Looking for easy and healthy summer dinners that are light, refreshing, and perfect for hot weather? These 30+ quick summer dinner ideas use fresh ingredients and delicious flavors to make summer family meals simple and satisfying. From high-protein bowls and refreshing entree salads to grilled meats, sandwiches, and even summer pasta and casseroles, you will find the perfect summer meals here.
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Quick & Easy Healthy Summer Dinners
When it's hot, sometimes the last thing we want to do is cook! Hot summer nights and days make me super lazy and no-cook, light summer dinner ideas are what I'm looking for.
Even if you don't feel like cooking, these 30 healthy recipes for summer dinners for your family will inspire you to cook without turning on the oven.
These favorite summer recipes take advantage of peak summer produce, lean proteins, and fresh flavors.
They are a mix of unique and classic healthy summer dinners, including vegetarian meals, kid-friendly options, and even party menu ideas for social gatherings.
Pair any of these healthy summer dinners with a refreshing iced tea lemonade or cold brew iced tea!
Here are over 30 simple and easy light summertime dinner ideas that are delicious and refreshing! They have simple ingredients, and best of all, your family will love them!
The Best Summer Dinner Ideas
Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil make the best summertime combo! Add spinach to this caprese salad for one of my favorite healthy summer dinners.
Caprese salad has some of the best summer flavors! Eat this alone as an entree salad or pair with your favorite lean protein like meal prep chicken breast.
Try this as an entree salad or add in some cooked and chopped chicken breasts.
Tangy lime vinaigrette will your make your taste buds dance while avocadoes give a dose of healthy fats.
Kids will love the size of these mini burger sliders.
Serve these mini burgers with some grilled sweet corn!
Fresh basil is the perfect summer herb for this easy meal.
Healthy summer dinners don't get better than pasta with fresh tomatoes!
The best summer recipes are those that are quick and easy like this 10 minute dinner!
Picky eaters will love our 10-minute air fryer naan pizza when you enjoy this recipe.
This easy no oven meal is perfect for hot summer days when you don't feel like cooking.
Tuna salad is always a good idea for a high-protein and cheap summer meal!
No oven, no problem! This crab cake recipe is perfect for hot nights and is one of my favorite healthy summer dinners.
Crab cakes are a lean protein you can make with no oven this summer!
This fresh and tangy lemon dressing hits the spot on hot days!
Spice this quinoa salad up with some chopped red peppers, cucumbers, and fresh herbs.
One of my favorite healthy summer dinners is chicken salad!
Serve this Round Swamp Farm inspired chicken salad over some homemade sandwich bread or lettuce.
This strawberry spinach salad is a light, healthy, and filling salad that’s packed with refreshing flavors and full of protein.
Feta cheese is a great option to replace goat cheese in this light summer salad.
The BEST juicy healthy turkey burger recipe that is quick to make and ready to grill in less than 10 minutes! Serve with fresh corn on the cob for an easy and kid-friendly meal.
One of our favorite light summer dinner ideas with the most delicious spinach and feta turkey burger recipe you’ll find! Made with ground turkey (or use ground beef) and full of hidden veggies like spinach and zucchini!
This entree salad is a great option for a no-cook summer meal.
This summer salad is full of Asian flavors and delicious textures. and colors that will help cool you down on a hot summer day.
One of my favorite healthy summer dinners that is light and easy to make is pasta salad! Summer vegetables like cherry tomatoes, make this dish a summer delight.
Top this recipe with some grilled chicken, air fried shrimp or salmon for a filling, yet light entree salad.
Use leftover or rotisserie chicken to make this recipe a no-cook, no-brainer for a light summer meal idea.
For the ranch dressing, you can either use a homemade version or just use the bottled kind. Top it with red onion and creamy avocado.
If you're craving a grilled burger with a low-carb twist, this burger in a bowl is one of the easiest summer dinners.
This cheeseburger bowl is low carb, keto, gluten free and ready to eat in less than 15 minutes!
This is one of the best light summer dinner ideas because it can also be breakfast or brunch!
Taco night can be during every season with this light and delicious bowl. Savory Mexican flavors dominate this delicious recipe.
A filling and delicious vegetarian summer meal that is also great when combined with proteins like grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp.
Spinach quinoa salad can easily be made ahead for a week’s worth of summer dinners! Topped with a delicious vinaigrette made with lemon juice and olive oil, this recipe is full of textures and fresh Mediterranean flavors! Done in just 20 minutes!
Grilled Sausage & Veggie Skewers with Pineapple BBQ Sauce
This is one of the best easy summer dinner recipes made on the grill!
Fresh vegetables, pineapple, and kielbasa sausage skewers brushed with a simple pineapple BBQ sauce.
CROCK POT HAWAIIAN PULLED PORK
The perfect easy slider that is bursting with flavor. Great for hot summer days when you want a make-ahead recipe you can put in the slow cooker.
Serve pulled pork with coleslaw, summer vegetable pasta salad or a delicious quinoa salad for a healthy weeknight meal.
ISRAELI SPICED GRILLED CHICKEN PITAS
Bursting with fresh flavor, these chicken pitas are one of the best simple and light summer dinners your entire family will devour.
This chicken can be used for pitas, in salads, or simply as grilled chicken with couscous or rice. So many ways to incorporate this recipe into many summer dinner ideas!
If you have extra zucchini growing this summer, this recipe is a delicious way to use them up!
Zucchini Lasagna Rolls are one best healthy summer dinners to make using fresh zucchini! A low-carb replacement for pasta - but you won't even miss the noodles!
