63 Recipes that Prove Summer Is the Best Season for Cooking (2024)

This Carolina-style seafood dinner is the ultimate summer feast! Get out some newspapers and Old Bay and invite your friends.

Get the recipe for Lowcountry Shrimp Boil.

We like to cook up a batch of this sweet and spicy sauce, and then grab it out of the fridge whenever we're grilling.

Get the recipe for Strawberry-Cabernet Barbecue Sauce.

A classic veggie quiche is a light but filling dinner—and if you're using store-bought crust, it's also easy! Asparagus, tarragon, and rich Gruyère cheese make this especially tasty.

Get the recipe for Asparagus Quiche.

Splurging on a homemade summer treat? Cap your grilled burgers off with caviar of the South!

Get the recipe for Green Chile Pimento Cheese Burgers.

There's nothing more summery than having a big green salad for dinner. And you don't get better salads than in southern California, where it's practically always summer.

Get the recipe for Big Green Cali Salad.

Splurge on good fish if you can for this easy summer dinner. Like steak, you get what you pay for.

Get the recipe for Baked Halibut with Snap Pea and Toasted Sesame Gremolata.

We reworked this classic summer salad into a white-pizza style dinner, and it is 👨‍🍳😘.

Get the recipe for Waldorf Salad Flatbread.

This savory French-style pie makes an easy summer dinner paired with a light salad and a glass of wine.

Get the recipe for Buttered Leek and Gruyère Galette.

This fresh, pasta-like salad works as a light main dish, or as an easy side. Feta and seeds keep it hearty, and a champagne vinegar dressing gives it flavor.

Get the recipe for Squash Ribbon Salad with Sunflower Seeds.

If you're looking for a fast, veggie-forward pasta dish that doesn't involve red sauce, then look no further. Snap peas and fresh basil flavor an easy white sauce in this tasty, 20-minute weeknight dinner treat.

Get the recipe for Chicken and Snap Pea Pasta.

Spicy shrimp and cheesy croutons topping a classic Caesar is just the kind of light summer dinner we absolutely live for.

Get the recipe for Creole Shrimp Caesar Salad.

Sometimes you break out your grill for an event. Sometimes you break it out for a recipe, like these pork chops.

Get the recipe for Smoky Grilled Dry-Rub Pork Chops.

Skip the brats and grill up a real summer feast with pinwheels. Topped with sweet peppers and smoky greens, it's an easy, and tasty way to feed a crowd.

Get the recipe for Sausage Pinwheels.

Solve the picky eater problem by making sure everyone has what they want. These grilled goodies will feed red-meat lover, vegetarians, and everyone in between.

Get the recipe for Chicken and Sweet Potato Kebabs.
Get the recipe for Teriyaki Beef-and-Mushroom Kebabs.
Get the recipe for Tofu, Tomato, and Zucchini Kebabs.
Get the recipe for Shrimp, Pepper, and Chorizo Kebabs.

Above all, summer dinners should be easy. We upgraded this classic with a smart technique for helping to keep everything from falling out when you eat.

Get the recipe for Chicken Quesadillas.

Roasting a chicken in the summer is a house-heating, no-fun proposition. But grilling a chicken? That'll bring the whole fam to the table faster than you can say drumsticks!

Get the recipe for Spatchco*ck Chicken.

Fresh corn all by itself, charred, smoky, and hot off the grill, is a must-have summer pleasure. However, we have three topping ideas that make it even better.

Get the recipe for Grilled Corn with Red Pepper Jelly Glaze.
Get the recipe for Grilled Corn with Mexican "Street Style" Topping.Get the recipe for Grilled Corn with Pesto and Basil Schmear.

If you're looking for a summer dinner that won't weigh you down, pair these delicate scallops with a simple summer salad.

Get the recipe for Grilled Sea Scallops.

Summer is salad season, and this stonefruit and pickled onion combo, paired with buttery greens and covered with homemade Green Goddess dressing, does not disappoint.

Get the recipe for Bibb Salad.

Stir fries cook up super fast, so you won't heat up the whole kitchen making them. And it tastes especially good with fresh broccoli florets!

Get the recipe for Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry.