Summer Dinner Ideas

A collection of delicious recipes including salads, main dishes, appetizers, desserts and drinks, as well as summer party dinner ideas and menus.

Most Popular

Our Greatest Grilled Chicken Recipes

Explore the many ways to prepare this dinnertime favorite on the grill, including moist, buttermilk-marinated chicken pieces, whole chickens basted in homemade barbecue sauce, and so much more.
By Peggy Kieran

The Best Kebab Recipes: Our Favorite Grilled Foods on a Stick

We love grilling kebabs for their ease and versatility. The different ingredient combinations offer loads of tasty possibilities, which is especially helpful when feeding a crowd. The recipes here feature bold flavors from all over the world.
By Frances Kim

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, hearty grain burgers, grilled pizza, tofu kebabs, and lots more.
By Kelly Vaughan

29 Easy No-Bake Desserts Sure to Delight

When you want to keep the oven off but still want something sweet and decadent, these no-bake desserts—from cheesecake to bar cookies to crème brûlée—are delicious solutions.
By Kelly Vaughan

One-Pan Pasta

Rating: 3.35 stars
140
It's one of our most popular recipes and for good reason. This is our original one-pot pasta recipe, inspired by a dish one of our food editors ate in Puglia, Italy. All the ingredients cook together in a straight-sided skillet, you don’t even need to boil water first—and it's on the table in just 20 minutes.

Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad

Rating: 3.61 stars
37
Nothing compares to the juiciness of summer tomatoes. Go beyond the expected with this showstopping salad.

Ratatouille

Rating: 3.59 stars
15
This hearty country dish from the Provence region of France is an easy mix of seasonal vegetables, garlic, and olive oil.

Carrot Cake

Rating: 3.37 stars
61
Beneath this towering yet unpretentious appearance lies multiple layers of moist, mildly spiced cake that are flecked with carrots and pecans and enveloped by a generous coating of cream cheese frosting.

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.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Rating: 3.51 stars
23
Capture the pure taste of summer with this pasta. The secret: using raw, fresh tomatoes that have never seen the inside of a refrigerator for the tomato sauce. Recipe copyright 2012 by Eugenia Bone.
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Inspiration and Ideas

11 of Our Favorite Zucchini Casserole Recipes

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!)

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.
Use These Summer Menus to Inspire a Season of Fabulous Warm-Weather Meal

Use These Summer Menus to Inspire a Season of Fabulous Warm-Weather Meal
Summer Picnic Recipes That Aren't Sandwiches

Summer Picnic Recipes That Aren't Sandwiches
One-Pot Meals That Are Perfect for Summer Dinners

One-Pot Meals That Are Perfect for Summer Dinners
What's for Dinner? 23 Recipes to Make for Dinner in June

What's for Dinner? 23 Recipes to Make for Dinner in June

Chicago Dog

Rating: 3.78 stars
4

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.

All Summer Dinner Ideas

Basic Potato Salad

Rating: 3.38 stars
43
Combining the potatoes with the vinegar mixture while they're still hot allows them to absorb it all for a more flavorful salad.

Raspberry-Swirl Cheesecake

Rating: 3.65 stars
24
Marbling cheesecake is an easy way to elicit oohs and aahs. This one has a raspberry puree swirled in.

Key Lime Pie

Rating: 3.45 stars
25
You don't need to travel to the southernmost point of Florida to enjoy a slice of this tart pie. Learn how to make your own key lime pie at home, complete with a graham cracker crust, with this master recipe.

Basil and Ricotta Cannelloni

In Rome, fresh ricotta made from sheep's milk is more widely available than that made from cow's milk, but either will work in this recipe. An abundance of zucchini blossoms (fiori di zucche) made it easy for Kovel to use them as a topping, but if you can't find them, it's not a problem; they are an optional flourish here.

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.

Pineapple-Rum Cocktail

Rating: 3.51 stars
1
Celebrate warmer breezes by sharing a tropical combo: fruity rum drinks and Chicken Satay Skewers with a spicy peanut sauce.

Grilled Striped Bass

We serve the fillets over our Corn and Clam Chowder Sauce, but they are also delicious on their own, with just a sprinkling of lemon juice.

Summer Beef-and-Rice Casserole

Rating: 3.42 stars
8
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.)

Strawberry Cream Cake

Rating: 3.77 stars
29
Cake, cream, and berries combine in a treat that's twice as delectable as the sum of its parts. The buttery cake soaks up the strawberry juices, while the whipped cream adds an airy richness.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberries and rhubarb are summer's best friends -- cook them up together in this quintessential dessert.

Potato Salad

Rating: 3.16 stars
1
Chopped scallions are sprinkled on a potato salad made with Yukon golds.

Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken

Rating: 3.38 stars
3
Spatchcocking (or butterflying) lets you grill a whole bird, because it enables you to cook the meat evenly. If your grill is big enough, double the recipe. Leftovers are delicious over salad.

Rhubarb Buckle

Rating: 3.98 stars
3
This dessert belongs in everyone's "outdoor entertaining" file. The cake squares, embellished with moist fruit and a crunchy topping, are meant to be eaten out of hand.

Chicken Risotto

The creaminess of risotto makes it an instant comfort food, but the addition of sautéed summer squash and gently cooked, pencil-thin asparagus, and chicken drive up the nutritional value too.

Strawberry Tart

Rating: 3.62 stars
22
Who doesn't love strawberries? This tart pairs them with a super simple, slightly sweetened cream-cheese filling.

Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

Rating: 3.1 stars
11
Everyone loves these stacks of eggplant layered with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce.

Sauteed Red Snapper

Rating: 3.07 stars
1
The mild, slightly sweet flavor and flaky texture of red snapper takes well to light seasoning and a quick saute. You can also make this dish with black sea bass. The skin of both fish is edible and crisps nicely in a skillet.

Zucchini Cornbread Muffins

Strawberry Shortcake

Rating: 3.29 stars
9
To prevent the baked biscuits from crumbling when you cut them, wait until they are cool, and use a serrated bread knife to slice them in half very gently. Once sliced, fill them with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream for a classic take on this old-fashioned dessert.

Chicken Cutlets with Summer Squash and Feta

Chicken cutlets cook in a matter of minutes, and dredging them in flour helps form a luscious pan gravy.

One-Pot Shrimp Boil with Corn and Potatoes

Rating: 3.17 stars
2
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.

Pork Ribs With Barbecue Sauce

Rating: 3.4 stars
10
For spicier ribs, coat them with your favorite chile rub before wrapping in foil and baking.

Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake

Rating: 3.19 stars
49
This Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake is the perfect addition to any brunch. For best results, coat the inside of the Bundt pan with cooking spray just before filling it with the batter to prevent it from pooling in the bottom.

Our Favorite Turkey Burger

Rating: 3.46 stars
37
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.
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