Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas For Family

These 10 easy summer dinner ideas offer inspiration to keep dinnertime simple and stress-free, no recipe needed. Also includes tons of specific ideas for browsing.

It's my kids' last week of school and we are ready for summertime! I can't believe it's here, this year flew by so quickly, but bring it on!

Cooling

Previously I’ve shared these 17 healthy pool dinners that are perfect for packing up and taking to the pool. It helps extend our afternoons so I don’t have to come home, shoo the kids into the shower, and then try and delve into making dinner.

Veggie Packed Summer Dinner Recipes

Nope, I can just prep it ahead and pack it with us. (Our concession stand is not the greatest, so I prefer to take our food with us.)

This is for the days when you want to pull together dinner quickly but don’t know what to make and don’t feel like a big production. Or exploring a new recipe.

Nope, just a list of easy ideas that are endlessly customizable and versatile, allowing you to use what you have on hand. And what your family will actually eat.

Light Summer Dinner Recipes

Oh, and if your family is like mine and seems to survive summer with all-day snacking, check out these 20+ healthy summer snacks. It’s got both sweet and savory ideas.

Below are the 10 easy no-recipe summer dinner ideas, each one with suggestions and specific recipes to browse in case you want more guidance.

(Some days it can be freeing not to follow a recipe. Other days I’m like, “Just tell me exactly what to do so I don’t have to think about it myself.” Anyone else?)

The Best Healthy Family Summer Meal Ideas

And feel free to pin one of the collages or photos from this post so you can come back to this list and these ideas another time.

Just sauté some veggies and rotisserie chicken (with onion and garlic and any other veggies, such as zucchini, that you’d like to include), add in some canned beans (black, pinto, cannellini, etc.) and then wilt in some baby spinach. Season however you like and serve with any cheese or any toppings you desire.

Recipes: Our original family version of this is this leftover chicken with field peas and spinach. I also have made a turkey and white bean skillet with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. And of course you could do a southwest or Mexican style version as well. This southwest chicken skillet is along the same lines.

Summer Dinner Ideas Perfect For Hot Days

Arrange some cheese and crackers, fresh veggies, nuts and fruit on a board. Add dips and snacks like hummus, chicken salad, veggie salads, chicken or veggie roll-ups, etc. Ta-da! A meal is made.

If you want to spruce it up, include some spring rolls or stuffed mushrooms or satay skewers, any of your favorite apps. You could even just get some frozen apps from the store to use.

Recipes you could consider including on your board:Healthy chicken salad for some protein, black bean and mango salad for some color and freshness (goes great with tortilla chips), healthy homemade hummus or a cold chili cheese dip for scooping with tortilla chips or veggie spears.

Easy Family Friendly Dinner Recipes For Summer

Start with your favorite green - spring mix, baby spinach, arugula, kale, etc. - and then add on a protein, maybe some beans, some fresh veggies and serve with a delicious dressing.

Also, feel free to swap grains as the base of your salad instead of greens if you want to bulk it up a bit.

Recipes: Southwest chopped salad with chicken and a creamy cilantro lime dressing is a family recipe I’ve been making and devouring for years. Sooo good.

Best Twenty Healthy Summer Recipe's For Your Family

Mediterranean chopped salad is a light and fresh favorite, and you can definitely add some chicken or chickpeas to make it a full meal.

Healthier 7-layer salad is one of my faves and the presentation is just killer. I add rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken to make it a main dish.

Make your own burgers at home - beef, turkey, chicken, pork or veggie - or buy some fresh or frozen burgers at the store to use.

Summer Dinners That Require Little To No Cooking

Pick up your favorite type of frozen fries - classic, wedge, sweet potato, etc. - and throw those in the oven while the burgers are on the grill.

Also, you can make this same meal and use kabobs instead of burgers. Food on a stick is always fun, whether it's summer or not.

Recipes: BBQ turkey burgers with slaw, fiesta turkey burgers (with ALL the toppings), spicy pork burgers with mango salsa and cheddar chicken burgers are some of our favorites.

