One of my favorite things to do this time of year is head to the farmers market with Ally, buy whatever looks good, and figure out what we’re going to make with it once we get home.

This Sunday we came home with bags full of late-summer produce, fresh sourdough, jam and, of course, plenty of things we probably didn’t technically need but couldn’t leave without.

Instead of going to the market with a specific meal plan, we picked what looked best and used it throughout the week. I love cooking this way because when tomatoes are this good and the corn is this sweet, you really don’t have to do much to make something delicious.

Here’s everything we made from our farmers market haul this week.

Zucchini Bread with Brown Butter Frosting

First up, zucchini bread.

We picked up fresh zucchini at the market and turned it into the most delicious loaf of zucchini bread. It’s soft, moist and full of warm spice, but the brown butter frosting on top is what really makes it.

This is one of those recipes that works just as well with your morning coffee as it does for an afternoon treat or dessert.

Market find: Fresh zucchini

Heirloom Tomato, Arugula & Cottage Cheese Toast

If you bring home really good heirloom tomatoes, make this.

We toasted a thick slice of sourdough, added cottage cheese, fresh arugula and sliced heirloom tomatoes, then finished it with a drizzle of olive oil, flaky salt and cracked pepper.

That’s it.

It’s fresh, filling and takes about five minutes to make. This would be such an easy breakfast or lunch, especially while tomatoes are still at their peak.

Market finds: Heirloom tomatoes, arugula and sourdough

What You’ll Need

Toast the sourdough until golden. Top with cottage cheese, arugula and tomato slices. Drizzle with olive oil and finish with salt and pepper.

If you want to make your own sourdough bread, here is my recipe with step by step directions.

In-N-Out Inspired Burger Bowls

This was one of our favorite dinners from the haul.

We took all the flavors of an In-N-Out burger and turned them into a burger bowl with seasoned ground beef, fresh market tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, grilled onions, cheese and burger sauce.

You could add crispy potatoes or fries to the bowl, too, which I highly recommend.

It’s such an easy weeknight dinner and a great way to use those tomatoes that are too good to hide between two hamburger buns.

Market find: Fresh tomatoes

Build Your Burger Bowl

Add everything to a bowl and finish with plenty of burger sauce.

Red Sauce Pasta with Chicken Meatballs

Next up was a big bowl of pasta with red sauce and chicken meatballs.

This is exactly the kind of dinner I love during that weird transition between summer and fall. It still feels fresh and easy enough for September, but it’s cozy enough for a cooler evening.

We served ours with plenty of parmesan and fresh sourdough for dipping into the sauce.

Market finds: Pasta sauce, herbs, and pasta.

What You’ll Need

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Warm the sauce and chicken meatballs together, then toss with the pasta. Finish with plenty of parmesan and fresh herbs.

Sourdough Toast with Fresh Jam & Honey

This barely qualifies as a recipe, but that’s exactly why I love it.

Fresh market sourdough, toasted until golden, spread with butter and fresh jam, then drizzled with a little honey.

Add a pinch of flaky salt on top and it’s perfect.

Make it for breakfast, an afternoon snack or add a pile of slices to a brunch board.

Market finds: Fresh sourdough, jam and honey

What You’ll Need

Toast the sourdough, spread with butter and jam, drizzle with honey and finish with just a little flaky salt.

Late-Summer Market Salad

Toward the end of the week, a big market salad is the perfect way to use up whatever produce is still in the fridge.

Ours was filled with fresh arugula, sweet corn, tomatoes, thinly sliced apples and cheese. It’s crunchy, sweet, salty and so good with a simple vinaigrette.

Serve it alongside dinner or add grilled chicken and make it the dinner.

Market finds: Arugula, corn, tomatoes and apples

What You’ll Need

Add everything to a large bowl, toss with vinaigrette just before serving and season to taste.

Shop the Market, Then Make a Plan

I think sometimes we make farmers market shopping harder than it needs to be. You don’t necessarily need to show up with a week’s worth of recipes planned.

Buy the tomatoes that look amazing. Grab the zucchini. Get the loaf of sourdough you can’t stop thinking about. Bring home the jam.

Then build around it.

One Sunday trip to the market gave us zucchini bread, a couple of really easy breakfasts and lunches, weeknight dinners and a big salad to finish off the produce at the end of the week.

And that might be my favorite way to cook this time of year.

What’s on your shopping list when you go to the Farmers Market? Let me know!

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