5 Kid-Friendly Recipes With Tasty Summer Ingredients

Is there anything as delicious as summer produce? Summer is a perfect time to get cooking: kids are home from school, the weather is warm and sunny, and the possibilities for delicious, seasonal recipes made with fresh fruits and veggies are endless. 

Summer Recipes for Cooking With Kids

These summer-inspired recipes are adapted from the FoodCorps Recipe Book, a tool our AmeriCorps members use to guide seasonal cooking lessons with kids. Children of all ages can help taste dishes and adjust for seasonings (“Does this need more salty or more sweet?”) and older children may be able to assist with ingredient prep. 

Try these summer recipes at home to celebrate all that the season has to offer. To make more or less of a dish, just resize the recipe! 

Summer Squash Quick Pickles

We’re suggesting summer squash for these savory, snackable pickles, but you can also try this recipe with carrots, green beans, sweet peppers, or other favorite produce! 

Yield: About 10 servings per jar
Storage: Store in the fridge in an airtight jar for up to three weeks. Children who are at high risk for food-borne illnesses (those with compromised immune systems) should eat refrigerator pickles within the fresh food guideline time frame of three days. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup cut summer squash
• 1 tablespoon herbs or aromatics of your choice, such as coriander seeds, garlic cloves, rosemary, basil, or thyme 
• ½ – 1 cup of pickling brine

For the brine: 

• 2 cups vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons salt

Special equipment: 

• Half-pint jar with an airtight lid

Steps:

1. Adjust the amount of ingredients needed for your brine, assuming each half-pint jar will need approximately ½ cup of brine.
2. Combine brine ingredients in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. 
3. Stir liquid so the salt dissolves, then remove from heat.
4. Let cool and then store in an airtight container until ready for use.
5. Place half of the herbs and seasoning at the bottom of the jar. Fill halfway with the squash, add the rest of herbs and seasoning, then add the rest of the squash.
6. Pour the prepared brine over the ingredients, leaving ½ inch of headroom at the top.
7. Wipe down the jar rim, and screw on the metal top. Refrigerate immediately.

Rainbow Grain Salad 

This recipe helps kids practice ingredient prep and encourages the concept of “eating the rainbow.” It’s also one of our most versatile recipes, and can be made with a number of different grains, fruits, and vegetables. 

Yield: 6 cups or approximately 4-6 servings
Storage: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked grain, such as quinoa, millet, brown rice, or couscous
• 4 cups colorful summer fruits and vegetables, such as beets, tomatoes, bell peppers, daikon radish, peaches, collards, kale, cucumber, blueberries, or kohlrabi 
• Salt, to taste

For the dressing: 

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 clove)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt, to taste
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, parsley, or both

Steps:

1. Whisk lemon juice, garlic, honey, and salt. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and continue whisking until well blended. Stir in herbs.
2. Cook selected grain. Cool grain spread on a baking sheet and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, prepare and chop fruits and vegetables into attractive, bite-sized pieces.
4. Mix grain with assorted fruits and vegetables and toss with dressing. Taste and adjust salt, or add more dressing if needed.

No-Cream Creamed Corn 

Pair this healthier alternative to creamed corn with other preparations of corn, like corn on the cob or corn salad, to introduce kids to different ways of cooking summer vegetables. 

Yield: About 4 servings
Storage: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
This recipe is adapted from NYTimes Cooking.

Ingredients:

• 4 ears of fresh sweet corn, husked
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot or red onion
• Chopped fresh herbs, such as sage, tarragon, chives, thyme, or basil
• Salt, to taste

Steps:

1. Grate corn using large holes on a box grater set over a large bowl.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots or red onion to pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 5–8 minutes, until soft and translucent.
3. Add grated corn and juices and salt. Cook, stirring, until mixture is creamy, about 5–10 minutes.
4. Top with chopped herbs and serve immediately. 

Chia Strawberry Raw Jam

This sweet recipe can be made with or without heat on a hot summer day. As a raw jam, the chia seeds will act as the thickener; cooked, the chia seeds will soften more quickly.

Yield: About 2 cups
Storage: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
This recipe is adapted from The Kitchn. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups strawberries
• 2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 2 to 4 tablespoons honey, agave, maple syrup, or sugar to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chia seeds, plus more if needed

Steps:

1. Wash, hull, and slice strawberries into small pieces.
2. If you have time and access to a burner, cook down fruit on medium heat, stirring occasionally until it becomes sauce-like and loses some water—about 10 minutes.
3. Add lemon juice and honey and stir together. For a smoother texture, use a potato masher or immersion blender to achieve desired consistency. Stir in chia seeds.
4. Let jam stand for at least 5 minutes to thicken. If possible, refrigerate it for ½ hour to further set.

Salsa (Pico de Gallo)

A classic crowd-pleaser, this easy pico de gallo can be made as spicy as your family’s taste buds like it! It’s also a way to showcase warm-weather crops grown over the summer. 

Yield: About 4 cups
Storage: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. 

Ingredients:

• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely diced 
• ⅓  cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ small jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste

Steps:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with lime juice and salt. Serve with tortilla chips.

What are your favorite summer recipes to cook with kids? Let us know on social media @foodcorps!