Healthy Quick & Easy Summer Dinner Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers are a traditional specialty of Italy and Provence. This version of the fried vegetarian side dish or appetizer takes on an Occitanie flair with Tomme des Pyrénées, a cheese produced in that southwestern region of France. Thanks to the cheese's rich, slightly tangy flavor, you only need a little bit to highlight this dish.

This Asian-inspired dinner salad has terrific crunch, thanks to sugar snap peas and napa cabbage. Give the dressing a kick of heat by adding a bit of sambal oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce that you can find in most large supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.

Fresh peaches liven up a classic caprese salad in this super-fast snack. Make this recipe for one or make a bunch for a party appetizer.

Serve this Asian salad with grilled steak, chicken or firm white fish like halibut. You can also double the recipe and bring it to your next potluck. If you can find tatsoi, a peppery Asian leafy green, use it instead of mild-mannered spinach. Store-bought Thai sweet chili sauce and umami-packed white miso build fast flavor in this easy summer salad.

Our go-to trick for this crunchy, mustardy vegan side dish: Use a grill basket--it lets you cook all the things that would ordinarily fall through the grill grates, no skewering required. Pick one up from the hardware store or order one online for less than $15.

For this fast salad recipe, we top summer's ripest tomatoes with a bold tomato-based dressing for good measure. Serve as a light lunch with whole-grain toast or pair with grilled steak and chicken for dinner.

These seasoned ground beef and pork burgers are topped with a fresh herb sauce and served in a pita. Quick and easy, you can make them in just 30 minutes.

Pineapple, coconut, and jerk seasoning add tropical flair to this chicken salad recipe. Served in lettuce wraps, this healthy meal is ready in under 30 minutes.

Enjoy the freshest summer vegetables hot off the grill, flavored with herbs and a hint of garlic.