40 Summer Dinner Ideas That Make the Most of the Season

Mary Shannon Wells

Sun, April 7, 2019 at 12:35 PM UTC

**Recipe:** **Best-Ever Succotash Recipe**

The easiest "eat the rainbow" healthy dinner, this light, bright salad is on the table in less than 30 minutes.

**Recipe: Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder**

This creamy soup makes an indulgent but not too heavy meal on a hot summer day.

**Recipe:** **Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie**

We try to use gorgeous, plump summer tomatoes in any way we can during the season, but a classic tomato pie sure is hard to beat.

**Recipe:** **Crab-and-Bacon Linguine**

This easy pasta, made with a delicious white wine cream sauce, will make any 'ole weeknight feel like a vacation. Bonus: Enjoy the rest of the wine chilled with dinner.

**Recipe:** **Supreme Pizza**

You'll find the best of everything in this pizza: bacon, pepperoni slices, red and green bell pepper, red onion, black olives, mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil.

**Recipe:** **Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw**

Crab cakes feel like the type of dish you only order when you're out at a fancy dinner, but they're surprisingly easy to make at home! Great for impressing guests or getting a fresh taste of the Gulf Coast on a weeknight.

**Recipe:** **Easy Catfish Tacos with Slaw**

This lightened up oven "fried" catfish recipe tastes just like the classic, and a bright easy slaw adds the perfect crunch.

**Recipe:** **Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Toss**

This fresh summer salad is the most beautiful centerpiece for an easy family-style meal. Don't forget some crusty bread to soak up every last drop of the season's goodness.

**Recipe: Marinated Field Pea Relish**

While field peas are plentiful, keep a pot of them cooked in the fridge, and you can make any number of dinners. Our favorite? This marinated field pea relish, which can be used over grilled proteins like chicken or pork chops, or it can be stirred into pastas for a summery dish.

**Recipe: Grilled Pork-and-Peach Salad With Honey-Mustard Dressing**

Sweet summer peaches pair perfectly with grilled pork and a tangy honey mustard dressing in this seasonal dish.

**Recipe:** **Crab Boil with Beer and Old Bay**

Nothing screams summer more than a classic, family-style crab boil. Long summer days are perfect to enjoy this coastal feast outdoors.

**Recipe: Roasted Tomato Quiche**

The brunch-y cousin of our beloved Heirloom Tomato Pie is this tomato quiche. To concentrate the sweetness of the tomato slices, these are roasted before they're added to the egg mixture. The result? A quiche you can truly only savor in summer.

**Recipe:** **Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs**

This 20-minute dinner is amazingly quick and easy, but Cajun seasoning and fresh summer okra makes it incredibly flavorful, too.

**Recipe:** **BBQ Pork Loaded Baked Potatoes**

Easy, kid-friendly, and perfect for a summer cookout, we love this creative way to enjoy two of our favorite things—barbecue pulled pork and baked potatoes.

**Recipe:** **Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce**

This simple recipe only takes a handful of ingredients and 25 minutes, which makes it a busy night win with a summery spin.

**Recipe:** **Creamy Rice with Scallops**

Smoky, salty bacon complements buttery sweet scallops and corn perfectly for this impressive but simple dinner.

**Recipe: Green Tomato Gazpacho**

If you've got a bushel of green tomatoes and you're all fried out, turn those bright beauties into this cool summer soup.

**Recipe:** **Crispy Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches**

A drizzle (or dollop) of our homemade Cajun remoulade sauce sends these summery sandwiches over the edge of amazing.

**Recipe:** **Zucchini Lasagna**

Thinly sliced strips of zucchini make this indulgent dish low-carb, but three kinds of cheese ensure you don't miss out on any comfort-food goodness.

**Recipe:** **Skillet Orzo with Fish and Herbs**

This is truly a one-dish dinner that starts and ends in your skillet for ultimate weeknight ease that has the main and side dish in one.

**Recipe:** **Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa**

When it's too hot to even turn your oven on, let the slow cooker handle dinner and pair it with a fresh summery salsa.

**Recipe:** **Shrimp Boil Vegetable Bowls**

Get everything you love about a classic lowcountry boil in an easy one-bowl meal that tastes like summer.

**Recipe:** **Farmers' Market Pasta Salad**

This recipe's name basically sums it up—use any and all of your fresh farmers' market haul to make a beautiful dinner that's great warm, at room temp, or cold.

**Recipe:** **Crab Pie**

Instead of your usual Quiche Lorraine or springy asparagus-laden quiche, try a summery spin with this decadent crab version.

