It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.

August 1

Crispy gnocchi for a crowd

One of my favorite moves in the kitchen is crisping up shelf-stable gnocchi and serving it in a simple sauce, like in this Crispy Gnocchi With Sausage and Peas, or this sheet-pan style one. This weekend, on side-dish duty for family dinner with my girlfriend’s parents, I made the bright and acidic Crispy Gnocchi Caprese from Alexis deBoschnek’s latest cookbook, Nights and Weekends. The dish had a pleasant heat from the jarred roasted peppers which complemented the fresh mozzarella, and packed delicious summer flavor into every bite. —Alma Avalle, editorial operations associate

Crispy gnocchi tomatoes shredded mozzarella and torn basil leaves on a plate.

The summer salad stalwart gets a makeover.

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Audibly crisp zucchini fries

Zucchini is everywhere right now. I’ve put pounds of it in pasta and baked a chocolate-zucchini bread but the recipe I keep coming back to is this one for zucchini fries by my colleague, Nina Moskowitz. Nina recently added instructions to cook them in an air fryer and praise be—it’s more hands-off than the original shallow-fry but still audibly crisp. Finely grated Parmesan is used in the breading and as the fries cook, the cheese melts and binds with the breadcrumbs to form a sturdy jacket around the squash. I usually forgo the yogurt dip (sorry, Nina! it’s not you, it’s me) because really, I’m just here for the zucchini. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior test kitchen editor

Zucchini Fries on a red checkered plateCrispy Zucchini Fries With Herby Yogurt Dip

Whether you want them air-fried, baked, or classic, these Parmesan-crusted wedges satisfy.

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Restaurant-worthy Sun Gold pasta

Few ingredients get me as excited as Sun Gold tomatoes. They’re sweet enough to eat by the handful, but this week I opted instead to use them in senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk’s Sun Gold Tomato Pasta With Pistachio Gremolata (featured in our Tomato Week). The yellow sauce is seasoned with sliced garlic, and the finished dish is topped with a striking pistachio gremolata. It hits all the flavor and textural notes I dream about in restaurant-caliber pasta: creamy, crunchy, acidic, bright, and deeply savory. And if you happen to have a few tomatoes left over, treat yourself to Jesse’s Tomato Martini. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager audience strategy

Image may contain Cup Food Food Presentation Brunch Plate Cutlery and ForkSun Gold Tomato Pasta With Pistachio Gremolata

A garlicky pistachio topping takes this sunny summer pasta from good to great.

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Toaster oven pierogies and beets

When I’m craving comfort food during the swampiest days of summer, I turn to low-cook meals like senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Sheet-Pan Pierogies and Beets. (Is there anything as soothing as a mashed potato-stuffed pocket of dough? I think not.) The recipe comes together with two store-bought standbys: frozen cheddar and potato pierogies and tender, precooked beets. They both pick up color and a crisp-chewy texture cooking on the same sheet pan. Then you whisk together a simple poppy seed and mustard dressing and swoosh some sour cream on your plate before assembling. This past week, I used my toaster oven to avoid turning on the big oven and was rewarded with golden, salty carbs paired with a real vegetable and an elevated sauce, all without breaking a sweat. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor

Lemony Zucchini With Creamy Dill and More Recipes We Made This WeekSheet-Pan Pierogies and Beets

A flavorful one-pan meal featuring baked pierogies, roasted beets, and a poppy seed dressing. Frozen pierogies and pre-cooked beets make this extra easy.

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Summery lemon-marinated zucchini

My neighbor’s CSA subscription box has been extra generous this season. So much so that she’s been leaving brown paper bags of excess produce at our door. This week’s offering was a bounty of yellow zucchini—more than enough to make this Lemony Zucchini With Sour Cream and Dill. The pan-seared, citrus-marinated squash was crispy, not soggy, atop a bed of cooling, garlicky sour cream. Sprinkled generously with fresh dill, it was the very image of summer. —Arietta Hallock, editorial intern

Lemony Zucchini With Sour Cream and Dill on beige fabricLemony Zucchini With Sour Cream and Dill

Giving chunky zucchini pieces a hard sear develops lots of texture and color while minimizing sogginess. The dilly sour cream provides a garlicky counterpart.

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Dining and Cooking