Friday, May 15, 2026

35 Easy Summer Dinners To Make on Repeat

Summer dinners.

Summer is my favorite time to cook – not because I want to spend hours in a hot kitchen, but because I genuinely don’t have to. That summer produce does all the work. Juicy tomatoes, sweet crunchy corn, crisp cucumbers, and fresh herbs that make everything taste like it came straight from the garden when really it came together in 30 minutes on a Tuesday night.

These 35 recipes are my tried-and-true summer go-tos – the ones I come back to year after year when I want dinner to feel bright, fresh, and flavorful without a ton of effort. They’re the recipes I genuinely make for my own family that never disappoint. Hope you love them, too!


The Best Summer Dinner Recipes

Salmon with Basil Sauce and Tomato Salad

We’re making a summery salmon with a beautiful, big-flavored basil sauce that is so good, you’re going to want to just drink it. Perfectly-spiced, fresh, and a dinner for everyone!

64 reviews / 4.9 average

Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Lime Slaw

THE BEST shrimp tacos loaded with avocado, spicy shrimp, and a homemade creamy lime slaw? HELLO YUMMY!

309 reviews / 4.8 average

Grilled Chicken with Pepperoncini Garlic Butter

This is such a fun one! Grilled marinated chicken, a quick tomato cucumber salad, tangy bits of feta, and a zippy pepperoncini garlic butter sauce poured over the whole thing.

63 reviews / 5 average

Smash Burgers with House Sauce

The famous Smash Burger! Deeply crisped, craggy, juicy, squashed patties covered with melty cheese, piled on a buttery bun, and topped with a dreamy zip of secret sauce.

52 reviews / 4.9 average

The Best Pasta Salad

Super easy Pasta Salad – with pasta, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, spicy salami, pepperoncini, olives, and easy Italian dressing. DANGEROUSLY GOOD.

127 reviews / 4.5 average

Thai Shrimp Curry with Yummy Shallot Crispies

This shrimp curry is the curry of my dreams! Incredible flavor, just a few simple ingredients, and easy enough for a weeknight!

22 reviews / 4.7 average

Burger Bowls with House Sauce and Ranch Fries

A burger in a bowl! Ranch-seasoned fries topped with a burger patty and all the fixings, with a drizzle of house sauce to take it over the top!

38 reviews / 5 average

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Restaurant-level pasta, easy enough to be SOS! Caramelized shallots folded into a silky red pepper sauce, and tossed with noodles. Heaven!

34 reviews / 4.8 average

BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Avocado Salsa

BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Avocado Salsa! An easy and impressive dinner with yummy smoky-sweet flavor and a zip of zesty homemade salsa to take it over the top. The BEST weeknight dinner.

187 reviews / 4.9 average

Summertime Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Tangy Slaw

All my friends raved about these fried chicken sandwiches! This recipe for fried chicken is surprisingly easy and SO GOOD. Just soak, dredge, and fry!

33 reviews / 4.8 average

Miso Crunch Salad

Shredded cabbage and kale, shrimp, avocado, cilantro and chili-flavored peanuts, and the perfect sweet miso dressing.

35 reviews / 4.9 average

Chipotle Salmon with Orange Salsa and Aji Verde

Sweet-and-smoky chipotle salmon topped with fresh orange salsa and creamy aji verde! An easy, delicious, restaurant-level salmon dinner.

62 reviews / 5 average

Trader Joe’s Chicken Shawarma with Lemon Rice

Easy Trader Joe’s chicken shawarma bowls with fluffy lemon rice, crunchy cabbage, and creamy feta sauce. Fast, flavorful, and perfect for weeknights!

11 reviews / 4.8 average

Thai Peanut Chicken Bowls

I love a shortcut dinner hack! These bowls feature caramelized peanut chicken, a tangle of vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs and cucumber salad, and peanut sauce all over top.

28 reviews / 4.9 average

Bang Bang Salmon with Avocado Cucumber Salsa

Bang Bang Salmon! Creamy, sweet, savory, and punchy. Served with some steamy rice and an avocado cucumber salsa. Weeknight perfection!

58 reviews / 4.9 average

Spaghetti with Crispy Zucchini

This Spaghetti with Crispy Zucchini is the perfect end-of-summer song! It doesn’t get much better than fresh summer zucchini coated in a crispy, cheesy breading piled high on top of spaghetti with fresh herbs. YUM!

47 reviews / 4.9 average

Cashew Crunch Salad with Sesame Dressing

This Cashew Crunch Salad is loaded up with crunchy veg, chow mein noodles, edamame, and roasted cashews and it’ll make you ACTUALLY WANT TO EAT A SALAD. And the sesame dressing – OMG!