Light Vegan Summer Recipes For Hot Days

Or go vegetarian with these easy chickpea burgers or easy veggie burgers. Or make this veggie burger scramble for a deconstructed burger in a skillet.

Add your favorite protein - leftover grilled or some rotisserie chicken works great here. Add some beans and rice, if desired. Layer in some veggies - fresh greens, sautéed onions and peppers, diced zucchini - as well as some salsa and cheese. Add sour cream or Greek yogurt, guac or avocado and any other favorite toppings.

Recipes: Bean and rice burritos are our vegetarian fave. (You could also add chicken to those.) You can also make homemade salsa and pickled red onions for your burritos.

Healthy Pool Dinners

Pasta salads and pasta-veggie-chicken mixes are great ways to throw something together last minute and using what you have in your pantry.

For cold versions, make a pasta salad with veggies and your favorite dressing, like Italian. Mix in a protein if you like and play around with the endless variations!

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This can be great to make-ahead, too, for lunch or dinner. Or if you’re planning a picnic or need something to take with.

Lazy Summer Dinner Ideas (easy Summer Weeknight Dinners!)

Recipes: Classic spaghetti salad is a recipe from my mom and one of my summertime favorites. (It’s vegetarian though and is really more of a side dish or a lunch, just FYI.) Lemony orzo chicken salad is a great summer dish, as is southwestern orzo salad. You could add chicken or shrimp to that to boost it up if you’d like.

Mediterranean quinoa salad is another flavorful one, or make these BBQ chicken quinoa salad bowls. So delicious and fun! Oh, and chicken quinoa salad with salsa hummus is perfect for hot weather and can easily be packed up for a day at the lake or a night at the pool.

You can sign up for my free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!

Lazy Summer Dinner Ideas

A stir fry is a great way to use whatever you have on hand in terms of proteins and veggies. Sauté it all up, add a stir fry sauce, serve with steamed rice and call it a day. They are so easy and so fast!

Recipes: This easiest ever chicken stir fry has been a staple in my kitchen for decades. We also love honey garlic chicken stir fry and pork and broccoli slaw stir fry.

It can be as easy as scrambled eggs with bacon and toast. Or make breakfast potatoes and fried eggs and sausage. Or grits bowls. Or go with omelets. Or make an egg scramble with whatever veggies you want to throw in.

Best Summer Chicken Recipes

Even quiche can be a great summer meal because you can eat it warm or room temperature. So many options, it’s gonna be a new regular thing.

Recipes:Cheesy baked eggs are a favorite around here. (And the extras store great in the fridge or freezer for another morning later in the week.) Pair with some bacon or sausage patties and toast or biscuits.

This savory oatmeal bowl or cheesy grits breakfast bowl with eggs, sausage and spinach would also be a hit at dinnertime. You can also use those ideas as jumping off points and customize your bowls however you like.

Easy Summer Dinner Ideas To Keep You Cool

Sausage and egg casserole and breakfast pizza are more all-in-one types of dishes to serve. Breakfast nachos or breakfast tacos are other fun ones to serve.

And because I am sneaky and make microwave baked potatoes, I can have them any time I want. (Also, that’s a great trick in the summer when you don’t want the oven on for an hour to cook your potatoes.)

The stuffing part of the loaded baked potato can be done a ton of different ways. Make it taco-themed or use chili, use ham and cheese, chicken and broccoli or do a veggie loaded potato. You can even use things like chicken paprikash or sloppy Joe’s in your baked potatoes.

Easy Family Friendly Summer Dinner Recipes

Recipes: Loaded chili stuffed baked potatoes are my favorite way to use leftover chili for a new meal another night. And taco stuffed sweet potatoes are a fun twist on taco night.

These fast cheesy chicken and broccoli stuffed baked potatoes are piled high with the filling and made quick thanks to a shortcut.

You can even make sliders and not bake them, just serve as mini sandwiches. This would work great if you’re trying to travel with then and serve them cold or at room temp.