When the weather’s warm, you belong outside in a breezy maxi dress—not in a sweltering kitchen. Luckily, these easy summer dinner recipes don’t take much time or effort to whip up. (Seriously: Many of these meals will be on the table in 30 minutes or less.) They’re fast, beginner-friendly, prime for preparing ahead and ideal for balmy nights when the sun’s still out, it’s 85 degrees and you really don’t want to be standing at the stove.
Many star summer produce, and favorites like zucchini, tomatoes, peaches and corn practically transform themselves into gorgeous, mouthwatering dishes. I'm talking skillet roast chicken with peaches, tomatoes and red onion, zoodles with summer vegetables and a savory heirloom tomato tart. The list includes light dishes, like chopped Italian salad pizza, simple seasonal pastas, like spicy corn carbonara and even no-cook gems, like yellow tomato gazpacho. If you're eager to cook outdoors, I have some options for you—try grilled peach and halloumi salad with lemon-pesto dressing, summer skillet gnocchi with grilled corn and burrata, Greek lemon chicken skewers with tzatziki sauce and other barbecue recipes. But that's far from all. Read on for 90 easy summer meals to devour in the backyard, from sweet-and-sour pork skewers with pineapple to butter-baked cucumber tostadas.
