There are days when you feel completely inspired to experiment in the kitchen and make a feast, and then there are days when it’s just too hot to function, much alone sitting in front of a hot stove for an hour. It’s critical to have light summer dinners in your culinary repertoire on days like the latter. These recipes will keep you nourished while allowing you to spend less time cooking, whether you just need a day away from the kitchen or would rather lounge in front of the air conditioning with a cocktail than struggle with four separate stove-top burners. Is this a win-win situation? Yes, we believe so.
Below are 20 light and easy summer recipes that almost anybody can cook and are a savior, especially when the temperature is approaching 50 degrees, the sun is beaming in through your windows. Not even a cold shower can chill you off. Allow these summer dinners to save the day when your air conditioner is working around the clock.
1. Blueberry Ice Tea
What an amazing summer spin on a traditional cocktail! Your children will ask for more. Of this Blueberry Iced Tea! It’s simple to prepare ahead of time, making it ideal for your next barbeque! Iced teas with flavors are the perfect summer drink. This lovely homemade blueberry iced tea is made with fresh blueberries and black tea and is perfectly sweet but not too sweet.
2. Noodle Salad With Sprouted Beans & Peanuts
This easy-to-prepare noodle salad is ideal for workday lunches. Cooked noodles are tossed with spring onions, red capsicum, and bean sprouts before being covered in a delicious homemade satay sauce – try it! For this crisp, light salad, choose whichever noodles you have on hand. You can prepare them even faster by using pre-cooked egg noodles from the store. The dressing is best when it’s sharp, sweet, and spicy, but you can make it your own by adding more palm sugar or lime juice as needed.
3. Simple Beet Gazpacho
Beet Gazpacho is a delicious summer classic in Spain, and it’s simple to make and packed with healthy fresh summer vegetables. It’s a chilled beet soup with diced avocado, crisp cucumber, onion, beet, and fresh dill, as well as a drizzle of olive oil or a swirl of yogurt, if desired.
It has a beautiful texture and delightfully fresh flavor thanks to the finely chopped vegetables. It’s easiest to cook the beets the night before and chill them overnight in the refrigerator, so they’re ready to use the next day.
4. Tomato Basil Salmon
The flavor combination of tomatoes and basil screams summer. Salmon takes on an Italian flavor with the addition of Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and basil. This dish is both gorgeous and easy to make, making it ideal for parties. Simply put minced garlic over a side of salmon, top with fresh basil, then stack sliced tomatoes on top. Cook it for 10 minutes on the grill .Use fresh basil instead of dried if you have it, and add freshly minced or powdered garlic to boost the taste.
5. Goat Cheese & Fresh Herb Omelet
The goat cheese gives a delicate omelet a flavorful kick without adding too much sodium. Choosing a nice goat cheese is the key to this simple omelet recipe. Aside from the goat cheese, eggs, and seasonings, all you need are a few pantry staples and some minutes to make one of the finest omelets you’ll ever have. For a substantial breakfast, serve with nutty whole-grain bread and fresh fruit.
6. Strawberry Shortcake
Without any peanut butter spirals, toffee drizzles, sparkles, chocolate chunks, candy bar bits, sprinkles, or unicorn magic, authentic food, and great flavors are brought to life today. Strawberries, sweet biscuits, and whipped cream are a delicious combination. Every summer gets a new music hymn with the most recent chart-topping single, but the summer dessert hymn remains consistent year after year. Strawberry shortcake is the dessert we can’t get out of our thoughts since it’s delightful at any time of day and comforts our summery spirit. By layering biscuits with strawberries and cream, you can make a decadent no-bake dessert. It’s a fantastic summer treat since it’s both easy and delicious.
7. Watermelon Feta Salad
What’s not to love about this great mix of sweet and juicy watermelon, salty feta, and a refreshing minty, lemony dressing? It’s all about the flavor combinations in this watermelon feta salad. The watermelon feta cheese salad is an excellent illustration of how sweet and salty flavors can complement each other. The saltiness of the feta cheese compliments the watermelon’s cold sweetness, and the zesty lime dressing enhances the entire flavor. It’s a simple and delicious summer salad that will help you beat the heat on a hot summer afternoon. The best thing is that it requires no particular skills and takes less than 15 minutes to put together.
8. Tortellini Salad
This Tortellini Salad is a delicious summer salad that’s perfect for picnics and barbecues. The artichoke zing, luscious pasta, zesty tomatoes, and sharp basil combine to create a taste symphony! It may also be stored in the fridge for around four days, making it an ideal quick lunch. Tortellini, vegetables, salami, and artichokes form tender pillows that are tasty and colorful and creamy. This dish may be made ahead of time for gatherings or lunches because it stores nicely.
