32 Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas That Are Perfect for Hot Days
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Summer dinners shouldn't require a lot of stove or oven time. (Who wants to heat up their kitchen even more by baking something for an hour?)
But you don't have to look at that as a limitation—there are still tons of delicious and super-easy summer dinner ideas to explore that are full of flavor, use peak summer produce (hello, corn and tomatoes!), and let you get dinner on the table with minimal fuss and cooking time.
Add a few of these to your weekly menu to make dinnertime simpler.
Quick and Easy Summer Dinner Recipes
Let's face it—in the summer, you have better things to do than spend an hour over a hot stove. These easy summer dinners come together in no time flat.
Summer Tacos With Scallion-Peanut Relish
On those summer nights when you don't want to cook—aka every night—make these easy tacos that use rotisserie chicken as a base. All you need to do is quick-pickle carrots and daikon radish, make a quick flavorful sauce to dress the chicken, and mix some peanuts and herbs for a super easy relish. Given how simple this dish is to make, it's no surprise that it's ready to eat in just 25 minutes.
Linguine With Cherry Tomato Sauce
This easy dinner recipe requires little chopping, minimal cooking—and results in a pasta dish that practically screams summer.
Fancy Tomato Sandwiches
Fresh summer tomatoes are the show-stopping centerpiece of these tasty sandwiches, perfect for a light summer dinner.
Speedy Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches
While Banh Mi might seem intimidating to make, these speedy sandwiches are ready in just 30 minutes. You'll start by glazing the pork (just before roasting it), which adds flavor to the meat and helps keep it tender. Then, you'll make the quick-pickled vegetables and Sriracha mayo, both of which complete this classic Vietnamese meal.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi With Broccoli
Not a fan of doing tons of dishes once the temperature rises? Try this sheet pan dinner, which features gnocchi, broccoli florets, onions, and pesto all baked on one dish. What we love about this recipe is that it's extremely adaptable. For a pizza-inspired version, use marinara sauce and mozzarella instead. You can also add cauliflower and some cooked Italian sausage to make this meal even more filling.
Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
This make-ahead summer dinner takes just five minutes to pull together—and can simmer in your slow cooker while you're out having some summer fun.
Salmon With Creamy Cucumber Fennel Salad
Salmon is an easy weeknight dinner—especially when paired with this make-ahead salad.
Cheesy Chicken Nachos
Hey, it's summer—it's the perfect time to have something fun for dinner. This dish comes together in under 20 minutes, and is the perfect accompaniment to an outdoor movie night.
Vegetarian Summer Dinner Ideas
Whether you're planning for Meatless Mondays (or for vegetarians everyday), these meat-free summer dinners are healthy and satisfying.
Linguine With Summer Vegetables and Goat Cheese
Use the best veggies from your garden or the farmer's market for this simple summer dinner—a crumble of goat cheese and walnuts finishes off the dish.
Toasted Israeli Couscous With Corn and Herbs
Give your standard pasta salad recipe a break and make this more modern dish instead. It features a toasted couscous base and pairs juicy summer corn kernels with a showering of fresh herbs—think basil, chives, and dill—plus some caramelized onions for good measure. If you're headed to a summer picnic or potluck, this dish is bound to be a hit.
Cool Southwestern Salad With Corn and Avocado
This vegan-friendly salad is even better when you use fresh-from-the-cob summer corn.
Japanese Cabbage Pancake
Savory pancakes for dinner? Yes, please. This Japanese dish, also known as okonomiyaki, has eggs like a frittata, but gets some added richness and body from sautéed cabbage and flour. Top the pancake with some Sriracha mayo and a Worcestershire-ketchup combo to give it some extra flavor.
Watermelon Poke Bowls
The Hawaiian classic dish gets a vegan-friendly tweak by using marinated watermelon in lieu of seafood.
Vegetarian BLT With Shiitake Bacon
For a fast and easy summer dinner idea, try this vegetarian take on the classic sandwich.
Stir-Fried Rice Noodles With Tofu and Vegetables
If you're going to cook, make it fast—and this tasty stir fry requires just a few minutes of cooking time.
Vegetarian Tacos With Goat Cheese
The filling of these tasty tacos takes just under 10 minutes of cooking time—and you can sub in fresh corn if you have it for the perfect vegetarian summer dinner.
