29 Recipes You Should Be Cooking This August

Quinoa, carrots, Swiss chard, and portobello mushroom make a healthy lunch- and dinner-friendly bowl that leaves you full and satisfied. A runny egg binds it all together and adds a bit of protein.

The creamy ricotta, toasty bread, deeply spiced prune jam, and chopped peanuts make this toast taste like the most decadent, open-faced peanut butter and jelly sandwich imaginable.

A hearty and satisfying bagel sandwich travels well. Wrap it in foil or wax paper for mess-free toting and eating.

We love this frittata because it’s loaded with four kinds of fresh vegetables, in addition to sausage and cheese. Plus, it comes together in just 30 minutes and can feed the entire family.

This recipe has all the essentials of a filling, good-for-you green smoothie. Pour it into a reusable drink container and you’re good to go.

Make these sandwiches in the morning to enjoy when back at camp. Using prepared tapenade and roasted bell peppers make these a cinch to whip up.

The promise of chocolate cake in camp is reason enough to pack your dutch oven. Use charcoal briquets instead of wood to more precisely control the fire’s heat.

To scoop up every bit of this spicy egg and tomato dish, popular in North Africa and Israel, we brushed slices of pain au levain with oil, then toasted them on a grill pan set on a camp stove.

This unusual and delicious combination, from cookbook writer Niloufer Ichaporia King, comes straight out of the abiding love that the Indian Parsi community has for eggs. It happens to be very easy to make in camp, and the potato chips end up tasting like crunchy hash browns.

If your kids love mac ‘n’ cheese but you don’t want to cook up a boxed version at camp, this is the recipe for you. A sharp cheddar sauce and smoked-paprika bread crumbs give this mac a massive flavor boost, making it a camping recipe that both adults and kids can love. For easy prep in camp, make the sauce and bread crumbs at home, and buy one-pan, no-drain pasta.

Melted chocolate meets tortillas and cinnamon sugar? Enough said.

Use garlic harvested before the bulbs mature to flavor this main dish. Can’t find them? Substitute with green onions.

Crunchy lemon-studded breadcrumbs top moist grilled trout and tender-crisp grilled radicchio in this tasty supper.

Crisp tacos are topped with chunks of juicy fish then a drizzle of creamy yogurt-lime sauce and fresh salsa in this healthy and speedy halibut recipe that’s perfect for a summer dinner.

Don’t be alarmed by the 12 cloves of garlic required for this flank steak. (But hey, it’s called garlicky steak for a reason!) The orange juice and soy sauce mellow it out into a sweet, salty marinade.

Israeli chef Alon Shaya of Denver’s Safta makes this Moroccan-style salad with young carrots, which he prefers for their super tender skin.

This vegetarian take on the traditional northern China dish swaps out pork in favor of wild mushrooms. You can use cremini or other fresh mushrooms instead, or you can also use wood-ear mushrooms for a more traditional take.

We love a sheet pan dinner. They’re fast, easy, and satisfying. This autumnal one includes onions, Brussels sprouts, Fuji apples, and chicken sausage.

Take advantage of fig season with this salad, which uses the fresh, ripe fruit for a touch of earthy sweetness. The bitterness of radicchio is offset by tangy goat cheese for the perfect fall bite. 

Sunset reader Robin Martinez, of Bend, Oregon, gave us this recipe for a cheater’s version of ceviche, made by mixing cooked shrimp with a lime dressing. She serves it on tostada shells, but it would also work as a dip, with chips served on the side.

You can get a jump on the prep before you leave home. If you pack the chicken and shrimp frozen in your cooler, they’ll keep longer.

Karen Hatfield, chef-owner of Odys + Penelope and Sycamore Kitchen restaurants in Los Angeles, calls this refreshing and slightly unusual savory-sweet summer salad a perfect example of the saying “if it grows together, it goes together.”

Meet the recipe that will become the work desk lunch that you’ll actually look forward to eating all week. Tip: This salad is best with apples that soften when cooked but still hold their shape, like Braeburn or Granny Smith. 

A hardy salad composed of ingredients that stay crispy and fresh, even if they get roughed up in the cooler a bit prior to assembly.

A refreshing, produce-driven cocktail from Dona Savitsky, owner of Oakland’s Doña Tomás. Celery and cucumber combine with smoky, spicy mezcal for an easy-drinking summer cocktail.

This ode-to-Sonoma spritz combines Benham’s Gin and Long Meadow Ranch Brut Farmstead, both made in Sonoma County. Think of this collins sipper as an upgraded gin and tonic—one heavy on the lemon and mint, with just enough dry sparkling wine to top it off and a dose of sweetness from the simple syrup.

Dried hibiscus flowers (jamaica in Spanish) give this drink its gorgeous ruby glow and extra tang. Mixologist Maria Hunt created the recipe.

A citrusy, complex take on a G & T, made with your own homemade tonic concentrate. Oaktown Spice Shop in Oakland, California, shared the recipe. They like to make the cocktail with a nori- (seaweed) infused gin, and they rim the glasses with ground kelp for a touch of umami quality. But you can use any favorite gin and skip the flavored rim if you prefer.

For a nonalcoholic version, skip the tequila and add a little water to help blend the mixture.