122 reviews / 4.9 average

Roasted Tomato Puttanesca

The easiest Roasted Tomato Puttanesca with all the silky, all the briney, and all the zippy summer freshness.

45 reviews / 4.8 average

Coconut Lime Grilled Chicken and Rice

Grilled marinated chicken, fluffy rice, and excessive handfuls of mint and cilantro, finished off with a generous drizzling of big and flavorful creamy coconut lime sauce.

28 reviews / 4.8 average

Creamy Vegan Red Pepper Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes

This Creamy Vegan Red Pepper Pasta is seriously delicious and seriously vegan! Perfectly chewy rigatoni, blistered juicy tomatoes, a creamy-but-cream-less roasted red pepper sauce, all sprinkled with fresh chives and basil.

59 reviews / 4.9 average

Honey Chipotle Chicken Skewers

These chicken skewers are a family favorite! Very easy, deliciously smoky, nice and sweet, with a good amount of spice and bite. Air fryer, grill, and oven-friendly!

28 reviews / 4.9 average

Spicy Shrimp with Peach Salad

This is summertime in a bowl! Spicy shrimp with all the delicious heat, smoke, and sweetness we want, alongside a fresh peach and cucumber salad.

13 reviews / 4.9 average

Salmon Tacos with Mango Corn Salsa

Super easy salmon tacos loaded with a mango, sweet corn, and cucumber salsa!

30 reviews / 5 average

Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

This juicy salad tastes like summer! With chipotle chicken, sweet corn, avocado, cilantro vinaigrette, bacon crumbles, and fresh strawberries for a pop of sweetness.

81 reviews / 5 average

Banza Chicken Bowls with Calabrian Chili Sauce

This bowl has it all! The crunch of the tomato cucumber salad, the thin slips of bitey red onion, the golden crisped air fryer chicken cut into tender little strips, a big pile of perfectly chewy Banza, and a dollop of tangy calabrian chile sauce on top.

20 reviews / 5 average

Spicy Shrimp Veracruz

Shrimp Veracruz – my new favorite recipe!! Juicy shrimp in a pepper / tomato spicy, briny sauce served over rice. Oh my gosh, THIS IS SO GOOD.

31 reviews / 4.9 average

Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Lime Drench

These lettuce wraps are a SUMMER DREAM. Mountains of crumbled-crisp ground chicken, fluffy quinoa, and/or rice for added satisfaction, and garlicky gingery sautéed veggies in crisp butter lettuce leaves.

32 reviews / 4.8 average

Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes

Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes! A seriously delicious fresh summer pasta. Creamy, silky noodles, garlicky shrimp, and a punch of fresh corn, cherry tomatoes, and basil.

57 reviews / 4.9 average

Crunchy Roll Bowls

A block of tofu, nicely browned in teriyaki sauce, served on a bed of sticky rice with edamame, cucumber, avocado, jalapeño, and a handful of crushed-up crunchy onions, buried under a thick drizzle of extra teriyaki and spicy mayo. 

475 reviews / 4.9 average

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes and Kale

This One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes and Kale is a straight-up DREAM! Rustic farro cozied up to cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, and kale. So good and so wholesome!

39 reviews / 4.9 average

Ginger Chicken Meatball Sandos

Golden brown chicken meatballs cozied up next to fixings like cucumbers, shallots, kewpie mayo, mint, a bit of chili crisp, and some fresh cilantro to make the ultimate chicken sando!

45 reviews / 4.8 average

Roasted Peanut Kale Crunch Salad

OOOH BABY, this salad is so good! Crunchy kale and cabbage, fresh herbs and fresno peppers, chopped peanuts, and a perfect roasted peanut vinaigrette that tucks into all the salad nooks and crannies.

34 reviews / 4.9 average

Gochujang Chicken Burgers with Kimchi Bacon Jam

Wow wow wow! These Gochujang Chicken Burgers are next-level good. And a perfectly sweet-spicy kimchi bacon jam piled high on top? Yes, please!

99 reviews / 5 average

Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes with Parmesan Orzo

Shrimp laced with buttery garlic and thyme and a burst tomato sauce served on a creamy Parmesan orzo.

18 reviews / 4.9 average

Burst Tomato Pappardelle with Zucchini, Sweet Corn, and Pan-Fried Chicken

Meet your next fave summertime pasta! Egg pappardelle tossed in a luscious cream sauce with fresh, bursty summer veg and the best crispy pan-fried chicken. Here we goooo!

19 reviews / 4.8 average

More Summer Recipes – Desserts, Apps, and More!

Summer Desserts

Summer Appetizers

Summer Drinks

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