13 Recipes That Justify Buying the Entire Bunch of Fresh Herbs

If you’re like me, you’re a sucker for a great farmers market deal. Four bunches of herbs for $10? Yes, please! Invariably, I fall short of my intention to use up all my produce before it goes south, and fresh herbs are usually the first to end up in the compost bin. It pains me to pay more upfront for a small package of herbs, but sometimes that turns out to be the more cost-effective option. If I had a collection of herb-centric recipes at the ready, though, I could totally justify buying a few bunches without fear of wasting the greens—and my money.

The following 13 recipes put fresh herbs front and center. They include intensely flavorful sauces, such as an herby feta dip that’s perfect for dunking fries into, a wonderfully balanced pesto, easy weeknight suppers, and even drinks and dessert. Whether you’re trying to use up that last bit of parsley or want to make the most of your farmers market haul, these herb-forward recipes have you covered.

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We’re starting things off with a mélange of fresh herbs tossed with arugula, olives, ripe tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. Shredding the mozzarella—instead of cubing it—makes it easier to incorporate into the salad. The cheese’s mild, creamy flavor balances the intensity of the herbs and the brininess of the olives. Whip up a lemony balsamic vinaigrette, then toss it all together.

Get Recipe: Mixed‑Herbs Salad With Olives, Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella

02 of 13

The crunchy, golden zucchini fries are delicious, but that’s just half the story. It’s the herb-forward feta and yogurt dip—fragrant with fresh thyme and dill—that makes this dish so over-the-top delicious. You’ll probably want to dip everything else in it, too.

Get Recipe: Baked Zucchini Fries with Herby Feta Dip

03 of 13

Pesto is one of the most straightforward sauces you can make, and after extensive testing, we found the very best method for preparing it. For a luxuriously silky sauce, skip the food processor and pound fresh basil, pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil together with a mortar and pestle.

Get Recipe: Pesto alla Genovese

04 of 13

Though tabbouleh is often thought of as a grain salad, it’s really a parsley salad with some bulgur or couscous and tomatoes. This recipe uses two whole bunches of parsley and an entire bunch of fresh mint, and employs two clever techniques: salting and draining the parsley and tomatoes to remove excess moisture, and using that tomato water to soak the bulgur. The result is an herbaceous, flavorful salad that isn’t waterlogged.

Get Recipe: Tabbouleh Salad

05 of 13

There are many interpretations of chermoula, the fragrant, oil-based marinade made with cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon, cumin, and paprika—but the combination is always vibrant and balanced. Here, the marinade clings to the sardines as they grill, so the fish comes off the heat deeply seasoned, with a delicately briny interior.

Get Recipe: Grilled Chermoula Sardines

06 of 13

This zesty chimichurri calls for a hefty bunch of each cilantro and parsley, making it an excellent way to use up fresh herbs. In this easy sheet-pan dinner, the chimichurri doubles as a flavorful marinade and a punchy sauce for the finished chicken and vegetables.

Get Recipe: Sheet-Pan Chimichurri Chicken

07 of 13

It might be tempting to think of kookoos—a genre of Persian egg-centric dishes—as omelettes, frittatas, or quiches. But those terms don’t quite adequately describe the dishes. Kookoo-sabzi, the most famous of them, is loaded with parsley, cilantro, and dill, and it’s delicious as a starter, side dish, or main, stuffed inside a sandwich, or served with Persian yogurt with cucumber.

Get Recipe: Kookoo-Sabzi (Persian Eggs With Green Herbs)

08 of 13

This beautifully vibrant split fava bean dip—topped with crispy fried shallots and served with toasted pita—is a popular vegan dish eaten by  Copts—Egypt’s indigenous and Christian ethnoreligious minority who represent 10% of the population—during Lent. The beans are cooked with an ample amount of cilantro and parsley, along with a little fresh and dry mint, then blended with reserved fresh cilantro after cooking to enhance their green color.

Get Recipe: Egyptian Bissara (Split Fava Bean Dip)

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This recipe provides an easy and delicious solution to the conundrum of surplus zucchini at the end of summer. The squash’s watery nature and spongy texture mean it breaks down quickly as it cooks, blending to a smooth, creamy consistency. Fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil give it a fragrant pesto-like aroma.

Get Recipe: Zucchini‑Basil Soup

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Think of this Middle Eastern hot sauce as a fresh, bright cousin of chimichurri, chermoula, and salsa verde. Here, cilantro is the star, with parsley as a supporting player. Green cardamom adds a floral, spiced note that accentuates the cilantro’s flavor. Spoon it over grilled eggplant, swirl it into a bowl of hummus, or add it to falafel.

Get Recipe: Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce)

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Whether it’s in a caprese salad or a Thai green curry with coconut milk, basil just hits when paired with something creamy. Safe to say, the sweet herb is equally wonderful in fruit and cream desserts, such as this cool, smooth basil mousse. White chocolate adds richness and body to the cream base, and briefly infusing the dairy with basil draw prevents the herb from becoming bitter.

Get Recipe: Fresh Basil Mousse

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Looking to venture outside the well-trodden julep lane? Swap the bourbon for smoky mezcal and the mint for fresh basil, then muddle it with some refreshing cucumber and jalapeño for a hit of vegetal spice. Sweeten with agave syrup, and you’ve got a drink that’s efinitely not your typical julep—but just as thirst-quenching.

Get Recipe: Smoked Derby Julep

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It doesn’t take much to zhoosh up lemonade. Here, we blitz fresh basil leaves, lemon juice, honey, and a touch of salt in a blender, then strain out the solids for an aromatic base with a peppery kick. Just add cold water and ice to your liking.

Get Recipe: Honey‑Basil Lemonade

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