feel the sunshine with this simple Med-inspired dish. All it needs is fresh crusty bread to mop up the juices.
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Easy
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Easy vegan recipes
Smacked cucumber, tempeh and peanut salad
Crunchy peanuts are the ideal partner for equally nutty tempeh in a protein-packed smacked cucumber salad that’s light, fresh and speedy.
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Easy
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Best-ever side dish recipes
Steamed aubergine in a peanut and chilli dressing
Steaming delivers silky soft aubergine batons, dressed in a Chinese-inspired combo of crispy chilli oil, vinegar and peanut butter.
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Easy
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Aubergine recipes
Charred aubergines with caponata dressing
This summer side dish of charred aubergines is brought to life with a vibrant caponata dressing spiked with capers, olives and raisins.
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Easy
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Summer stew recipes and pot roasts
Greek-style green bean and potato stew
This delicious summer stew is based on the Greek dish fasolakia: green beans and potatoes cooked down with tomatoes and olive oil.
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Easy
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Easy orzo recipes
Orzo russian salad with tuna
This russian salad uses orzo for a delicious pasta side. It also has a warm Spanish flavour with tuna, eggs, olives and roasted red peppers.
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Easy
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