Zucchini

Parmigiano-Reggiano adds salty, nutty richness to this ratatouille, which rivals the best oven versions. To speed preparation, feel free to skip the first step of salting and rinsing the eggplant and zucchini (this process draws off any bitter juices). Instead, just remove any particularly seedy and brown parts of the eggplant, or use smaller Japanese eggplants (which also do not need to be peeled). For pizzazz, add chickpeas and pitted, chopped oil-cured black olives. To make this dish vegan, swap in olive oil for the butter and skip the cheese (adding olives will make up for cheese's saltiness). When reheating the polenta, add liquid (such as chicken stock or milk), then adjust the seasoning if necessary with more salt, pepper, and butter.

Mountains of porcini and white mushrooms lend deep woodsy notes to this hearty vegetarian entrée, while a béchamel sauce offers all the richness of a meat-filled version. Use a food processor to finely chop the fresh mushrooms; they’ll cook more quickly. Members return to this recipe time and time again because its flavor far outweighs the fuss of assembling it. If you’re short on time, make just the filling or the whole dish a day ahead of time.

More than one Epicurious editor considers this cake flawless: buttery and firm, sweet but not too sugary, moist but still cakey. If you’re leery of the dense, oily texture of most zucchini bread, this zucchini cake will be a pleasant revelation. And if you’re buried in a bounty of late-summer zucchini, this is a great go-to recipe to help burn through it using a short list of pantry staple ingredients. (Oh, and don’t be afraid to eat it for breakfast!)

Zucchini replaces the traditional starchy potato, making this a great way to get your kids to love their veggies. Plus, the dipping sauce is ketchup on steroids.

Served cold or at room temperature, this colorful orzo is picnic and party ready. Save yourself some time—and effort—by buying peeled and deveined shrimp, and look for bocconcini, which are tiny mozzarella balls, usually sold in water. With precut veggies, this salad is a snap.

After tasting this Mediterranean and Middle Eastern delight, even avowed zucchini haters will sing the vegetable’s praises. If you don’t have—or you dislike—dill, use other herbs such as basil, chives, and mint, and try French or Bulgarian feta for a milder and less salty alternative to the Greek cheese. Serve these zucchini patties with traditional meze dishes such as tzatziki, labaneh, tabbouleh, fattoush, olives, dolma, hummus, and kibbeh, for an array of appetizers.

This recipe is a great way to use the extra zucchini from the garden or farmers’ market and is chockfull of healthy ingredients. For an even more nutritious version, substitute the same amount of applesauce for the butter, and brown sugar instead of white.

Chickpeas make this hearty dish even more gratifying. A half cup of the high-fiber legumes daily can cut your consumption of fatty foods.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other Mediterranean classics, check out the video classes.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other Italian classics, check out the videos.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other Mexican classics, check out the video classes.

This recipe is a template, open to endless riffs depending on what vegetables you have on hand. No matter what seasonal produce you use, remember to keep an eye out for a mix of colors.

All of these dishes would benefit from a scoop of rice on the side, but Pelaccio's twist on northeastern Malaysia's rice salad is meant to be served over the grains. (He prefers jasmine.) The smoky grilled vegetables are enlivened by a generous final flourish of fresh herbs.

The keys to this dish? Use as many types of squash as you can, and heat the oil in the skillet until it's almost smoking.

You can use any white flaky fish in this versatile—and quick—dish.

Toasted seeds and nuts add bite to this nutrition-packed salad. We use dried sprouted legumes, which are even more healthful than ordinary beans and more convenient than sprouting your own. (Cooked lentils and mung beans work well, too.) A vibrant chive vinaigrette brings it all together.

{sauceless} When we found out our dear friends Katie and Parker got engaged, we packed up our pizza dough and big bag of greens from our garden and headed to their place for an impromptu celebration that's become a tradition in both our homes. Though the best pizza dough takes a little preparation {it gets more supple as it sits overnight}, a pizza topped with little more than fresh farmers' market finds can be thrown together on the fly like a grand game of Twister, with everyone's arms cutting, slicing, patting, and rolling in a tangle that is soon to become a very good dinner. Sip: Snappy and crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand

With the little one's football team

This quintessential Kerala vegetable curry marries many of the best ingredients of the region: coconut, curry leaves, green chiles, and a host of tropical vegetables. All the vegetables are cut into batons and poached in a spiced yogurt-coconut sauce. This recipe is part of our menu for Sadhya, a South Indian feast.