Grilled Summer Dinner Recipes
Summertime is the perfect time to break out the grill—and these easy grilled summer dinner recipes help you avoid a hot kitchen (and a lot of cleanup). They're the perfect summer dinner ideas for hot days.
Grilled Turkey-Zucchini Burgers
Fire up the grill to make these healthy burgers, which consist of a combination of zucchini, lean ground turkey, and an egg. Garlic powder and cumin help flavor the burgers from within, while a honey mustard and mayo topping adds irresistible creaminess. Serve the burgers alongside sweet potato chips and you're good to go.
Smoky Butterflied Chicken With Garlic-Mayo Tomatoes and Herbs
Butterflying a chicken before grilling cuts the cooking time in half and almost guarantees a more succulent bird—making it easy to get dinner faster on a scorching summer day.
Grilled Halloumi Cheese Salad
Grilled cheese? Yes, please! This flavorful firm cheese can take the heat—and adds richness to a simple salad.
Steak With Chimichurri Sauce
This entire dish (including the corn on the cob on the side) comes together on the grill—and flavorful chimichurri helps lighten up a meaty steak.
Halibut With Grilled Eggplant Salad
Since this recipe calls for you to grill the halibut and eggplant slices at the same time, it takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Both components of the meal get brushed with a soy sauce mixture, which adds a pop of flavor to this easy dinner.
RELATED: 19 Surprising Foods You Didn't Know You Could Grill
Grilled Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas
This light summer dinner comes together fast on the grill, thanks to rotisserie chicken and pre-shredded cheese.
Grilled Sriracha Pork Chops With Sesame Smashed Cucumbers
When it comes to grilling food, pork chops are often overlooked in favor of steak or chicken, but we're here to tell you they absolutely shouldn't be. Here, the pork chops are marinated in a spicy sesame-soy sauce, which adds flavor and helps tenderize the meat. What's more? The honey in the marinade helps give the chop a caramelized crust, which pairs perfectly with the side of vinegary cucumbers.
Grilled Pizza With Ricotta, Summer Squash, and Scallions
Grill the veggies first, then cook the dough on the grill before you assemble these tasty, veggie-packed pizzas.
Summer Salad Dinner Ideas
When the weather is really hot, salads make for perfect light summer dinners, since they're heavy on the veggies and other light ingredients.
Japanese-Style Shrimp Salad
Ditch your standard summer salad for this Japanese-inspired dish, which features crunchy romaine and cucumbers, juicy shrimp, healthy avocado chunks, and a creamy soy-mayo dressing. For an easy shortcut, you can always make this salad with pre-cooked shrimp, though we suggest poaching your own crustaceans using this simple method at least once.
Watercress and Bean Salad With Almonds and Ricotta Salata
Toss a few ingredients together for this perfect summer dish—a little crusty bread on the side makes it a meal.
Roasted Eggplant and Olive Pasta Salad
This Mediterranean-inspired salad makes a great picnic side—or can be a perfect summer dinner for a hot day.
Eggplant Panzanella
A salad with bread as the main ingredient is a salad we can get behind. This dish includes cubes of deliciously toasty, grilled sourdough bread, eggplant slices, crunchy kale, fresh cherry tomatoes, and shaved Manchego cheese. The whole thing comes together courtesy of a bright, lemony vinaigrette.
Steak and Blackberry Salad
Don't want to heat up your kitchen? Cook the hanger steak on your grill instead for this fast and easy summer dinner.
Grilled Chicken and Pepper Salad
Garlicky-herb-filled yogurt pulls double duty in this recipe, as both a marinade for the grilled chicken (keeping it flavorful and moist) and as a savory dressing that tops the entire meal. You'll also find plenty of greens, toasted torn pita pieces, charred mini peppers and red onion. What's not to love?
Torn Pita and Eggplant Salad With Parsley and Green Tahini
The broiler makes fast work of cooking the ingredients for this fresh, Mediterranean-inspired dinner salad.
Nicoise-Inspired Summer Salad
This fresh take on the French classic calls for sugar snap peas in lieu of green beans, and smoked trout in place of tuna. It's an easy summer dinner recipe that comes together super quickly—especially if you have pre-cooked hardboiled eggs!