Summer Meal Ideas: 10 Simple Summer Recipes

Follow these tips for selecting seasonal ingredients and meal-planning in the warmer months:

1. 1. Summer produce: Summer is the perfect time to visit a farmer's market and pick up fresh fruits and veggies for your summer dinner. Summer fruits include watermelon, peaches, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Seasonal summer vegetables include corn, green beans, cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, green beans, and red pepper. This means that summer is the perfect time to make a colorful salad, a cold soup, or plenty of fresh sides for the main course.
2. 2. Quick cooking: To avoid standing in front of a hot stove on a warm day, choose ingredients that will not take long to cook or prepare, such as salads, gazpacho, or pesto. You can also select meats to sear on a grill.
3. 3. Seafood: Seafood is perfect for summer, particularly shrimp, lobster, and salmon. Seafood also cooks quickly, and you can serve it with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon, or add it to soups or pasta dishes.
4. 4. Cold foods: Summer is a popular time for ice cream, watermelon, and cold summer salads that keep you cool. Popular summer dinner recipes include pasta salads, chickpea salads, and other dishes that require no heat to prepare.

Consider the following summer recipes for your next backyard BBQ, potluck, or al fresco dinner:

1. 1. Caprese salad: Caprese salad is an Italian salad that features fresh basil, mozzarella, and summer tomatoes, all sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper, and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. Caprese salad is typically served as an appetizer or side dish in the summertime when fresh tomatoes are abundant. You can add a balsamic glaze to your caprese salad for additional sweetness, or prosciutto to make it a full meal.
2. 2. Souvlaki: Souvlaki is a Greek dish of marinated meat grilled on skewers. The word “souvlaki” (plural “souvlakia”) comes from the medieval Greek word for skewer, “souvla.” The grilled meat is traditionally pork, but can also be lamb, beef, or grilled chicken. Souvlaki meat is usually flavored with a marinade of lemon juice, garlic, and herbs before grilling. The marinade keeps the souvlaki juicy. Create a classic Mediterranean meal by serving souvlaki with a Greek salad made with feta cheese, cucumber, sliced red onion, and tomato, or pair souvlaki with fried potatoes.
3. 3. Mediterranean chickpea salad: This recipe combines chickpeas, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumber, salt, pepper, and a lemony vinaigrette of lemon, red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. You can make chickpea salad vegan and gluten-free by omitting the feta cheese. You can serve this filling Mediterranean salad as an entree or inside of a pita, or as a side dish to souvlaki.
4. 4. Smacked cucumber salad: There are several variations on cucumber salad. In Eastern Europe, a cucumber salad may include fresh dill and sour cream, while in Asia, rice vinegar and sesame oil dress the salad. Make this recipe as a simple side for a weeknight dinner.
5. 5. Fish tacos: Fish tacos include crispy fried whitefish tacos inside of a tortilla. You can serve fish tacos with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, sour cream, and, optionally, jalapeño. Add a side of black beans and rice (or quinoa) to make a filling yet light summer meal.
6. 6. Traditional gazpacho: Gazpacho is a seasonal soup that originated in Andalusia, Spain, where it was served chilled during the summer. There are a variety of different types of gazpacho but all are made with a base of garlic, bread, olive oil, and vinegar. Red gazpacho, made with tomatoes, sweet green or red bell peppers, cucumber, red onion, garlic, vinegar, and stale bread, is the most common preparation. Gazpacho is the perfect summer dish because it uses many of the veggies that the season has to offer and is easy to prepare. You can add richness to your gazpacho by topping it with feta cheese or ricotta.
7. 7. Mexican corn salad: Mexican corn salad, or esquites, features fresh corn topped with fresh lime juice, mayonnaise, butter, cheese, and chili powder or hot sauce. Esquites make a refreshing side dish for tacos, quesadillas, or tamales.
8. 8. Pesto pasta: Pesto is made from fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese pounded together into a thick, green paste. You can substitute the basil with other greens such as arugula, cilantro, or kale. Toss the pesto with pasta to make an easy yet flavorful summer dinner.
9. 9. Classic potato salad: Potato salad combines cooked potatoes with mayonnaise, mustard, fresh herbs, and crunchy elements like pickles or crisp radishes, resulting in a harmonious balance between savory and sweet. There are a few foundational ingredients in a classic recipe, which has its roots in traditional German potato salad: mayonnaise, mustard, diced red onions, and green onions like scallions, or chives.
10. 10. Almond milk ice cream: Ice cream is a class summer dessert. Make an easy no-churn, vegan ice cream by combining almond milk, almond butter, and a pectin-rich fruit like dates or frozen banana. Blend the ingredients with any additional flavorings in a food processor or blender until they’re thick and creamy, then transfer it to a loaf pan to freeze. Top with fruits, whipped cream, or chocolate syrup.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Gordon Ramsay, Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Dominique Ansel, Yotam Ottolenghi, Alice Waters, and more.