What makes a great salad? We like to think that it’s the opportunity to highlight the season’s best produce. From cookout salads loaded with grilled veggies to make-ahead pasta salads that feed a crowd, there’s no shortage of fresh, salad-ready fruits and vegetables during the summer months. Have a bounty of garden-fresh cukes? Make a cucumber salad. Can’t get enough of those peak-of-season tomatoes? Caprese is calling your name. Want to elevate plain, old watermelon wedges? You can’t go wrong with a refreshing watermelon salad. Whatever you decide, you’ll find that a summer salad is always welcome at the table. One of our favorites? Ina’s panzanella—which is almost too pretty to eat. She tosses crunchy bread cubes with crisp veggies, aromatic basil and a tangy Dijon vinaigrette for a simple-yet-stunning side that’s ideal for summer weeknight dinners and outdoor entertaining alike.

Seasoned with cumin and sumac and drizzled with a bright lemony sauce, this cauliflower salad is the perfect addition to your barbecue spread. We use a grill basket to prevent the florets from falling between the grates (but if you don't have one you can line the grates with foil instead). Topped with fresh herbs, walnuts and sultanas, this is sure to become a regular part of your summer rotation.

We took classic bagel toppings and combined them with sliced cucumber for a dish inspired by Logan Moffitt’s TikTok-famous shaken salads. Our everything-except-the-bagel version is vegetarian as well as gluten-free and gets loaded into a 2-quart container so it’s a generous amount for 2 to 4 people. Tomatoes and red onion add color, capers and everything-bagel seasoning add classic flavor while avocado and whipped cream cheese turn into a creamy dressing that coats the cucumbers deliciously. We recommend shaking the mix just before eating to keep the salad crisp and the dressing thick, not watery.

Rachael’s classic caprese makes a fresh and easy salad for a crowd.

Trisha’s elegant salad is ready in just 20 minutes. She brushes romaine lettuce with a garlicky oil, then lays the lettuce directly on the grill until marked and slightly wilted. A quick Caesar dressing, golden-brown croutons and grated Parmesan are the ideal finishing touches.

This refreshing, flavorful salad stars Chinese black vinegar with light soy sauce as its milder sidekick. Smashed cucumber salad (pai huang gua in Mandarin) is a staple side dish in many Chinese restaurants. Chinese black vinegar has a deep and slightly smoky flavor, mild acidity and faint sweetness. The salad usually includes garlic and sesame seeds or sesame oil, and some variations add chiles or Sichuan peppercorn; this version uses gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) for a touch of heat, which isn’t traditional but gives the salad a nice red hue and balanced spiciness. Smashing the cucumber helps to create jagged edges so there is more surface area to absorb the dressing, while salting the cucumber softens the skin, firms up the flesh and releases some water, concentrating the cucumber’s flavor.

Fattoush is a Levantine salad made with fried pita and seasonal vegetables, such as lettuce, cucumber and tomato. The special flavor of fattoush comes from the dressing, which contains sumac and pomegranate molasses. With just the right amount of zestiness, this salad is the perfect addition to any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean meal, especially during grilling season.

Tortellini adds an extra punch of creamy, cheesy goodness to the classic caprese salad.

This no-mayo potato salad is an excellent dish to serve year-round. It’s bursting with Mediterranean flavor thanks to kalamata olives, preserved lemon, lots of fresh herbs and a splash of olive oil. It’s a great side for grilled meat or fish, and since it doesn’t contain mayonnaise it’s a good option for a picnic or barbecue where you won’t have easy access to a fridge.

This salad will transport you to the South of France. We've taken the classic vegetables of ratatouille and grilled them up for a hearty salad you’ll want to make all summer long.

While there are many kale salads out there, this one – combining quinoa, chickpeas, fresh summer vegetables and spiced pumpkin seeds – is designed to be high in fiber (11 grams per serving) and protein (15 grams per serving).

This all-American pasta salad gets a healthy boost from summer's vegetable bounty. Don't limit yourself to just tomatoes, corn and zucchini—string beans and cucumber could also find a happy home here.

Sweet tomatoes, mild garbanzo beans and tangy red onion come together with creamy orzo for an easy summer salad with red wine vinaigrette.

This simple side salad is a favorite to serve alongside some of the Philippine’s most popular grilled and fried foods. Crunchy cucumbers, sweet tomatoes and a tangy spiced dressing are a perfect cool, crisp complement to richer Filipino dishes like Lechon Kawali (crispy pork belly), Pork Tocino (sweet cured pork) and anything barbecued. Persian cucumbers and cherry tomatoes are used in this version, but feel free to use the varieties you have on hand or what looks best at the market.

