40 Easy Summer Dinner Recipes

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Keep it that way with one of these summer dinner ideas — that don’t involve slaving over a hot stove or heating up the whole kitchen. Summer produce stars in these recipes, which are light enough for sweltering days but satisfying enough for dinner. Plus, they’re so quick and simple we promise you won’t lose your cool. So savor the taste of summer with these easy summer dinner recipes.

  1. Ultimate Beet & Feta Burgers

    Nothing says summer like burgers, and these are made with gorgeous beets, creamy feta, and smoky spices. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to drool over our veggie burger recipe, and we promise you won’t be left saying “Where’s the beef?”

  2. Ahi Poke

    Hawaiian-inspired poke (marinated raw tuna salad) is the next big crave for sushi fans — and yes, you can do it at home.

  3. Beer & Mustard Sausage Skewers

    There’s no summertime tradition we love more than throwing food on the grill and cracking open a cold beer, and this dish combines the two in a new way: we’re grilling up skewers of colorful veggies and sausage, and glazing them with a sauce made with our favorite lager and grainy mustard.

  4. The Best Wedge Salad You’ve Ever Tasted

    With a crisp slice of chilled iceberg lettuce covered in creamy and indulgent blue cheese dressing and piled high with crumbled bacon, crunchy croutons, and fresh cherry tomatoes, this reinvented wedge salad is hearty enough for a light summer dinner.

  5. 10-Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp

    You can have restaurant-quality seafood in 10 minutes if you make these succulent stir-fried shrimp seared in a spicy-sweet marinade with honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. We served ours with brown rice and sautéd broccoli — but when it’s this easy to whip up an amazing summer entrée, the world is your… shrimp!

  6. Zippy Shrimp Scampi With Linguine

    In the summer we ditch heavy sauces but keep the pasta. Ready in just a half hour, our shrimp scampi recipe tosses plump shrimp with al dente linguine in a buttery, garlicky, white wine sauce with fresh tomatoes and lemon zest. It’s Italian seafood for minimalists who don’t want to sacrifice time or flavor — cause this shrimp doesn’t scrimp!

  7. Five-Star California Roll Stacks

    When the weather warms up, we start craving sushi, and these deceptively simple stacks of cucumber, avocado, crab, and seasoned brown rice, topped with a dynamite Sriracha mayo sauce, will turn you into a home sushi master. One incredible trick makes it easy for you to turn out fresh and healthy California rolls — with a five-star presentation.

  8. Honey Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry

    30-minute stir-fry with sizzling chicken & fresh veggies glazed in a sweet and savory Asian-inspired sauce: speedier, healthier, and tastier than takeout.

  9. Juicy Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken

    Take your dinner on a tropical vacation with this Hawaiian-inspired pineapple chicken, stewed the slow cooker with a homemade brown sugar & honey glaze that tastes just like teriyaki. Plump pineapple chunks and bell pepper caramelize in the tangy sauce until they’re bursting with sweet-and-sour flavor.

  10. Finger-Lickin’ Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

    If you don’t have a grill but it’s too hot to turn on the oven, here’s the BBQ baby back ribs recipe for you. We’ll show you how to cook fall-off-the-bone, finger-lickin’ good ribs in the slow cooker.

  11. Greek Chicken & Cucumber Salad Rice Bowl

    This fresh combo of Greek-inspired charred chicken breast with tzatziki sauce, Mediterranean cucumber salad with cherry tomatoes, and wholesome brown rice was originally a lunch meal prep recipe, but there’s no reason you couldn’t have it as a tasty summer dinner.

  12. Fajita Flank Steak

    Spicy flank steak and fire-roasted peppers (a.k.a. everything you need for homemade fajita night) cooked on one sheet pan.

  13. Margarita Grilled Chicken

    The next time you fire up the grill, grab some chicken, limes, oranges, and tequila… but we’re not making cocktails this time — we’re grilling up a chicken dish that’s bursting with smokey, citrusy flavor.

  14. Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Boats

    We took a fairly simple recipe — fluffy pineapple rice and teriyaki chicken — and made it party-ready by serving it inside a pineapple. This dish is one where everybody will love the presentation just as much as they love the flavors.

  15. Honey Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon

    Salmon isideal for summer dinners; it’s colorful, healthful, and so flavorful, especially when you marinate it with our umami-rich honey dijon glaze.

  16. Avocado Pesto Chicken Pasta

    Classic pesto pasta lightened up for summer with one little tweak: we replaced the oil with avocado.

  17. Orange Ginger Salmon

    Asparagus, citrus, and salmon — it doesn’t get any more summery than that. We used blood orange to give this dish spectacular color.

  18. Slow Cooker Corn 3 Ways

    Sweet corn on the cob is a summer must-have, especially when you dress it up with chili-lime, pesto, or salt-and-pepper. But did you know that you can cook corn in the slow cooker?

  19. Zesty BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken

    Set your slow cooker, go out and enjoy those warm, sunny days before they fade away, and come home to a delicious meal of extra-zesty BBQ chicken.

