You picked or purchased your first watermelon of the summer seemingly ages ago. You’ve eaten your slices, your salads, your pops. You no longer feel the craving for watermelon by the pool or tucked inside your picnic pack that you did a month ago.
That said, farm-fresh watermelon will be gone before you know it, so you want to get the most out of this summer favorite before the fall. If you’ve already exhausted your go-to watermelon prep methods and recipes, and are feeling less than excited about keeping watermelon in your weekly grocery rotation, try one of these five creative ways to eat watermelon at the end of summer.
1. Fire up the grill
Yep, watermelon is one of the handful of fruits that you can grill. Simply grill your slices or make fruit kebabs by slicing and sliding your watermelon cubes onto skewers, alongside other melons, pineapple chunks or peach slices.
After you’ve grilled your watermelon, pair it with some cheese, drizzle it with some balsamic vinegar, season it with cayenne or sea salt — the options are really endless.
2. Stir up some summer-ready soup
Yes, soup and summer don’t really go together. When you’re sweating in the August heat, you hardly want to turn on the stove, let alone make a giant pot of soup. However, a cold soup — like gazpacho — can be just the light, refreshing, hydrating lunch or dinner you need on those extra-hot days. Plus, while it sounds fancy, gazpacho is pretty easy to make.
Try this recipe for watermelon gazpacho that only requires two steps and a blender. The recipe nicely pairs watermelon with other fresh produce, including tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as with balsamic vinegar, garlic and paprika for flavor.
Limited ingredients on hand? Try this watermelon soup recipe that’s just as easy, but requires fewer ingredients — only watermelon, lime, cilantro, salt and a cucumber.
3. Mix up a mocktail
Search for unique watermelon drink recipes and you’ll likely see a trending post that tells you to pour an entire bottle of vodka or tequila into your watermelon. However, if you’re watching your calories and overall health, you might want to stay clear of this creative way to use your watermelon. Instead, make some mocktails that offer all the fun of a cocktail, without the booze.
A jalapeno watermelon limeade makes for a refreshing twist on your favorite happy hour margarita. A watermelon basil cooler is a great alternative to a mojito.
4. Add it to your tacos
There’s never a bad time for tacos — and watermelon can add a fresh bite and a sweet contrast to a taco with a little spice. Consider pairing watermelon with tacos that contain complimentary ingredients such as lime, avocado, jalapeno and chicken. Or, make a watermelon salsa to use as a taco topping, pairing finely diced watermelon with cucumbers, mangos, jalapeno and herbs and spices.
5. Make a unique (and wildly easy) dessert pizza
Want to whip up a (relatively) healthful dessert that the kids can help create or that just takes a few minutes flat? Cut your watermelon into rounds and then top those rounds with no-cooking-required dessert pizza toppings like whipped cream, berries, mint, coconut, chocolate chips, etc., then slice the rounds into triangles.
