Summer Dinner Ideas

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Our 25 Greatest Grilled Chicken Recipes

Explore the many ways to prepare this dinnertime favorite on the grill. Our recipes include buttermilk-marinated chicken pieces, whole chickens basted in homemade barbecue sauce, and so much more.

By Peggy Kieran

Our Favorite Kebab Recipes Give Grilled Food on a Stick a Major Upgrade

We love grilling kebabs, they're easy and versatile. The different ingredient combinations offer lots of tasty possibilities and that's especially helpful when feeding a crowd. The recipes here feature bold flavors with a range of delicious meats, fruits, and vegetables.

By Madeline Buiano

25 Main-Course Summer Salads That Are Packed with Protein

From mixes topped with steak and tofu to those finished with chicken and chickpeas, these salad recipes are filling enough to serve as your main course at lunch or dinner.

By Emily Goldman

28 of Our Best Sides for Your Next Summer Cookout

Choose from a showstopping selection of top-notch recipes, including salads, slaws, grilled vegetables, and lots more.

By Kelly Vaughan

Meatless Grilling Recipes That Are So Right for Summer

Enjoy a fabulous vegetarian cookout with smoky grilled vegetables, grilled pizza, tofu kebabs, and lots more.

By Peggy Kieran

30 Easy No-Bake Desserts That Are Sure to Delight

When you want something sweet and decadent but don't want to turn the oven on, these no-bake desserts—from cheesecake to bar cookies to crème brûlée—are delicious solutions.

By Kelly Vaughan

Grilled-Eggplant Parmesan

Our light, summery take on classic eggplant parmesan skips the breading and relies on the grill to do all the cooking. Flame-kissed tomatoes and shallots are turned into a quick sauce, then spooned over charred eggplant and gooey mozzarella for a memorable dinner.

Basic Potato Salad

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Combining the potatoes with the vinegar mixture while they're still hot allows them to absorb it all for a more flavorful salad.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

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Raspberry-Swirl Cheesecake

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Marbling cheesecake is an easy way to elicit oohs and aahs. This one has a raspberry puree swirled in.

Potato Salad

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Chopped scallions are sprinkled on a potato salad made with Yukon golds.

How to Smoke Fish

Where there's smoke, there's flavor. Smoking fish at home may sound intimidating, but it's no more complicated than grilling. Just add aromatic wood to a charcoal grill and let the fragrant, flavorful smoke do its work.

Inspiration and Ideas

11 of Our Favorite Zucchini Casserole Recipes

The fruit—yes, fruit!—is a staple ingredient in these dishes.

12 Tasty Sides to Serve with Burgers (Other Than Fries!)

You love a burger, but you're not always in the mood to enjoy one with a pile of fries. Are they your only side option? We think the simplicity of a classic burger makes it an ideal canvas for pairing with all manner of easy dishes. These are our favorite ideas.

25 Bell Pepper Recipes That Make the Most of This Colorful Vegetable

Grilled Striped Bass

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Rhubarb Pie

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Carrot Cake

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Grilled Chicken Breasts with BBQ Sauce

For this all-American classic that's great for lunch or dinner, use a great homemade sauce and pick your method: Slow-cook a whole bird for the juiciest results or grill smaller pieces for a fast meal.

All Summer Dinner Ideas

Summer Beef-and-Rice Casserole

This quick-cooking casserole has a rich beef-and-rice filling, a colorful layer of zucchini, and a crisp breadcrumb topping. (Save even more time by using the sauce from Gnocchi with Quick Meat Sauce.)

Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill Dressing

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We've given this creamy cucumber salad recipe a healthy update. But it's still so good, you won't even notice! Reduced-fat sour cream (in place of full-fat) lowers the calorie count without losing taste.

Zucchini-Ribbon "Lasagna"

Strips of zucchini stand in for lasagna noodles and ground turkey is swapped in place of ground beef, adding texture and flavor in this healthy, vegetable-filled take on the Italian classic.

Crab Sandwich

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This delicious crab sandwich recipe is great for any outdoor party, day or night.

Ratatouille

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This hearty ratatouille is a country dish from the Provence region of France that's an easy mix of seasonal vegetables, garlic, and olive oil.

Sauteed Cucumbers

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You may not have considered cucumbers for a vegetable sauté, but these will change your mind.

Tomato Hand Pies

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Left in the baking tin and covered with cheesecloth, these tomato hand pies are ready to pack. They can be baked a day ahead and refrigerated. The pies will come to room temperature on the trip to the picnic site.

One-Pot Shrimp Boil with Corn and Potatoes

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Celebrate the end of summer with a New Orleans-style shrimp boil. In this traditional one-pot dish, the shrimp, corn, and potatoes are cooked together in a spicy, flavorful broth, which is then used for dipping.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Lattice Pie

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Strawberries mellow out the sharp edges of rhubarb in this pie. You can use raspberries instead or omit the berries entirely (use 2 pounds rhubarb if you do).

Grilled Whole Chicken with Barbecue Sauce

For this all-American classic, use a great homemade sauce and slow-cook a whole bird for the juiciest results.

Chicago Dog

Some traditions you just don't mess with, and a Chicago dog is one of them. All-beef frankfurters are "dragged through the garden," meaning they're piled with a bunch of veggie condiments. Try rocking these dogs at home for your next casual buffet.

Rhubarb Raspberry Crisp

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Rhubarb is delicious paired with sweet fruits such as raspberries -- or strawberries or peaches -- to temper its tartness.

Chicken and Snap Peas

When time is tight, nothing beats a 30-minute meal made in a single skillet.

Strawberry Tart

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Who doesn't love strawberries? This tart pairs them with a super simple, slightly sweetened cream-cheese filling.

Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad

Beets, which are rich in folic acid and vitamin C, are the primary ingredient of this simple salad.

Vegetarian Gumbo

No one will miss the meat in this satisfying stew (it's also vegan!). It starts with a roux and the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, then calls for both fresh ingredients (okra and yellow squash) and canned (tomatoes and black-eyed peas).

Our Favorite Turkey Burger

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These tasty burgers incorporate shredded Gruyère cheese and Dijon mustard in the patty, rather than on top, which prevents the bun from getting soggy. Breadcrumbs add even more texture.

Lemon-Parsley Fish Cakes

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These tasty little cod cakes are terrific to have on hand in the freezer. You can take out and cook as many or as few as you need. Defrost them overnight in the refrigerator, and they'll be ready to cook the next day. Serve the cakes with your favorite tartar sauce.

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