  20. Summertime Shrimp Avocado Salad

    Celebrate the seasonal bounty with this combo of seafood and summer produce. This dinner-worthy salad features grilled shrimp spiced to perfection with lime juice and chili powder, colorful summer veggies, and an incredible avocado dressing.

  21. Zucchini Ricotta Galette

    Bookmark this recipe for when your backyard zucchini harvest starts to get overwhelming. It’s a savory take on a galette that features two kinds of summer squash, a flaky crust, and all of our favorite cheeses.

  22. Shrimp, Tomato & Spinach Pasta

    Simple shrimp fettuccine that’s big on summer flavors: red, ripe tomatoes, fresh spinach, succulent shrimp, and a squeeze of lemon.

  23. Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken with Garlic and Herbs

    In the heat of summer, there’s no way we’re willing to turn our ovens on for the amount of time it takes to roast a whole chicken. That’s why we’re making this bright and lemony chicken in the slow cooker — and eating the leftovers all week.

  24. Sausage-and-Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes

    Raise your hand if you think summer tomatoes should be considered an entirely different fruit from those mealy, watery, bland and colorless tomatoes you find at the supermarket the rest of the year. We’re enjoying the flavors of sun-ripened tomatoes to the max by stuffing them with delicious arborio rice and sausage.

  25. Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

    Cool off with this satisfying tabbouleh-inspired salad including Persian cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley, and mint.

  26. Sweet Chili Shrimp Tacos

    Thai meets tacos with this easy recipe featuring crispy breaded shimp, crunchy coleslaw, and a sweet chili sauce that keeps you coming back for more.

  27. Lighter Southwestern Chicken Salad Taco Boats

    On hot summer nights it doesn’t get any better than a no-cook dinner — and no, we don’t mean takeout. This healthy idea fills whole wheat taco boats with rotisserie chicken,  spinach, sweet red pepper, corn, cilantro, and a spritz of lime.

  28. Egg Roll In A Bowl

    We can’t get enough egg rolls, but for summer we lost the fried wrappers and made them the healthy way, in a bowl. Would you believe this paleo-friendly recipe has only 7 ingredients?

  29. Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

    Slow cooker chicken packed full of summer-perfect cilantro-lime flavor and our favorite spices. Plus, it comes together so quickly in the crock-pot, then pretty much cooks itself until it reaches fall-apart tenderness.

  30. Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

    Takeout fake-out your favorite Chinese menu item without having to stand over a hot skillet — we summerized our favorite Mongolian beef recipe by cooking it in the crock-pot.

  31. Hawaiian Roll Cuban Sliders

    Backyard cookout? Do something a little different and serve this Cuban combo of ham, cheese, and pickles, baked on a warm, toasty Hawaiian roll and topped with a Dijon mustard and poppy seed spread.

  32. Bulgogi Beef

    Never had bulgogi? Put it on your summer bucket list, because this thin-sliced beef marinated in a pear-ginger-and-sesame sauce and then grilled to perfection is not to be missed.

  33. Tex Mex Skillet

    All the essential Tex-Mex flavors — ancho chili, salsa, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime — spice up to this one-pot chicken dish.

  34. Caprese-Stuffed Portobellos

    Caprese salad with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil is our go-to summer appetizer — but when we stuff those into giant portobello mushrooms and broil them until the cheese is stretchy, we upgrade the salad to meal status.

  35. Pineapple Ginger Chicken

    You might not be able to eat this pineapple ginger chicken on a beach overlooking the ocean, but you’ll still feel like you and your taste buds are taking a vacation.

  36. Spicy Ranch Chicken Skillet

    This super easy Southwestern-inspired dish is cooked in one cast iron skillet. We combined chicken, peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, spicy ranch flavoring, rice, and cheese for a summer dish that screams with flavor.

  37. Portobello Veggie Burgers

    If you feel like most veggie burger recipes don’t actually contain that many veggies, you’ll definitely want to try this recipe — the patty is packed with portobello mushrooms, black beans, and broccoli.

  38. Philly Cheesesteak Sliders

    Our Philly cheesesteak sliders are the only recipe you’ll need for a summer dinner party.  They’re stuffed with ribeye steak, caramelized onions and bell peppers, and smothered in melted provolone cheese, but the real reason this recipe is a hit? We’ve got a tip that’ll save you the sweat of having to make a ton of individual sandwiches.

  39. One-Pan Mexican Quinoa

    It’s easy to eat healthy when healthy tastes as good as this Mexican quinoa with corn, black beans, jalapeño, and cilantro. Three other things this dish has going for it? It’s gluten-free, vegetarian, and a one-pot meal.

  40. Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

    After you’ve eaten one of these summer dinners, treat yourself to the perfect summer dessert: a gorgeous fruit salad that looks like a rainbow and tastes like sunshine, made with oranges, strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, berries, grapes, & honey lime dressing.