30 30-Minute Summer Dinners Perfect for Get-Togethers

Grilled Halloumi & Summer Vegetable Tacos
Photo: Jason Donnelly

Enjoy the flavors of summer in these healthy dinner recipes. These fresh and tasty dinners are easy to serve, which makes them the perfect choice for backyard get-togethers. Recipes like Grilled Halloumi & Summer Vegetable Tacos and Prosciutto Pizza with Corn & Arugula are bright, seasonal and on the table in 30 minutes.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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One-Pot Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp

One-Pot Lemon-Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp
Brie Passano

This quick one-pot shrimp and pasta dinner is cooked with asparagus in a lemony sauce. Feta cheese sprinkled over the top adds another savory layer, but feel free to skip it and add additional fresh herbs and a lemon slice instead.

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Chopped Cobb Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing

Chopped Cobb Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing
Joy Howard

In place of bacon, this satisfying salad uses store-bought crispy chickpeas for lower saturated fat and less prep time. Using fresh herbs, bright citrus and a creamy base of yogurt and mayonnaise for the dressing gives it a flavorful finish.

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Grilled Halloumi & Summer Vegetable Tacos

Grilled Halloumi & Summer Vegetable Tacos
Jason Donnelly

Because of its semi-firm texture, halloumi is prone to sticking to the grill. Be sure to oil the grill grates well before adding the brined Cypriot cheese.

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Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Shrimp & Avocado Salad
Jennifer Causey

Peppery fresh radishes complement sweet shrimp and creamy avocado in this quick salad. Enjoy this healthy salad as a quick light dinner or for lunch.

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Summer Vegetable Sesame Noodles

Squash noodles elbow out some of the starchy ones to give this cool sesame noodle salad a veggie boost. This easy healthy recipe comes together in just 20 minutes, so it's great for weeknight dinners. Pack up any leftovers for lunch.

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Black Bean Salad with Grilled Pork Cutlets

This hearty bean salad is packed with vibrant colors and contrasting textures. Center-cut boneless pork chops (also called pork cutlets), make a convenient and economical protein to round out the meal. This recipe makes one extra cutlet, which can be refrigerated for another use (see Associated Recipe).

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Grilled Taco Pizza

Grilling pizza mimics the rustic flavor of a wood-fired oven. It cooks fast, though, so make sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go for speedy flipping and topping. For this grilled pizza recipe we've topped the pie with classic taco toppings, including beans and salsa. Once you've mastered the method, you can use it as a template for how to grill pizza--just swap out the taco ingredients for your favorite toppings.

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Balsamic Chicken Pasta Bake with Zucchini Noodles

Packed with plenty of vegetables and tons of flavor, this chicken pasta bake is inspired by the ingredients in a caprese salad.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Grilled Shrimp Tostadas

Grilled Shrimp Tostadas 
Jason Donnelly

Grilling gives these shrimp tostadas a boost of smoky flavor. Skewering the shrimp prevents them from falling through the grates while getting even char on each side. If you have a grill basket, you can throw them in that instead; just make sure to get them into a single layer so they don't steam.

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Sausage, Mushroom & Pesto Grilled Pizza

Healthy homemade sausage-and-mushroom pizza in the comfort of your backyard? Yes, please. All you need for a Naples-worthy pie is a hot grill, store-bought pizza dough and easy prepared ingredients. Serve with a glass of Chianti.

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Stetson Chopped Salad

Knock it out of the park at dinner with this composed salad recipe inspired by the crazy-popular Stetson Chopped Salad at Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale, Arizona. It packs in colorful vegetables and a variety of textures from whole grains, seeds and a creamy homemade dressing for a photo-worthy, healthy meal. Keep it vegetarian or add smoked salmon or roasted chicken.

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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.

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Vegetarian All-American Portobello Burgers

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Portobello mushrooms stand in for meat patties in this recipe for veggie burgers with all the fixings. Mushrooms are a source of glutamate, a naturally occurring compound that gives the fungi their umami flavor. But to really give these "patties" a savory boost, we brush them with steak sauce. Add a simple side salad or some grilled veggies for a satisfying and easy dinner on the grill.

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Shrimp & Pepper Kebabs with Grilled Red Onion Slaw

These healthy grilled shrimp and mini bell pepper kebabs come together in just 30 minutes, so they're great for weeknight dinners. A bag of coleslaw mix is a time-saving meal starter. Here, we make it our own by mixing in grilled red onion and crushed pita chips. A homemade herb-feta dressing both coats the slaw and sauces the kebabs.

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Crab Roll

This healthier take on a lobster roll uses crab because it's usually easier (and less expensive) to buy. But by all means use lobster if you prefer. Serve with coleslaw and an ice-cold beer.

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Bone-In Pork Chops with Grilled Peaches & Arugula

This easy grilling recipe sears both the pork and the peaches on the grill. When peaches are not in season, you can make this recipe with pears or apples instead.

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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.

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Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Salad

This zesty quinoa salad is delicious all on its own, with some serious Mediterranean flair. Make a double batch for lunches later in the week.

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Jalapeño Popper Burgers

two burgers

We've taken a simple burger recipe and made it pop with an easy three-ingredient jalapeño cheese topping. Ground sirloin is lean ground beef made exclusively from the center loin cut. It has less connective tissue than regular ground beef for a super-tender burger.

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Grilled Greek Chicken & Vegetable Salad

Fresh herbs, olives, and feta cheese give this grilled chicken and vegetable salad its distinct Greek flavor. On a hot summer evening when you don't want to be in the kitchen, fire up the grill and in 25 minutes, dinner is served.

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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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Zucchini Noodle Primavera

This primavera recipe cuts carbs by swapping out the pasta for zucchini "noodles." This quick vegetarian dinner is chock-full of colorful vegetables smothered in a light, creamy sauce. We like using prepackaged spiralized zucchini noodles to keep this recipe ultra-fast, but if you have a spiralizer and zucchini on hand, you can easily make your own.

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Greek Summer-Squash Grilled Pizza

Spreading roasted red pepper hummus on this easy grilled pizza makes a fast and easy base for tender summer squash and salty chunks of feta. Best of all? This healthy pizza is ready in 20 minutes.

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Open-Face Barbecue Tilapia Sandwiches

Grilled fish nestled on a bed of crunchy coleslaw and capped off with a drizzle of barbecue sauce makes these diabetic-friendly sandwiches sure to please.

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