Recipes
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.
Recipes September 4
Tofu meatballs and spaghetti
It’s no secret that I love these tofu meatballs from BA alum Kendra Vaculin. This week I made them for a super simple dinner: spaghetti, jarred marinara, and a flurry of grated parm. The recipe comes together in one bowl—with your hands!—just like meat-meatballs, then cooks in the oven versus a splattering pan. Any leftovers make for a great next-day sandwich or snack. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director
We paired these easy tofu meatballs with a simple, summery tomato sauce that cooks as they bake, but you can flavor them any way you like.
No-recipe watermelon salad
When watermelon is as good as it is in late summer, you don’t need a recipe to enjoy it. (Of course we have a great collection of watermelon recipes, should you appreciate some inspiration.) This week, I cut a honking melon into big batons, Salt Bae’d them, drizzled them with olive oil, and tore some basil with its little pink flowers on top. I then sat down and ate each of those batons by hand, from the plate I was meant to share with my partner as he puttered around. You snooze, you lose. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO & cooking
So much zucchini pasta
’Tis the season for zucchini recipes. When there’s so much of it around (for such affordable prices!), I like to grate as much as I possibly can into my evening bowls of pasta. Like in this spaghetti recipe, which I developed for the 2026 Farmers Market Challenge. It’s like Amatriciana, sort of, thanks to plenty of guanciale and garlic. But instead of tomatoes, there are three whole pounds of shredded zucchini tossed into the pot. I’ll be eating it outside until fall hits. —Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor
Green sauce for the week
Years ago, I was dating a guy who would make cilantro-mint chutney in big batches and freeze it, defrosting it block by block so we could use it as a dip or drizzle over pretty much everything. This week, I found myself with a hankering for that same spicy sauce, so I cast around for a recipe I thought might be similar. I landed on this one, but allowed for adjustments—less spice, no sugar, and I was generous with my salt. I also added in a spoonful of Greek yogurt to make it creamy. I’ve used it all week—as a dip for quesadillas, as a drizzle atop scrambled eggs, and as a secret weapon to juice up rotisserie chicken tacos. —Sam Stone, senior editor
A very special sandwich
It’s not often that I cook for lunch. I’m quite happy scrounging around my fridge for a fistful of baby carrots and a few knobs of cheese. But when Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser published her newest Good for You recipe, she had my full attention. Her Veggie Club Sandwich promises to keep you pleasantly full while supplying a meal’s worth of veggies between three slices of bread. Rebecca makes the point that you hardly need a recipe to make a sandwich, but in this case you’ll be glad to follow her direction. A marvel of edible construction, this sando requires strategic placement of each component to ensure no filling slips out the back when you take a bite. A well-placed toothpick won’t hurt either. —Carly Westerfield, manager, audience strategy
Ditch the ham and cheese for a double-decker vegetarian sandwich.