Greek Pork Chops with Squash and Potatoes — **Recipe:** **Greek Porch Chops with Squash and Potatoes**

Your trusty sheet pan and a short ingredient list make this dinner the easiest one you'll put on the table all week.

**Recipe:** **Memphis Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs**

It's not summertime without some at-home barbecue action. This dry-rubbed recipe is easy enough for even the most novice pitmaster.

**Recipe:** **Pasta with Burst Tomatoes and Mascarpone**

This easy, summery dinner makes that store-bought ravioli that's been gathering dust in the freezer look dressier than the effort the recipe calls for intends, but your guests (or the kids) don't have to know that.

**Recipe:** **Fried Green Tomatoes**

No fryer necessary—all you need to enjoy classic fried green tomatoes at home is your trusty cast-iron skillet.

**Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Salad with Herbs**

If you're looking for a fresh new way to use that rotisserie chicken in your fridge, say hello to this beauty.

**Recipe: Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra**

Chicken thighs, andouille sausage, and plentiful summer veggies taste amazing with Creole spices and a good char from the grill.

**Recipe: Easy Skillet Tacos**

Taco night doesn't have to be cheat night! Keep it light with easy skillet tacos you can make in a flash.

**Recipe: Sheet Pan Nachos**

Our sheet pan has come to the rescue countless nights at dinnertime, and this easy recipe will be a repeat, kid-friendly savior.

**Recipe: Spaghetti with Marinated Tomatoes and Mozzarella**

Marinate the tomatoes ahead of time and throw this simple pasta together in a snap.

**Recipe: Tangy Slow-Cooker Pork Shoulder**

Slow-cooker pulled pork is a Southern staple. Serve it between buns, over grits, or savor this sweet and tangy masterpiece by itself.

**Recipe: Fried Delacata Catfish**

You can never go wrong with classic, crispy fried catfish on a lazy summer afternoon. Our incredible Black-Eyed Pea Ranchero Sauce will quickly replace that bottle of tartar sauce on your table.

**Recipe: Tropical Chicken Lettuce Wraps**

Store-bought rotisserie chicken saves the day again with this healthy no-cook dinner recipe.

**Recipe: Eggplant Rollups**

If you're trying to keep it low carb during swimsuit season, this fresh eggplant recipe will satisfy those pasta cravings.

**Recipe: Lighter Pan-Fried Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes**

You can achieve crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside fried chicken just like Mama's without a giant vat of frying oil—trust us.

**Recipe: Fish Tacos and Topping Bar**

Fresh fish tacos, Asian slaw, and a quick chipotle cream sauce combine for a kid-friendly dinner that's worth inviting friends over for.

Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken — **Recipe: Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken**

You don't need any pitmaster experience to pull of this easy, one-dish dinner that the kids will go crazy for.

There's so much to love about cooking during the summer. There's an abundance of fresh veggies to choose from and it's the perfect season for outdoor grilling. Savor those long days with these easy summer dinners that the whole family will love. When it's too hot to think about turning that oven on, some of our favorite recipes for summer are no-cook or slow-cooker options that keep you out of the kitchen and in the sunshine. Enjoy every last bit of coastal flavor with summer dinners like crab cakes and fish tacos, and don't forget to use the grill while you can. With delicious steak kebabs, ribs, grilled pork chops, and grilled chicken and veggies, you have all the excuses you need to get out and grill this season. Fresh produce and kid-friendly dishes shine in our easy summer dinner recipes.

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Don't Miss

Best-Ever Succotash Recipe

Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder

Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie

Crab-and-Bacon Linguine

Supreme Pizza

Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw

Easy Catfish Tacos with Slaw

Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Toss

Marinated Field Pea Relish

Grilled Pork-and-Peach Salad With Honey-Mustard Dressing

Crab Boil with Beer and Old Bay

Roasted Tomato Quiche

Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs

BBQ Pork Loaded Baked Potatoes

Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

Creamy Rice with Scallops

Green Tomato Gazpacho

Crispy Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches

Zucchini Lasagna

Skillet Orzo with Fish and Herbs

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa

Shrimp Boil Vegetable Bowls

Farmers&#x27; Market Pasta Salad

Crab Pie

Greek Pork Chops with Squash and Potatoes

Memphis Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs

Pasta with Burst Tomatoes and Mascarpone

Fried Green Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Herbs

Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra

Easy Skillet Tacos

Sheet Pan Nachos

Spaghetti with Marinated Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Tangy Slow-Cooker Pork Shoulder

Fried Delacata Catfish

Tropical Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Eggplant Rollups

Lighter Pan-Fried Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Fish Tacos and Topping Bar

Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken

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