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Friends drop by, family comes into town, and you know everyone is hungry. But not to worry. When it comes to summer meals for a crowd, even without a garden within reach, you can still take advantage of all the fresh and green goodness that’s in store.  

Pasta salad is brilliant for many reasons, first of all, its ease of preparation and the fact that you can serve it at room temperature. Because of that, it’s no sweat to make in advance and the flavors become all the more pronounced if you let sit for a while. You can also easily scale this recipe depending on how many guests you’ll be serving. It’s a must-have for your summer entertaining back pocket.

While we love the classic French dish, ratatouille can always use a little something more to make it a satisfying main. Rigatoni is the perfect pasta shape to stand up to all of your roasted summer veggies. This really couldn’t be a simpler dish—just chop, roast, and toss all your ingredients together. Oh, and don’t forget the olive oil. Lots of olive oil.

pesto is a perfect summer food. If you haven’t heard, you can make pesto out of anything—but we’re partial to the classic. Basil is at its best, exuding a slightly sweet and pungent flavor. Like many pasta recipes served for a crowd, this can easily be doubled as needed, keeps well, and will leave everyone satisfied.  

Pizza and salad, is there anything better? We love serving a few options with a meal this simple. This carrot, kumquat, and golden beet salad is a sunny delight and this pink radicchio beauty will be the star of every Instagram story. Eggplant and ricotta are a summer match made in heaven, drawing upon all my favorite sweet, creamy, fresh, and charred flavors that define the season. Also: this pizza is beyond easy and the perfect thing to serve if you want to bring your guests in on the fun.

If you have vegetarians or vegans included in your crowd, be sure to serve a meat-free option. Any of the other pizzas included here will do, and you’ll want to include a salad for good measure. I love the sweet/salty flavor pairing of this green fruit salad with ricotta and herbs to contrast the prosciutto.