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Healthy Summer Dinner Recipes

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

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.

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.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

This creamy, refreshing cucumber salad is an easy side dish for any summer BBQ. Bright dill and white-wine vinegar add fresh tartness to cucumbers and red onions. Enjoy this salad the day you prepare it so the ingredients don't turn watery.

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Easy Tomato Gazpacho

Many gazpacho recipes are thickened with bread, but this one uses just vegetables, making it a gluten-free refresher for a hot summer day. The key to any flavorful gazpacho is giving it time to rest. The flavors meld and become cohesive when the soup is allowed to sit a bit before serving.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Summer Corn Salad

Chicken thighs are easy on the budget and great for grilling because they stay moist in the heat. Here, they are paired with a fresh corn and tomato salad for a simple summer dinner. When grilling skin-on chicken thighs, watch for flare-ups. Move the chicken away from the flames and reduce heat, if necessary, to keep it from charring.

Simple Grilled Salmon & Vegetables

Grilled salmon and veggies make for a colorful and balanced seafood dinner that's ready in just minutes. The grill turns the salmon flaky and moist while tenderizing the crispy pepper and onion pieces. Round out the meal with brown rice or quinoa.

Simple Vegan Pesto Zoodles

Zucchini noodles, or "zoodles," are a gluten-free, low-calorie substitute for traditional pasta in this easy and fresh vegan dinner. For best results, toss the zucchini pasta with the basil pesto sauce and serve right away.

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto & Chicken

This healthy summer dinner subs zoodles for pasta to help use up your zucchini bounty--as well as slash calories and carbs. Once the spiralized zucchini has time to soak up the herby pesto sauce, this chicken and pesto pasta makes particularly good leftovers.

Greek Tortellini Salad

Fresh cheese tortellini and classic Greek salad ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion come together for a fast side dish that's perfect for potlucks, picnics and other casual gatherings.

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Sweet Potato Salad

Give traditional potato salad a fresh spin with sweet potatoes, peppery arugula and a tangy-sweet dressing. This crowd-pleasing side dish is also versatile; you can add ingredients you prefer in potato salad, like bacon or green onions. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.

Amish Broccoli Salad

This creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad has a fabulous crunch. The salad holds well and is perfect for potlucks and picnics. Our version has considerably less sugar than most Amish salad recipes and is lighter because we use a mixture of low-fat Greek yogurt and mayonnaise for the dressing.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri, Asparagus & Cauliflower Rice

This elegant steak dinner for two features asparagus drizzled with a bright chimichurri sauce. A bed of cauliflower rice sops all the extra juices, but you could stir the herby sauce into the rice for extra flavor. This dish is easy enough for a weeknight dinner but delicious enough for date night or a dinner party.

Vegan Potato Salad

This egg-free version of the summertime staple is so creamy no one will ever guess it's vegan. Tossing the potatoes with dressing while they are still warm helps them absorb the flavors. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Basic Herb Pesto

Use any herbs you have on hand (or surplus herbs growing in your garden) in this easy and flavorful pesto recipe. While pestos made from single herbs can be wonderful all on their own, it is also fun to play around with combinations of two or more. Some of our favorites are tarragon, chervil and parsley or mint and cilantro.

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Pesto Pasta Salad

A creamy pesto sauce turns this simple pasta salad into a delightful dinner. Adding broccoli to the pasta cooking water just before the pasta is done is a convenient way to briefly cook it so that it turns a vivid shade of green and softens slightly.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

This creamy crowd-pleasing pasta salad features the tantalizing flavors of Buffalo chicken with a healthy dose of vegetables. Bring it to your next potluck or picnic, or whip it up for game day.

Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer's best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary.

No-Cook Black Bean Salad

A classic black bean salad is a must for picnics and potlucks. This vegan version gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick.

Grilled Lime Chicken & Steak with Herb & Arugula Salad

This recipe involves one of our favorite make-ahead hacks: let the chicken and steak marinate in reverse. In this recipe, you'll pour a punchy, citrusy dressing over the meat right after it leaves the grill, so it soaks up the bright vinaigrette as it cools. Better yet, reverse-marinating keeps the grilled meat from drying out, even when kept in the fridge overnight.

Grilled Endive & Red Onion with Fresh Figs

Grilling coaxes sweet-savory depth from endive and red onion in this delicious vegetarian side dish. Fresh figs lend a bright, jammy acidity in the summer, but don't hesitate to use dried come winter. Leave the root ends attached when trimming your onions and endive, so they hold together and don't slip through the grill grates. Serve as a salad, or eat alongside grilled chicken, steak, salmon, seared scallops or whole roasted fish.

Cantaloupe & Cucumber Salad with Fresh Za'atar

This juicy melon salad is seasoned with fresh oregano and thyme, sumac spice and toasted sesame seeds for a bright summertime take on the Middle Eastern spice blend za'atar.

Sweet Corn Polenta with Bell Pepper & Tomato Salad

Serve this simple vegetarian side dish warm or room temperature alongside grilled meats and a stacked summer salad. A flash under the broiler leaves these slices of corn-studded polenta golden on the outside and soft on the inside; an herby, smoky tomato-pepper salad acts like a salsa to be spooned over the top.