25 Summer Weeknight Dinners You'll Want to Make Forever

a plate with vegetables and a fork

You'll want to make these healthy dinner recipes all summer long. These dinners make the most of seasonal produce like zucchini, corn and more for a fresh, nutritious and delicious meal. Recipes like Prosciutto Pizza with Corn & Arugula and Summer Vegetable Gnocchi Salad are bright, tasty and will become regulars on the dinner table.

01 of 25

Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto & Shrimp

Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto & Shrimp

Cut some carbs and use spiralized zucchini in place of noodles in this zesty pesto pasta dish recipe. Top with Cajun-seasoned shrimp to complete this quick and easy dinner.

02 of 25

Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese

Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese

This super-easy dish is perfect for summer. Store-bought frozen cauliflower gnocchi are crisped up in a pan, then tossed with mozzarella cheese, plenty of basil and balsamic vinegar for a hearty and healthy spin on the classic caprese salad.

03 of 25

Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata

Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata

This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Make it for breakfast, or serve for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette.

04 of 25

Greek Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzatziki

Greek Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzatziki

Creamy tzatziki and crisp sliced cucumber add a refreshing twist to this easy Greek-inspired burger recipe loaded with feta, spinach and Mediterranean spices. No tzatziki? No problem! Make your own at home by combining plain Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon, dill and finely chopped cucumber.

05 of 25

Summer Vegetable Gnocchi Salad

This riff on pasta salad is best served warm while the gnocchi are nice and tender. Plus, the grilled veggies taste extra-good fresh off the fire in this easy gnocchi recipe.

06 of 25

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.

07 of 25

Prosciutto Pizza with Corn & Arugula

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Prosciutto and arugula elevate this simple grilled pizza. If you have time, let the dough stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to make rolling it out easier in this 20-minute healthy pizza recipe. Thawed frozen corn works in place of fresh, just pat it dry before sprinkling it on the pizza.

08 of 25

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad

Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules on meat cookery, but in this recipe we do it intentionally in order to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.

09 of 25

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto & Chicken

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.

10 of 25

Low-Country Boil

Low-Country Boil

One pot is all you need for this easy Low-Country boil. We added green beans to the classic combination of potatoes, corn, shrimp and sausage to boost the veggie servings for a healthier crowd-pleasing meal. Dump the whole potful out on newspaper and serve with melted butter for dipping and crusty bread to round it all off!

11 of 25

Crunchy Chicken & Mango Salad

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.

12 of 25

Salsa-Black Bean Burgers

Salsa and some pantry staples give this vegetarian bean burger recipe tons of flavor. We use crushed tortilla chips to bind the burgers together, making them a great vehicle for using up those crumbs that inevitably fall to the bottom of the bag.

13 of 25

Caprese-Stuffed Eggplant

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We took all the elements of a classic caprese--tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinegar--and stuffed them inside a fresh-baked eggplant. The result is a perfect vegetarian, late-summer dinner everyone will enjoy.

14 of 25

Pan-Seared Halibut with Creamed Corn & Tomatoes

For this healthy fish recipe, you steep corncobs in milk; the resulting "stock" boosts the intensity of made-from-scratch creamed corn, plus extra starch from the corn contributes to its thick texture. This recipe calls for halibut--line-caught from the Pacific Ocean is the most sustainable option. Can't find it? Swap in Pacific cod or U.S. farmed tilapia instead. Serve this summery combination of seared fish, corn, tomatoes and basil for weeknight family dinners or to company on the weekends.

15 of 25

Warm Salad with Chicken Paillards & Chèvre

This satisfying dinner salad was one of the favorites chosen from over 1,000 salad recipes for our 30th anniversary issue. Victoria Abbott Riccardi originally shared this recipe in a feature on different types of cutlets in 2005. She crumbled nutty aged goat cheese on top--look for it in the specialty cheese section.

16 of 25

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.

17 of 25

Zucchini-Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Tahini-Ranch Sauce

This vegan burger recipe is one you'll want to make again and again. Savory chickpea and zucchini patties are topped with a creamy, herb-flecked tahini ranch sauce, juicy tomato slices and peppery arugula for a satisfying and healthy homemade veggie burger. Serve them on buns or stuff them in pitas. We recommend making extra sauce--it's a great dip for veggie sticks and, thinned with a little water, it makes a wonderful salad dressing.

18 of 25

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.

19 of 25

Chicken Tacos with Tangerine-Lime Crema

This spicy chicken taco recipe gets fresh orange flavor from both the crema and crunchy slaw toppings. Serve with tortilla chips and ice-cold beer.

20 of 25

Greek Stuffed Eggplant

This Greek-inspired stuffed eggplant is filled with veggies and flavors of the Mediterranean. The dish is easy to pull together and the addition of cumin gives it a sweet, earthy note.

21 of 25

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.

22 of 25

Grilled Peach & Brie Smothered Chicken

This super-fast and healthy smothered chicken tastes best on the deck with a chilled glass of gewürztraminer. The fruity white pairs nicely with the peaches here.

23 of 25

Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Smoked Mozzarella

Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Smoked Mozzarella

This healthy riff on lasagna rolls uses strips of zucchini instead of lasagna noodles for a vegetable-packed dinner that's fun for the whole family. This is a great recipe for kids to help make--let them get their hands dirty rolling the zucchini ribbons with the cheesy filling. Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to quickly slice the zucchini into uniform thin strips--this will ensure easy rolling and even cooking.

24 of 25

Summer Skillet Vegetable & Egg Scramble

Don't toss out those almost-past-their-prime vegetables and fresh herbs. Toss them into this skillet egg scramble for a quick vegetarian meal. Nearly any vegetable will work in this easy skillet recipe, so choose your favorites or use what you have on hand.

25 of 25

Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing

We've replaced chicken with shrimp in this delicious and easy spin on the classic Cobb salad. This satisfying salad takes just 20 minutes to make, so it's perfect for weeknight dinners, but it's elegant enough to serve to guests.

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