Fresh dill and sour cream turn the summer staple into something cool, creamy and refreshing. Try this classic Midwestern salad with black bread and smoked salmon, or as a simple side for chicken or fish.

Two Italian classics collide in one great dish: All the fresh flavors of Caprese salad (ripe, juicy produce, creamy cheese, fresh basil and good olive oil) get mashed up with bruschetta, the Italian appetizer of garlic-rubbed crusty bread. And the longer this summery salad sits, the better it gets.

Toss together an easy salad of chopped tomatoes, hearty farro, snipped fresh chives and Italian parsley for a satisfying lunch — or first course for a summer party.

Pan-roasted corn is the star of this zesty pasta salad that’s perfect for picnics, cookouts or anytime you need a side that doubles as a vegetarian main. We took inspiration from the Mexican street-food favorite esquites: roasted corn kernels dressed with mayonnaise and sprinkled with Cotija cheese and lime juice. We added sour cream to make a creamy dressing for our salad and opted for twirly cavatappi pasta to make the whole dish come together perfectly on your fork. The recipe calls for a generous amount of minced jalapeño; leave the seeds in for a refreshing amount of heat, or scrape them out for milder dish with just a hint of spice.

When the warm, summer days are coming to a close and you have a surplus of fresh end-of-season produce, fire up the grill and make this simple yet substantial panzanella salad. With a generous portion of tangy sourdough bread, fresh basil, and multicolored cherry tomatoes, it's a satisfying meal on its own but also makes an easy side dish for a group.

Alex Guarnaschelli uses cold watermelon and room-temperature tomatoes to create a contrast that gives this salad an extra-fresh taste.

Grilled jalapeno is tempered by buttermilk, mayo and fresh green herbs in Valerie’s simple and delicious dressing. Drizzle it over creamy avocado and grilled corn for a crowd-pleasing salad that features the best of summer's produce.

Freshly grilled salmon stands in for chicken in this crowd-pleasing salad.

Brushing thick slices of watermelon with Kardea’s honey-and-hot-sauce-infused vinaigrette before grilling will give the sweet fruit more flavor than you ever imagined. Serve it atop arugula, with fresh berries, blue cheese, pecans and more.

Here is the best of summer stacked in a salad. Though a lot of the ingredients are grilled, you can cook them simultaneously and pull them off as they finish. Just make sure to have your tools organized before you hit the flame. The tomato vinaigrette is creamy, sharp and sweet. Make it all summer long as your go-to salad dressing (even for non-vertical salads).

Whip up this tangy-sweet salad to serve with your favorite meat from the grill.

This is a nontraditional take on the Haitian potato-and-beet favorite Salad Russe (Russian salad). With a familiar base of mayonnaise, vinegar and cayenne pepper, this version packs a flavorful punch and spiciness with additional ingredients like fresh grated garlic and onions. And while traditionally the salad is made from vegetables boiled on the stovetop, the stars of this recipe are roasted to concentrate their flavor. It’s a super-fun dish, gorgeous and a crowd-pleaser at special events or cookouts. 

Although hiyashi chuka literally means “chilled Chinese,” this cold ramen salad is actually a Japanese dish, traditionally served during the summer. Consisting of cold ramen noodles, a colorful variety of thinly sliced toppings and a soy sauce-based dressing, it is light, refreshing and easy to assemble. Ham, surimi, cucumbers, tomatoes and egg crepe are common ingredients, but feel free to make whatever substitutions you like. You can also use fresh or dried ramen noodles. Although fresh cost more, need to be refrigerated and aren’t as readily available, I think they have the slight edge here, thanks to their springy texture and ability to better absorb the sauce. Try both types and see which one you prefer.

Remember this classic? You might be surprised at how it satisfies a modern palate, even as it gives a retro wink to the last century.

When beautiful produce is available, sometimes the best way to cook it is, well, not to! This raw salad is crunchy, vibrant and fresh. Use a mandoline to give the vegetables the paper-thin treatment.

Peppery arugula and sweet strawberries are even better when paired with shaved Gorgonzola and a fruity vinaigrette.

Just like the soup, this salad is best served chilled. Don’t be too precise when chopping the vegetables — the beauty of the dish is its simplicity.

Ree loves this salad because it’s versatile — serve it with a juicy steak, a Tex-Mex dinner or your favorite grilled chicken.

Two of summer’s quintessential foods are grilled together, then tossed with crisp spinach and fennel for a lovely seasonal salad.

This is such a pretty side dish. Use a vegetable peeler to turn zucchini into ribbons, then sprinkle with salt to draw out as much water as possible. The end result is an eye-catching, perfectly crisp salad that incorporates summer’s best berries and vegetables.

This super-fun salad incorporates the best of the season: fresh corn, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes and tangy red onion.