This post is about easy, healthy, and best summer recipes, including salads, pasta, backyard BBQ and grilling recipes, and seafood for a simple summer dinner.
Summer cookout, memorial day weekend, 4th of July party, or summer potlucks and picnics, these light and classic, easy-on-the-go meal recipes will be your family's new favorite.
What food to eat in the summer?
To beat the heat and have a refreshing and cooling effect on your body, fruits, and vegetables with high water content are the best when consumed in summer.
Here is a quick list of summer drinks, fruits, and vegetables to add to your daily meal. You can eat them raw, make juices, salads, salsa, and more!
Summer drinks: Tender coconut water is the best option if it is readily available at your place. Make drinks with seasonal fruits or infused water from cucumber or lemon.
Summer vegetables: zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, green beans, eggplant.
Summer fruits: watermelon, mangoes, berries, pineapple, peaches, grapes, kiwi, plums, apricots, oranges (mandarines).
I have covered everything if you are wondering what food to eat for a hot summer day or night. Light, refreshing, and easy recipes with seasonal ingredients will always be the best.
Now for desserts and drinks, I have created a separate list of summer desserts and drinks that includes patriotic treats, frozen desserts, no-bake desserts, unique and healthy desserts, drinks, and more.
Best Summer Salads
Summer salads are refreshing and nutritious, a quick and simple way to enjoy the fresh flavors of summer fruits and vegetables.
We have cucumber salad, rainbow quinoa salad, avocado salad, fruit salad with tropical fruits, matchstick apple salad, mexican peach salsa and, quick mango salsa, greek feta salad to try this season.
Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad
Guacamole or Avocado Salad
Simple Quinoa Salad
Mango Salsa
Thai Crunch Salad
Tropical Fruit Salad
Easy Apple Salad
Greek Salad
Arugula Salad
Peach Salsa (Easy and Spicy)
Summer Pasta
Orzo pasta salad is quick and easy to make, also holds its shape, and can be served hot, warm, or cold. These pasta salads are suitable for summer potlucks and picnics.
Two of my favorites include one pot quick lemon orzo pasta, orzo pasta salad with fresh tomatoes and basil, pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto.
Orzo with Tomatoes and Basil
Orzo with Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Easy Lemon Orzo
Corn Recipes
Grilled corn on the cob served Mexican street style way is our favorite. You can also check easy BBQ grilled corn. Corn can also be added in your salads and salsa.
Corn the Cob
Chicken Recipes
Chicken recipes are sure to satisfy taste buds for any meal. During summer, we prefer easy recipes so that we can spend less time in the kitchen. Some favorite summer chicken recipes include grilled chicken and juicy BBQ chicken, chicken wraps, quick keto lemon garlic chicken, and chicken satay Thai style.
Chicken Tikka or Grilled Chicken
Easy Chicken Wraps
Keto Garlic Chicken
Chicken Satay
Shrimp Recipes
For all seafood lovers, add shrimp to salsa, tacos, salad, pasta, or stir-fries to make the summer meal more classic and delicious. We love garlic butter shrimp with avocado flatbread and cheesecake factory-style shrimp scampi pasta.
Quick and Easy Garlic Butter Shrimp
Classic Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Squash and Zucchini
Enjoy the fresh flavors of zucchini or summer squash in a season by grilling them with other veggies, tossing them with salads, or making some bread or noodles. We have instant zucchini pancakes, chocolate and zucchini bread (the best way to add vegetables to your diet), squash pasta.
Easy Zucchini Pancakes
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Squash Pasta
Other Summer Vegetables
Use cheap and fresh seasonal vegetables in your favorite way possible. My family's favorites include fresh summer rolls, grilled eggplant dip, roasted potatoes, eggplant parmesan, roasted cauliflower, stir fried asparagus.
Roasted or Grilled Eggplant Dip
Roasted Potatoes (Grilling instructions added)
Easy Eggplant Casserole (Can be grilled too)
Easy Roasted Cauliflower (grilling instructions added)
Stir Fried Asparagus
Fresh Summer Rolls
Classic Meal Ideas
Classic dinner ideas include light and fresh dishes made using seasonal ingredients or summer outdoor grilled recipes.
We have grilled Margherita sandwiches, BBQ jackfruit sliders, grilled cottage cheese or paneer, black bean burgers, whole wheat avocado flatbread that can be served with shrimp or used for chicken wraps, Bianca pasta with fresh seasonal ingredients, fresh mango thai fried rice.
Grilled Margherita Sandwich
Grilled Panner (Cottage Cheese)
Black Bean Burger
BBQ Jackfruit Burgers
Grilled Stuffed Flatbread
Avocado Flatbread
Bianca Pizza
Mango Fried Rice
Recipe FAQS
Some of the best lazy summer dinner ideas include quick salads with quinoa, broken wheat, or couscous with seasonal vegetables, cold pasta, sandwiches, chicken wraps, or tortillas with salsa. These are also cheap and budget friendly.
Some good on-the-go meals after sporting events or carpool meals include wraps, salad, quesadillas, sandwiches, burritos, and rice bowls.
More Summer Desserts
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Recipe card
Easy Summer Dinner Ideas
Equipment
Ingredients
For Summer Watermelon Salad
- 4 cups Watermelon, cubed
- ⅓ cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ Onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Fresh basil leaves or mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Caprese Salad
- 3 Vine ripe tomatoes, ¼ inch thick slices
- 8 oz Fresh mozzarella cheese, ¼ inch thick slices
- 20 Fresh basil leaves, approx
- Olive oil, to drizzle
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Watermelon Feta Salad
- In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.2 tablespoon Olive oil, Salt and pepper to taste, 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- In a bowl, add watermelon, feta cheese, onion, and basil leaves. Drizzle the above mixture and toss until combined, taste, and adjust the seasoning.4 cups Watermelon, cubed, ⅓ cup Feta cheese, crumbled, ½ Onion, thinly sliced, ¼ cup Fresh basil leaves or mint leaves, chopped
- Keep in the fridge for atleast 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Caprese Salad
- Arrange alternating slices of tomato and mozzarella on a serving platter with basil leaves on each slice.3 Vine ripe tomatoes, ¼ inch thick slices, 8 oz Fresh mozzarella cheese, ¼ inch thick slices, 20 Fresh basil leaves, approx
- Drizzle olive oil, season salt, and pepper. Serve and enjoy.Olive oil, to drizzle, Salt and pepper to taste
Amy Liu Dong
These salad recipes are all delicious, and I can't wait to make them at home. Yum!
andrea
what a collection of yummy summer dishes! will be working my way through these this summer!
Roselne Beusch
Wow this is brilliant, im not the best cook around but you opened my eyes to some foods i did not think i can make specifically for summer
Anjali
I made the Thai Crunch Salad for lunch today and it was absolutely delicious! Can't wait to try the rest of these recipes too!
Charah
I love this, I am saving this link for the future. Thanks for sharing this