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Healthy Summer Dinner Recipes

Find healthy, delicious summer dinner recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Tortilla Pepperoni Pizza

Turkey, Cheese & Veggie Plate

Smoked Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini

Steak & Potato Grill Packets with Blue Cheese & Rosemary

A Month of Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas for Kids

EatingWell's best kid-friendly, healthy recipes perfect for the summertime. You can count on recipes like healthier fried chicken salad, shrimp and asparagus kebabs, and BLT pizza to refuel the little ones after long days spent in the sun.

Tomatillo Gazpacho

Grilled Chicken Ratatouille

Lamb Chops with Lebanese Green Beans

Grilled Beef Tenderloin & Escarole

Farm Fresh Dinners

These easy weeknight suppers are inspired by the bountiful fruits and vegetables that are ripe and ready to eat at the farmers’ market now. Although these recipes include shrimp, grilled chicken, lamb chops and grilled beef, the showstoppers are the fabulous vegetables. These recipes will help you make the most of the produce that is ripe right now from your local farmers’ market, CSA, garden or supermarket and get it on the table in a snap.

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Grilled Lobsters with Herb-Garlic-Lemon Butter

If you've never grilled lobster, you're in for a treat. The smokiness of a charcoal, wood or even a gas grill adds great flavor. If you are squeamish about the idea of cutting a live lobster, ask your fishmonger to do it for you, but be sure to cook the lobsters within about an hour after they have been cut.

Macaroni Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Give classic pasta salad a fresher, more flavorful spin. This fast pasta dish calls for avocado to replace some of the mayonnaise, which makes it extra creamy. Whole-wheat elbow macaroni and fresh vegetables lighten up this healthy pasta salad that you'll be making all summer long.

Campfire Biscuits on a Stick

Who said warm, buttery biscuits weren't campfire food? Thinly twist dough around a stick or skewer and hold over the fire for deliciously toasty campfire biscuits. Want to take it up a notch? Spread some butter on the cooked biscuits and roll them in cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat or Parmesan cheese for savory snack.

Vegan Creamy Coleslaw

Classic coleslaw goes vegan in this easy barbecue side dish recipe. Eggless or vegan mayonnaise's mild flavor is indistinguishable from regular mayo in this coleslaw flavored with Dijon and cider vinegar. Look for it in the condiment section of large grocery stores or natural-foods stores.

Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate

This healthy fruit, veggie and cheese plate is easy and affordable to pull together for a fun snack-style dinner at home or can be packed up and enjoyed as an outdoor picnic.

Sweet & Savory Hummus Plate

Fresh veggies with dip, juicy fruit and even a sweet treat make up this easy-to-make picnic dinner that's great for packing up or enjoying at home. Plus, this combo excludes the most common allergens and food intolerances (it's free from dairy, eggs, soy, nuts and gluten) so just about everyone should be able to enjoy it without worrying.

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Tabbouleh, Hummus & Pita Plate

This Mediterranean-inspired vegan picnic dinner features traditional fare like tabbouleh, hummus, olives and fresh fruit and vegetables. It's perfect to pack and take along or even to serve as an easy, healthy meal at home.

Prosciutto, Mozzarella & Melon Plate

This perfect picnic for two is great for an outdoor date night or even just a quick, romantic dinner at home. The fresh fruit, vegetables and cheese pair perfectly with prosecco for sipping. Chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert make the meal extra-special.

Turkey, Cheese & Veggie Plate

This colorful picnic dinner idea features tasty munchies you don't need utensils for and mild flavors that kids prefer, like deli meat, cheese and crunchy raw veggies. It's easy to assemble this complete menu, and adults will enjoy it as much as the kids. The menu calls for store-bought hummus and cookies, but you can easily make them yourself (see Tips, below).

Chicken & Sweet Potato Grill Packets with Peppers & Onions

Cook your whole meal in a packet on the grill with this easy veggie-loaded recipe. The Mexican-inspired seasoning makes the chicken and veggies taste great served with warm tortillas and your favorite taco toppings for a healthy dinner.

Spiralized Beet Salad

Impress your guests with this stunning beet salad that's quick and easy to make. Because the beets are sliced so thinly by the spiralizer, you don't have to worry about cooking or painstakingly chopping veggies. Regular red beets look great, but striped Chioggia beets, golden beets or a mix of any of the three would make the presentation even more gorgeous.

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Cabbage & Smoked Sausage Grill Packets with Caraway

The natural pairing of cabbage and sausage makes a delicious, hearty meal in a packet that is a cinch to clean up. While the grill is hot, grill some bread to accompany the packets.

Cajun Shrimp Grill Packets with Tomatoes & Okra

Okra retains a delightful tender-crisp texture when cooked in a packet. Here, it teams up with shrimp, tomatoes and Cajun seasoning for a satisfying meal with a taste of New Orleans. Serve with grilled whole-grain bread or polenta.

Garlic Shrimp & Asparagus Kebabs

Shrimp and asparagus both cook very quickly, making them a perfect pair on the grill. We've seasoned them in delicate flavors--lemon, garlic and dill--so their natural sweetness can shine through. Pick fat asparagus stalks for easier skewering.

Chicken Fajita Kebabs

These grilled kebabs have all the makings of a classic fajita--seasoned chicken, onions and peppers. Warm a stack of tortillas in a foil packet on the side of the grill to turn the kebabs into an easy fajita dinner. Or serve with lime-and-cilantro coleslaw for a grain-free alternative.

Jambalaya Sausage Kebabs

The classic flavors of jambalaya come together in these easy-peasy smoked sausage kebabs. Celery is one of the classic flavors in traditional jambalaya, so we included a pinch of celery seed in the marinade.

Tofu Kebabs with Zucchini & Eggplant

We've divided the tofu and veggies onto separate skewers because the tofu is delicate and sticks to the grill more easily than the eggplant and zucchini. If you like, swap halloumi cheese for the tofu for another twist on this combination.

Moroccan Lamb Chops with Tomato-Olive Relish

Having a few specialty ingredients in your pantry, such as the spice blend ras el hanout and oil-cured olives, is the fastest way to a deluxe dinner that's easy enough for weeknights and special enough for Saturday's dinner party. Round out the meal with steamed potatoes, simply dressed salad greens and a glass of white Côtes du Rhône.

Fresh Sweet Corn Salad

We love fresh summer corn when it's in season, but frozen corn makes a great year-round substitute in this quick and easy side dish.

Lemon-Pepper Linguine with Squash

Thinly sliced zucchini and summer squash bulk up this easy vegetarian pasta recipe. Saving a bit of the starchy pasta-cooking water to toss with grated cheese, herbs and bright lemon at the end is the secret to a fast, silky no-cook pasta sauce.