Meals Perfect for Summer Dining

Fire up the grill and make a Mediterranean-style pizza or have a clam bake with your closest friends. This week’s meal plan is loaded with recipes for summer dining.

By
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta has 25 years of experience in the food service industry and has been developing recipes for 3 years. She is the author of Taste & See Cooks: Recipes to Inspire, Equip and Enjoy.
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Published June 28, 2021
Marta Rivera
Meals Perfect for Summer Dining

Simply Recipes

We know during the summer you want dinner recipes with components you can make ahead or dishes you can quickly assemble. So, when it comes time to cook them, you're not going to be sapped of your strength.

During this week’s meal plan you’ll assemble pizzas and fire up the grill. Who doesn’t want start off their week enjoying pizza and a glass of crisp, white wine or a refreshing negroni outdoors? The grill is your friend during the long, hot summer months. Gas grills get dinner on the table faster, but there really is no flavor substitute for good old-fashioned charcoal. Make the most out of using the grill by heating your veggie sides.

You’ll even make a quiche this week that can be baked in the oven in the morning before the summer sun drenches your house. The best part about making a quiche is that it can be served at room temp (so no need to worry about warming up the oven again).

Each recipe makes enjoying the long days of summer that much easier.

  • Grilled Vegetable Pizza

    The best grilled pizza topped with halved tomatoes, black olives, cheese, zucchini ribbons and sliced potatoes. The pizza is set on a slate background and a piece on the right is pulled away from the rest.
    Sally Vargas

    Monday is my least motivational day, so I leave the kiddos to prep everything to make these pizzas. We do personalized pizzas, so no one is disappointed with their toppings. If I'm pressed for time, I'll leave out the potatoes in this recipe. This is a great Monday meal to enjoy in the backyard with your family.

  • Quiche Lorraine

    Quiche lorraine with a piece set on a plate behind it.
    Lori Rice

    If you bake this Quiche Lorraine in the morning, you avoid heating up the kitchen too much come dinner time when the rest of the house is probably already hot, too. Quiche tastes great at room temperature, so remove it from the fridge while you prep a simple garden salad to serve with it.

  • Carne Asada

    Carne Asada
    Elise Bauer

    Carne Asadas are a huge to-do here in San Antonio. So much so, there are parties called "carne asadas." You don't have to throw a huge fête to enjoy this flavorful piece of meat, though. Just grab some tortillas and pre-cut veggies on your way home, then prep bowls of pico de gallo and guacamole.

  • New England Clam Bake

    Clambake recipe
    Sally Vargas

    I used to think a New England Clam Bake was a whole day affair. I'm a New Yorker, so how would I know it isn't? The best part is that this one-pot meal is on the table in 30 minutes. Pick up a baguette (or three if you're a bread-lover like I am) for sopping up that amazing broth. 

    Continue to 5 of 6 below.

  • Greek Chicken Skewers with Yogurt Sauce (Chicken Souvlaki)

    Greek Chicken Skewers with Flatbread and Yogurt Sauce (Chicken Souvlaki)
    Sally Vargas

    If you leave the chicken to marinate while you're preparing the yogurt sauce (and maybe some rice to serve alongside), you'll have more flavorful meat. These skewers can be made on the stovetop or the grill. 

  • Weekend Baking: No Bake Cheesecake

    No Bake Cheesecake made with easy no bake cheesecake filling and graham cracker crust
    Emma Christensen

    Since this week is all about keeping cool, why not wrap things up with a no-bake cheesecake? Top yours with a drizzle of chocolate sauce or your favorite berry topping. A little help from the store in the form of a premade graham cracker crust won’t hurt, either.