A Week of Easy French Summer Meals & a Grocery List

1. Monday

Lunch: Charentais Melon With Jambon de Pays

Choose yellow Charentais melons if you can find them. For me, they are simply the best. Serve them with whichever cured ham suits your taste and budget: jambon de pays, such as Bayonne ham; Spanish Jamón Serrano; or the more exceptional Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, which is a true delicacy. Add a little country bread if you wish.

Dinner: French Tomato and Mustard Tart With Green Salad

• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
• 6 to 8 ripe tomatoes, approximately 1 kg / 2.2 lb
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 slices cooked ham, or jambon blanc
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• 1 ball mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 210°C/410°F. Slice the tomatoes and cook them gently in a large pan with olive oil, the Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper until they have released most of their water. If there is still a great deal of liquid in the pan, drain them briefly. Place the puff pastry in a tart tin and prick the base with a fork. Spread the mustard evenly over the pastry, then add the ham and tomatoes. Drain the mozzarella, cut it into thin slices, and arrange it over the tart. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Serve with a green salad.

2. Tuesday

Lunch: Heirloom Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad

Use any tomatoes you love, although I especially enjoy making this salad with heirloom tomatoes in several colors. For the cheese, choose mozzarella di bufala or burrata if available. Both are creamier than classic mozzarella, and I personally prefer them. Add plenty of fresh basil, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a little balsamic, apple cider, or wine vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with thick slices of country bread.

Dinner: Provençal Stuffed Tomatoes

Stuffed tomatoes are one of those deeply familiar French family dishes. My mother made them, and I still associate them with generous summer cooking. This recipe makes approximately six portions, so there should be enough for lunch the following day.

• 10 to 12 medium tomatoes
• 700 g / 1½ lb minced pork, beef, veal, or a mixture
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• A little freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the tops from the tomatoes and set them aside. Carefully scoop out the flesh, taking care not to pierce the skins, then lightly salt the insides. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook gently for a few minutes, until softened. Add the tomato flesh, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Season and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until much of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the thyme and bay leaf, then leave the mixture to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Combine the minced meat with the cooked tomato mixture, parsley, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Fill the tomatoes with the mixture, replace the tops, and arrange them in a large baking dish. Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the filling is cooked through.

3. Wednesday

Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Tomatoes With Green Salad

Stuffed tomatoes are often even better the next day. Serve them warm or at room temperature with a simple green salad and my favorite everyday vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

I tend to make vinaigrette by taste rather than measuring. Begin with roughly three parts olive oil to one part vinegar, then adjust until it tastes right to you.

Dinner: My Easy Ratatouille With Eggs and Crusty Bread

My version is deliberately simple. Everything cooks together in one pot, and the vegetables slowly soften into a generous, fragrant sauce. This makes approximately six portions, leaving enough for tomorrow’s tartines.

• 3 medium tomatoes
• 3 zucchini
• 3 red bell peppers
• 3 large onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1½ tablespoons Herbes de Provence
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 eggs, to serve

Finely chop the onions and garlic. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a cast-iron pot, such as a Staub or Le Creuset. Add the onions and garlic and cook uncovered until soft, golden, and lightly caramelized. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers into small, even pieces. Reduce the heat and add the vegetables. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, sprinkle with the Herbes de Provence, and stir well. Cover and simmer gently for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste. Shortly before serving, fry or poach the eggs and serve them over the ratatouille with a crusty baguette to mop up the sauce.

4. Thursday

Lunch: Ratatouille and Goat Cheese Tartines

Toast thick slices of country bread and spoon the leftover ratatouille over the top. Add goat cheese while the bread is still warm. A classic goat cheese log works beautifully, although I also like fresh goat cheese or an ash-coated chèvre. Serve with a few salad leaves if you have them.

Dinner: Lemon and Herb Chicken With Summer Vegetables

Think of this less as a strict recipe and more as an easy summer formula: simply seasoned chicken, plenty of vegetables, and good bread if needed.

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 2 bell peppers
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Cut the vegetables into large pieces and toss them with half the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and lightly golden. Season the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the Herbes de Provence, salt, pepper, and half the lemon juice. Grill or pan-fry for approximately 5 to 8 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until cooked through. Serve with the roasted vegetables and finish with the remaining lemon juice.

5. Friday

Lunch: Green Tabbouleh With Feta and Fresh Herbs

This is not a traditional French recipe, but it is exactly the kind of fresh, herb-filled salad I love to make in summer.

• 250 g / 9 oz bulgur wheat
• 2 small red onions
• 1 ripe tomato
• 30 g / 1 oz fresh coriander
• 30 g / 1 oz fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 150 g / 5 oz feta
• Juice of 2 limes, plus more to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the bulgur in unsalted boiling water for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. Finely chop the herbs and tomato, thinly slice the onions, and cut the feta into small cubes. Combine everything in a large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and enough lime juice to make the salad bright and fresh. Season, toss gently, and serve chilled.

Dinner: Simple Pissaladière With Green Salad

Pissaladière comes from Nice and is traditionally made with slowly cooked onions, anchovies, and black olives. This simplified version begins with ready-made pizza dough, making it much easier for an ordinary Friday evening.

