Light and Easy Summer Dinners to Make Tonight

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When the weather’s warm and your patience for complicated dinners runs low, these easy and delicious warm weather recipes are here to save the evening. Dinners like Cilantro Lime Chicken, Healthy Ground Chicken Feta Burgers with Spinach, and Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce bring bold flavors with minimal effort. Meanwhile, veggie-forward plates like Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad and Quinoa & Kale Veggie Quesadillas keep things fresh, light, and totally satisfying. Whether you’re grilling, roasting, or tossing it all in one skillet, there’s something here to make dinnertime feel breezy!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Grilled chicken thighs garnished with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Photo Credit: Spend with Pennies.

Cilantro Lime Chicken brings bold flavor without the fuss. Juicy, zippy, and grill-ready, this one’s a keeper for weeknights that still deserve a little zing.
Get the Recipe: Cilantro Lime Chicken

Healthy Ground Chicken Feta Burgers with Spinach

A chicken burger with spinach, arugula, tomato slices, and crumbled feta cheese in a whole wheat bun.
Photo Credit: Haute & Healthy Living.

Healthy Ground Chicken Feta Burgers with Spinach make your burger night feel slightly more virtuous. Packed with greens and tangy feta, they’re light enough for a weeknight but tasty enough for a weekend.
Get the Recipe: Healthy Ground Chicken Feta Burgers with Spinach

Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Chicken skewers coated in a creamy, tan-colored sauce, garnished with a sprig of green cilantro.
Photo Credit: Strength and Sunshine.

Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers With Peanut Sauce turn your backyard into a vacation. Coconut-marinated chicken meets creamy peanut sauce and suddenly your Tuesday night tastes like Thailand.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers With Peanut Sauce

Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad

Bowtie pasta, sliced strawberries, avocado chunks, green peas, and mint leaves.
Photo Credit: Budget Delicious.

Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad is summer in a bowl—sweet, creamy, and just a little unexpected. Between the berries, mint, and lime, this pasta doesn’t know how to be boring.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad

Lemon Fettuccine with Garlic Shrimps

A plate of fettuccine pasta with grilled shrimp, peas, and fresh basil.
Photo Credit: Chocolates & Chai.

Lemon Fettuccine With Garlic Shrimps walks the line between date night and quick dinner like a pro. That zesty lemon sauce with garlicky shrimp? Cheeky and chic.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Fettuccine with Garlic Shrimps

Easy Chicken Fajita Foil Packets

Cooked chicken pieces, green and red bell peppers, onions, a lemon wedge, and fresh cilantro.
Photo Credit: Budget Delicious.

Easy Chicken Fajita Foil Packets are what you make when you want zero dishes and maximum flavor. Chicken, peppers, and onions steam in foil for a tidy fajita party you don’t have to clean up after.
Get the Recipe: Easy Chicken Fajita Foil Packets

Herbed Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Bake

A batch of freshly baked Vegan Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Tortilla
Photo credit: Minimalist Baker

Inspired by Spanish flavors, this herbed sweet potato and butternut squash bake is a simple yet satisfying dish. With just a handful of ingredients and one bowl, it’s a versatile recipe perfect as an appetizer, side, or even a light dinner.
Get the Recipe: Herbed Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Bake

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

A red bell pepper stuffed with chickpeas and vegetables, topped with yogurt sauce and garnished with herbs, sits on a white plate next to lime wedges. A fork is beside the plate.
Photo Credit: Chef Ani.

Vegan Stuffed Peppers are proof that plant-based doesn’t mean punishment. Loaded with quinoa and beans, they’re hearty enough to make even the carnivores question their choices.
Get the Recipe: Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Tacos de Bistec con Chimichurri (Chimichurri Steak Tacos)

A plate with two tacos filled with meat, vegetables, and herbs; a side of grilled corn on the cob topped with a white sauce; and a fresh salad of cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices.
Photo Credit: A Latin Flair.

Tacos De Bistec Con Chimichurri (Chimichurri Steak Tacos) are the handheld heroes of summer. Bright, herby sauce over perfectly marinated beef—wrap it, eat it, repeat.
Get the Recipe: Tacos de Bistec con Chimichurri (Chimichurri Steak Tacos)

One Pan BBQ Chicken

A blue plate with a glazed chicken breast and steamed broccoli.
Photo Credit: Homemade Hooplah.

One Pan BBQ Chicken is what happens when you want BBQ vibes without the grill drama. Baked in sauce and served hot, this chicken dish is weeknight gold.
Get the Recipe: One Pan BBQ Chicken

Quinoa & Kale Veggie Quesadillas

Quinoa & Kale Veggie Quesadillas
Photo credit: Love and Lemons

Looking for a quick and healthy weeknight meal? These veggie quesadillas are packed with kale, quinoa, and tomatillo salsa for a flavorful and satisfying bite. Plus, there’s a vegan option available, making it a versatile dish for everyone to enjoy.
Get the Recipe: Quinoa & Kale Veggie Quesadillas

Oven Baked Deep South Barbecue Ribs

Grilled barbecue ribs with a shiny glaze, arranged on a yellow plate.
Photo Credit: Not Entirely Average.

Oven Baked Deep South Barbecue Ribs serve up sticky, slow-baked satisfaction with Southern swagger. They fall off the bone, shine with glaze, and don’t require a smoker to impress your crowd.
Get the Recipe: Oven Baked Deep South Barbecue Ribs

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Herbed Ricotta

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich for foodiecrush.com
Photo credit: Foodie Crush

This vegetarian grilled vegetable sandwich is the perfect summer lunch or dinner! It’s packed with grilled zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and more, plus a creamy herbed ricotta spread. Served on toasted ciabatta with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, it’s a satisfying and flavorful meal.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Herbed Ricotta

One Pan Sazon Skillet Chicken

A skillet filled with cheesy Mexican chicken, black beans, corn, red bell peppers, and chopped cilantro. A large spoon is placed beside the skillet.
Photo credit: Ambitious Kitchen

This one-pan sazon skillet chicken is a delicious and easy meal that’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Made with homemade sazon seasoning and your favorite summer veggies, it’s a flavorful and healthy dish that can be enjoyed on its own or served with rice. Ready in just 30 minutes!
Get the Recipe: One Pan Sazon Skillet Chicken

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About Jenny deRemer

I am a Charleston, South Carolina-based culinary novice, an ardent authority on all things travel, a designer by trade, and the creator of Not Entirely Average. I have a weakness for farmers' markets, delight in adventures way off the beaten path, enjoy documenting my many moods through photography, and have been known to conquer the occasional yard sale with gusto!

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