9. Nicoise Salad
Salado Niçoise (or salade Niçoise in French) is a typical Mediterranean salad. It’s from Nice, on the French Riviera,perfect for hot, sunny days. It’s a straightforward dish that’s ideal for days when the last thing you want to do is stand over a burner. Salad Niçoise with tuna, green beans, hard – boiled eggs, tomatoes, and potatoes, is filling enough to serve as the main course. For a great summer dinner, pair it with your favorite wine.
10. Caprese Zoodles
A gluten-free, grain-free, and vegetarian supper that comes together quickly. Tossed in Basil pesto with roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, black olives, and zucchini noodles—perfect when summer fruit is plentiful, or you want a fresh-tasting dinner in the winter! It is a quick and simple summer supper. How can you say no to a dinner made with fresh basil, creamy mozzarella, and garden tomatoes that is simple, quick, nutritious, and delicious? In a matter of minutes? It’s fantastic!
11. Pink Lemonade Ice Pops
One of my favorite summer drinks is pink lemonade. When summer arrives, what could be more refreshing than a tall glass of sugary and tangy raspberry-laced lemonade? The iconic fruity beverage gets a run for its money with this Pink Lemonade Popsicle. This simple summer treat is not only simple to make but also healthy, as it has no added sweets or artificial chemicals. The acidity in these four-ingredient pops is balanced out by organic produce like pink coconut water, lime, agave nectar, and a pinch of salt.
12. Smoothie Bowls
These are perfect for a quick breakfast, noon snack, or post-workout meal. With summer approaching, it’s a fantastic way to stick to your fitness goals while enjoying a cold bowl of pleasure. Smoothie bowls are the next best thing to a regular smoothie. A thick, creamy smoothie that can be eaten with a spoon. For a quick and easy vegan breakfast or snack, top with fresh fruit, granola, or any other nutritious toppings!
13. Potato Salad
This recipe allowed us to blend our beloved potato chip flavor with the creamy, salty “salad” of our fantasies. The entire meal is topped with crushed sour cream and onion potato chips to emphasize that point. We enjoy eating it warm or cold, on the couch.
14. Blueberry Saffron Tea Cake
This easy and tasty blueberry tea cake is fragrant and has a beautiful golden crumb, thanks to the use of saffron. You may eat a piece for breakfast or with your evening tea, topped with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream flavored with a tiny bit of sugar.
15. Summer Squash Pizza
Squash and zucchini, which are both healthy and plentiful, are transformed into a family-friendly pizza. Although zucchini and yellow squash have flavors that are not overpowering. There is nothing boring about this zesty, herby pizza. The summer squash is cut into thin coins and then roasted until gently caramelized, bringing forth its flavors. A balsamic marinade intensifies the sweetness of the squash and also gives the pizza dough a Smokey, charred taste , while cooking .Finish the dish with a tomato, pecorino cheese, and herb topping.
16. Oats Upma
These grain bowls are a tasty and nutritious way to start your day, similar to oatmeal or porridge. Bowl culture is flourishing, from smoothie bowls to burrito bowls, and this meal is no exception. Add plenty of cooked carrots to your oats for an antioxidant boost, or add chickpeas for a protein increase. In any case, you’ll have a nutritious bowl of upma to keep you going throughout the day. It’s a simple and tasty breakfast meal that’s ideal for summer mornings.
17. Bombay Toasty
It couldn’t get any better than this, and you know it’ll be a hit with the entire family. All you need are a few slices of bread, either brown or white. Some chutney (can you picture Indian summers without it? ), your favorite vegetables, chaat masala, paneer, and whatever else you choose to include in your toasty. Et Voila-! Your tasty Bombay toasty is ready to relish. It’s great for breakfast or an evening snack.
18. Overnight Oats
This nighttime oats recipe is an immediate, easy, and tasty dish created by soaking instant or rolled oats overnight in milk, water, or yogurt and then served for breakfast as a nutritious dish for hectic mornings, topped with fruits or nuts. It’s like eating dessert for breakfast with this meal.
19. Strawberry Eton Mess
For a summertime dessert, try this refined spin on a classic with berry-red color, crunchy meringue, white chocolate bark, and elderflower cream. It’s the ideal sweet treat for a day in the sun. This dish, which uses whipped cream, store-bought meringues, and strawberries, is as simple to prepare as stunning. The meringues will soften as they rest, providing the perfect texture.
20. Anglo Italian Trifle
The gleaming black of the berries, the delicate whiteness of the mascarpone above them, and the golden toastiness of the almonds on top make it appealing to the eye. The trifle cakes, jam, and hedgerow-redolent fruit give the Anglo component, while the amoretti, limoncello – or any other lemony liquor – and tiramisu-like eggy mascarpone layer provide the Italian half of the alliance.