• 1 pizza dough
• 4 large onions
• 8 anchovy fillets in olive oil
• 12 black olives
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Thinly slice the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and water, then cook gently for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring regularly, until very soft and lightly golden. Roll the dough onto a baking sheet. Spread the onions over the surface, add the olives, and arrange the anchovies on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden. Serve with a green salad, or cut into smaller pieces for an apéritif.

6. Saturday

Lunch: Chilled Gazpacho With Country Bread and Jambon de Pays

Not everything I cook in summer is traditionally French. Like many people in the South, I naturally borrow from the wider Mediterranean. Gazpacho is one of the loveliest lunches for a very hot day.

• 800 g very ripe tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 slices stale country bread
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
• 125 ml / ½ cup very cold water, plus more if needed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Score the tomatoes and place them briefly in boiling water, then transfer them to cold water. Remove the skins and hard stem ends. Roughly chop the tomatoes over a bowl to catch their juices. Add the stale bread to the bowl with the vinegar and olive oil and leave it to soften for a few minutes. Peel and roughly chop the cucumber. Remove the seeds from the peppers and chop them. Add everything to a blender with the cold water and blend until completely smooth. Add a little more water only if needed. Season to taste and serve very cold with a drizzle of olive oil, country bread, and a few slices of jambon de pays.

Dinner: Piperade With Country Bread

Piperade comes from the French Basque Country and is made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and Espelette pepper.

• 1 kg / 2.2 lb ripe tomatoes
• 250 g / 9 oz mild green peppers
• 3 large onions
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Espelette pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste, optional

Peel the tomatoes after blanching them briefly in boiling water, then roughly chop them. Slice the peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook the onions and garlic gently in half the olive oil until soft. In a separate pan, cook the peppers in the remaining oil. Add them to the onions and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, Espelette pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes. Add a little tomato paste only if the mixture needs thickening. Serve immediately with thick slices of country bread. For a more substantial dinner, serve it with fried eggs, grilled fish, or a little jambon de pays.

Dinner: Provençal Baked Sea Bream With Green Beans

A whole fish always looks more impressive than the effort it requires.

For the sea bream:

• 1 large whole sea bream, approximately 1.2 to 1.5 kg / 2.6 to 3.3 lb
• 1 small onion
• 2 shallots
• 200 g / 7 oz tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 125 ml / ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon
• Thyme, bay leaf, and parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 500 to 600 g / 1.1 to 1.3 lb green beans, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Thinly slice the onion and shallots, then roughly chop the tomatoes. Rinse and dry the fish if needed. Brush it inside and out with olive oil, then place the thyme, parsley, and bay leaf inside. Set the fish in an oiled baking dish. Arrange the onion, shallots, and tomatoes around it. Season and pour over the white wine. For an alcohol-free version, replace the wine with vegetable or fish stock and add a generous squeeze of lemon. Bake for approximately 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. The flesh should be opaque and come away easily from the bone. Serve with lemon wedges and simply cooked green beans.

A Note on Breakfast and Summer Desserts

I often prefer something sweet in the morning. On weekends, I may bake an apricot almond tart, a cherry clafoutis, or a batch of simple homemade cookies, then enjoy them during the week. On simpler mornings, I have fresh summer fruit with plain yogurt. There is no elaborate breakfast routine behind it. Just something homemade when I have prepared it, or the best fruit I can find when I have not.

For dessert, rather than making something different every day, I would choose one or two things for the week. A cherry clafoutis is simple, comforting, and very French. An apricot almond tart feels a little more special. My recipe for it is included in L’Almanach Summer 2026. And when it is too warm to bake, strawberries with a little cream are often all I want.

The Complete Grocery List

Think of this grocery list as a flexible guide rather than an exact shopping plan. It is here to give you ideas for what to buy and keep on hand throughout the summer, whether you decide to make several of the recipes in this article or simply use them as inspiration for your own meals. Adjust the quantities to suit your household, your appetite, the produce in season, and whatever looks best where you live.

Fruits and Vegetables

• Tomatoes
• Charentais melons
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Red and green bell peppers
• Cucumbers
• Onions
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Green beans
• Lemons and limes
• Green salads
• Fresh basil
• Flat-leaf parsley
• Fresh coriander
• Fresh thyme
• Strawberries
• Peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, watermelon, or whichever summer fruits look best

Meat, Fish, and Eggs

• 1 large whole sea bream
• Chicken breasts
• Minced pork, beef, veal, or a mixture
• Cooked ham or jambon blanc
• Jambon de pays, Bayonne ham, Jamón Serrano, or Jamón Ibérico
• Anchovy fillets in olive oil
• 1 can good-quality tuna in olive oil
• Eggs

Dairy and Cheese

• Mozzarella, mozzarella di bufala, or burrata
• Goat cheese
• Feta
• Plain yogurt
• Cream, optional

Bread and Grains

• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
• 1 pizza dough
• Bulgur wheat
• Country bread and/or baguettes

Pantry

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Dry white wine, vegetable stock, or fish stock
• Apple cider, balsamic, red wine, and sherry vinegars
• Black olives, preferably Niçoise olives
• Herbes de Provence
• Bay leaves
• Fresh nutmeg
• Espelette pepper
• Tomato paste, optional
• Fleur de sel
• Fine salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Often, the meals I remember most are simply the ones made with ripe ingredients, served without too much fuss, and enjoyed while they are still in season.