25 Lazy Summer Dinner Recipes for the Hottest Days
For when you don’t feel like cooking but still need to eat.
When it's swelteringly hot outside, the last thing you want to do is stand over a stove and cook. But you do need to eat, and you can't spend the whole summer ordering takeout. So you might as well have a list of lazy dinner ideas handy to reach for when it's just darn too hot to cook. Best of all, most of them are the kind of summer dinners that take advantage of the seasonal flavors!
Of course, most of these lazy summer dinner recipes do require at least a little cooking to complete, though a few are cold dinner ideas to avoid heat almost entirely. Several are 30-minute meals (in some cases, more like ten minutes) or use an easier method of cooking. You can skip the oven with air fryer recipes, Instant Pot recipes, and even slow cooker recipes that feel just as summery as popping something on the grill. (There are some of those, of course, too.)
There are a few options if you don't mind turning on the stove or the oven for a short time. There are sheet pan dinners and one-pot meals like summer pasta recipes that limit your time hovering over the hot box and cut down on dishes you'll have to clean up later, too. Though all these meals taste so good that someone else will happily do the dishes for you as thanks for all that "hard work" you did whipping up dinner... if they only knew how easy it was to do! 😉
Sheet Pan Sausage and Summer Vegetables
If you’re a sausage and peppers kind of family, then you’ll love this easier version. You just throw everything on a sheet pan and let the oven do the work. (You can even buy pre-chopped veggies if you’re feeling extra lazy.)
Cherry Tomato Pasta
Tomatoes are some of the best things about summer, so put them to good use. In just 30 minutes, cherry tomatoes and a few other easy ingredients transform into a bright, flavorful dinner.
Get the Cherry Tomato Pasta recipe.
Pork Fried Rice
Make life easier on yourself and use a few hacks for this one. Use leftover rice and frozen veggies, so you use up what’s in the fridge and reduce the need to chop a ton of stuff. Plus, it’s way better than takeout.
Get Ree’s Pork Fried Rice recipe.
Rigatoni with Creamy Corn
When you have the time, you can totally shuck corn. But you can also skip that step entirely and heat up frozen or canned corn instead. Fresh herbs will help brighten it up.
Get Ree's Rigatoni with Creamy Corn recipe.
Tex-Mex Chicken Caesar Salad
Use one of the easiest hacks there is for this flavorful salad: rotisserie chicken from the store! It cuts down on prep, so you’ll have a zesty, filling salad on the table in just 20 minutes.
Get Ree’s Tex-Mex Chicken Caesar Salad recipe.
Grilled Mahi Mahi
Mahi mahi is firm enough for a grill but cooks up nice and flaky in just a few minutes. It's light, mild, and pairs perfectly with a simple salad, some seasoned rice, and lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.
Get the Grilled Mahi Mahi recipe.
Caprese French Bread Pizzas
Remember how fun French bread pizzas were back in the day? They scratch the pizza itch but are way easier and faster to make. And who doesn’t love the classic combo of tomato, mozzarella, and basil?
Get Ree’s Caprese French Bread Pizzas recipe.
Shrimp Pesto Pasta
While you can totally make pesto from scratch on a day when you have the time, the jarred stuff is great! You get the same burst of flavor in your pasta with way less work.
Get Ree's Shrimp Pesto Pasta recipe.
Air Fryer Salmon
Two minutes of prep and ten minutes total: That's how long it takes to make salmon in the air fryer. Add a simple salad and some rice on the side and dinner is served.
Get the Air Fryer Salmon recipe.
Watermelon Gazpacho
Don't want to cook at all? Done! All you have to do is chop up some veggies, herbs, and yes, watermelon for this fun twist on the classic Spanish cold soup.
Get the Watermelon Gazpacho recipe.
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Summer means more zucchini than you know what to do with. Turn it into fun, kid- and adult-friendly pizza bites. Use store-bought sauce and they come together in no time.
Get the Zucchini Pizza Bites recipe.
Sheet-Pan Cajun Chicken and Corn
When you cook everything on a sheet pan all at the same time, the prep work and the clean up are so much easier! Cajun seasoning does most of the work for you.
Get Ree's Sheet-Pan Cajun Chicken and Corn recipe.
Lemon Pasta
Take a trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy with just a few simple ingredients and just 25 minutes of cooking. You'll have a flavorful dinner bursting with lemony freshness!
Get the Lemon Pasta recipe.
Grilled Flank Steak
All you need is a little seasoning on a thin cut like flank steak to have dinner done in a flash. You only need to cook each side for three to five minutes.
Get the Grilled Flank Steak recipe.
Grilled Tilapia
The trick to grilling fish is to place it in a foil packet for no-fuss cooking and cleaning. The veggies cook right in the packet too for a one-and-done meal.
Get the Grilled Tilapia recipe.
Garlic Shrimp
You can have slightly spicy, super garlicky meal in your belly in just 15 minutes. Serve it up over pasta or with a side of crusty bread to sop up all the deliciousness.
Get the Garlic Shrimp recipe.
Sheet-Pan Ranch Pork and Veggies
The secret to this easy one-pan meal? A packet of ranch dressing mix! It flavors both the pork chops and the seasonal veggies and cuts down on prep time.
Get Ree's Sheet-Pan Ranch Pork and Veggies recipe.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
BBQ chicken sammies, comin' right up! All you have to do is sling everything in a slow cooker in the beginning of the day and come back with dinner done for you.
Get the Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken recipe.
Linguine with Clam Sauce
It may sound fancy, but this classic dish is really easy and done in just 20 minutes. The secret is cans of chopped clams―no shucking required.
Get Ree's Linguine with Clam Sauce recipe.
Blackened Salmon with Edamame Succotash
Another easy way to cook salmon is in the oven. It only takes about 15 minutes! And the veggies pull together super fast when you use the frozen variety.
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