Jul 16, 2021
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These Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas are fresh, delicious, and family-approved! Whether you choose to cook these in the kitchen or fire up the grill to cook some of the ingredients, these recipes give you more time for what really matters: family, daytime trips, and pool time.
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Speaking of, let’s get on with the summer dinner ideas so you can chill out from the heavy cooking and get on with all the hot weather festivities!
Easy Summer Dinner Recipes for Families
During the warmer months, fresh produce is abundant and ready to be used in all sorts of simple meals that both taste and look impressive. No spending half the night in the kitchen with these either, each of them quick to assemble and can be prepped ahead to save you even more time. Perfect example: our first recipe, the Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa!
Fresh avocado, cilantro, marinated chicken… are you thinking what I’m thinking? This is the type of recipe you’re going to want to make often, save leftovers for salads, and maybe, just maybe… make yourself a margarita.
These avocado salmon bowls drizzled with spicy mayo are everything you love about eating out but made healthy at home.
Make this easy sheet pan sausage and pepper recipe for a quick weeknight dinner with easy cleanup.
A refreshing and delicious Thai chicken salad with pasta, fresh veggies, and crushed peanuts all tossed in homemade Peanut Dressing!
This Bacon and Spinach Frittata is one of those no-fuss summer dinners that you can whip up in a flash, and toss in the oven for a simple one-pan dinner.
Want to see how some of these summer recipes come together in a video? See my favorites below:
Light Summer Meals
When the summer’s heat gets turned up we all tend to crave lighter fare such as salads, sandwiches, and grilled foods. The recipes below made great additions to your menu while keeping it light and satisfying.
Perfectly grilled veggie kabobs are a perfect summer recipe that’s healthy, colorful and delicious.
If thinking about tacos brings up meat-stuffed tortillas that are hard to resist, I’m here to tell you that these flavorful and incredibly easy-to-make veggie-filled tacos are both filling and worthy of taking up your Taco Tuesday menu.
This recipe is a lighter take on the classic dine-out meal. Whether you use ground beef, turkey, or black beans to load up your nachos, this is a super simple recipe that will satisfy your craving for a loaded chip!
This light mango shrimp stir fry comes together in minutes! It’s a great dinner solution for busy summer nights!
No-Cook Dinner Ideas for Hot Days
On hot evenings when you don’t want to turn on the stove, oven, or fire up the grill, using meal-prepped ingredients to build a salad is the perfect solution. You can use pre-cooked chicken and hard-boiled eggs prepped earlier in the week, or put the microwave to use to cook up some bacon for a salad or wrap. Here are few recipes that put these practices to the test with delicious results.
I love this Caprese salad recipe because it’s easy to make ahead by using up leftover chicken, making the vinaigrette ahead of time, and keeping it in the fridge until the last minute where all you have to do is dice up the avocado and dress it up!
Full of protein and veggies, these cobb salad lettuce wraps make a cool and refreshing summer dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Crunchy bacon, lettuce, fresh tomatoes with avocado and homemade ranch everyone’s favorite bacon sandwich gets revised into this filling dinner salad.
This BLT Lettuce Wrap is a low-carb twist on your favorite sandwich. Packed with bacon and topped with an epic homemade ranch, this is an unforgettable light Summer dinner.
Say goodbye to boring egg salad and hello to this epic avocado egg salad recipe. Pair it with bread, over crackers or eat it straight from the bowl. It’s that good.
Easy Summer Sides
Whether you have a few pool parties to attend and need a side dish to bring along or want something quick to assemble and serve alongside those steaks on the grill, these recipes are the epitome of fresh. Everything from salads to potatoes, these ideas are crowd pleasers and can be prepped ahead for easy assembling and serving.
Made with fresh mint and a homemade orange dressing this Watermelon Feta Salad is the perfect pairing for your next Summer Dinner.
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Carrot Fries
- Spiralized Zucchini and Tomatoes
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Corn Tomato and Avocado Salad
- Mashed Potato Bites
Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and sliced into ½-inch strips
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and sliced into ½-inch strips
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 links chicken sausage about 12 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the peppers, onions, and garlic onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Toss to evenly coat the veggies and create a space in the center of the pan and add the chicken sausage links.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through and the veggies tender. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing the sausage and serving with peppers and onion.
Sam Hak
I love the look of these recipes, and the taste even more! Thank you for providing us with these amazing recipes.
Kimberly
OMG so many yummy dinner recipes for summer! thanks for the inspiration and dinner ideas!