Pineapple and bbq sauce is a delicious summer combo (just like this summer crock pot meal - Hawaiian pulled pork)! These chicken burgers are a light recipe you can enjoy with delicious flavors.
Try these on your favorite gluten free bun or as a chicken burger lettuce wrap.
Grilling pizza is fun to do in the summer! This easy recipe can be done with homemade pizza crust or flatbread naan pizza.
Grab your favorite meats, cheeses, fresh basil, and garden veggies to top this delicious and super easy-to-make pizza at home.
DUMP & BAKE SUMMER VEGGIE PASTA
It's so simple and so fast because you don't even have to boil the pasta! Just stir the ingredients together in one dish and pop it in the oven!
You can eat pasta in the summer! This easy and light summer dinner is filled with seasonal produce and chicken for a family meal that is 100% kid-friendly.
HEALTHY BURRITO BOWL WITH CHICKEN
Making a homemade healthy burrito bowl with chicken will satisfy your Chipotle cravings - and make one of the easiest light summer meals you can find! These bowls are super easy and quick to make while being cheaper and more low-calorie than Chipotle.
Perfect for meal prepping making summer weeknight meals so quick and painless! Who doesn't love summer dinner ideas that are this easy?
These mouthwatering lettuce cups call for a topping of crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and a dollop of cooling tzatziki. The perfect Mediterranean meal.
Light & delicious low carb meal for hot summer nights!
The perfect healthy base recipe lots of healthy summer dinners like for a bowl, burger or salad when you don't feel like firing up the grill or oven!
Salmon is one of the easiest proteins to make in the summer months. It pairs so well with veggies and fruits.
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta is a light pasta dish mixing shrimp, fresh herbs like parsley, and a lemon garlic butter sauce. Pasta definitely has its spot in this list of light and healthy summer dinners!
Seafood pasta is a light option for a special occasion or celebration during the summer.
This is a super quick, versatile, and delicious summer dinner recipe that works in so many meals. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
The perfect light and flaky fish for a variety of summer dinners such as fish tacos, a sandwich or chop up into bites and eat in a buddha bowl. Done in just 10 minutes!
A great base recipe for low carb pasta dishes or salads!
Zucchini noodles are a great pasta alternative that is low-carb and can be used as a low-carb noodle recipe for a variety of healthy summer dinners.
One of the best light summer dinner ideas for when it's rainy and you don't want to go outside to grill, use the air fryer to make this bbq chicken!
Another delicious protein that is a great base recipe for tons of summer dinners. Use this recipe in a bowl, on a slider bun or in a wrap!
Garlic and mushroom flavors are present in this delicious and easy-to-make vegetarian pasta dish.
If you're craving pasta in the summer, this is the recipe you want!
These Italian quesadillas are a great no-cook option and one of the most quick healthy summer dinners. Done in just 15 minutes.
Uses simple make-ahead ingredients (rotisserie chicken or chicken thighs work great!) to make a quick summer meal that requires no oven!
Fresh summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions create a delicious topping for this flavorful summer salmon!
Serve with a side dish of garlic green beans for a light and refreshing meal.
FAQS
On a hot day during the summer, veggies and fruits are a light option to add to your meal.
Fresh produce like fruits and veggies is at its best during June, July, and August, making these fresh, seasonal foods an integral part of healthy summer dinners.
To avoid the oven, I will grill meats like pub burgers or turkey burgers. I also use my air fryer to make air fryer Greek chicken or ribeye steak.
The Blackstone griddle has become very popular as well, and I love to make turkey smash burgers on it.
I use that meat to top a salad or pair it with a refreshing side dish like watermelon salad.
Hearty summer salads, a fresh and creamy pasta salad, or Caprese salad, are some of our favorite easy dinner recipes for summer.
On a hot day when you just want to be lazy and keep the oven and grill off, opt for a simple throw-together bowl like a healthy burrito bowl for easy summer dinners. You can also throw together a salad with some air-fried shrimp on top.
If you do feel like grilling, one of our favorite recipes for summer grilling is flatbread pizza on the grill with a side of Caprese salad with spinach!
Hot days are great for utilizing appliances like the slow cooker. Pineapple pulled pork is one of my favorite summer crockpot meals.
Alternatively, go for items that require no heating at all - tuna salad and pesto chicken salad are always a favorite for me.
This list of 30 light and healthy summer dinners gives some great examples of light dinners and popular summer foods you can make with minimal effort.
Some of the most popular summer foods include pasta salad, chicken salad, ground beef tacos, and other items that you can grill, like lean meats, salmon, pork chops, hot dogs, and veggies.
The Spruce Eats has a great resource for what fruits and veggies are in season during the different months. Eating what's in season is a great way to get the freshest flavors and, not to mention, the best prices for your grocery budget!
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High-Protein Dense Bean Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 3 cans canned beans drained
- 1.25 pounds cooked chicken breast
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup cucumbers diced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- ⅓ cup fresh herbs chopped
Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon lemon vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.3 cans canned beans, 1.25 pounds cooked chicken breast, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup cucumbers, ⅓ cup fresh herbs
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Use a whisk to incorporate.1 large red bell pepper, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoon lemon vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Gently pour the dressing over the salad ingredients. Gently combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.salt and pepper
Notes
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JustineCelina says
Thank you so much for including my Crudite Style Nicoise Salad in this delicious round-up, Lyndsey!
mommafitpgh@gmail.com says
Thank you so much for contributing!