• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
always use butter
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer Resources
  • Subscribe!
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer Resources
  • Subscribe!
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Air Fryer Resources
    • Subscribe!
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipe Roundups

    25 Best Summer Dinners for When You’re Out of Time

    By Emmeline Kemperyd on June 13, 2025, updated May 6, 2025 - Leave a Comment

    Summer evenings can be hectic, leaving little time to prepare dinner. Luckily, there are plenty of quick and easy meal ideas that are perfect for warm nights. From fresh salads to simple grilled dishes, these 25 summer dinners will help you enjoy the season without spending hours in the kitchen.

    Red Pesto Pasta Salad with Veggies

    Red pesto pasta.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This red pesto pasta is quick to prepare, taking less than 30 minutes with only 15 minutes of actual cooking time. It's loaded with veggies and flavor, and you can enjoy it hot or cold, whether you use homemade or store-bought pesto.

    Save This Recipe Form

    Want to save this recipe?

    Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get more great recipes from us each week!

    Get the recipe

    Spicy Baked Salmon

    Spicy Baked Salmon.
    Photo credit: Sims Home Kitchen.

    This baked salmon is fresh and flavorful, perfect for summer dinners. It comes together in under 30 minutes and pairs well with potatoes, veggies, or a salad.

    Get the recipe

    Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas

    Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas.
    Photo Credit Cuisine and Travel.

    Chicken fajitas are simple to whip up in your air fryer and can be on the table in less than half an hour. They’re juicy and packed with flavor, making them a great choice for dinner.

    Get the recipe

    Sweetheart Cabbage Salad with Gyoza Chickpeas

    sweetheart cabbage salad.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This refreshing sweetheart cabbage salad comes together in just 15 minutes and is perfect for summer dinners. Packed with spinach, crunchy cabbage, and tasty chickpeas, it's topped with Parmesan cheese for a satisfying and healthy meal.

    Get the recipe

    Mahi Mahi

    Mahi mahi.
    Photo credit: Sustainable Cooks.

    This mahi mahi cooked in the air fryer is a quick and tasty option for dinner. Pair it with your favorite sides for a meal that's sure to impress.

    Get the recipe

    Caprese Salad with Spinach & Cashews

    Caprese salad with cashews.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This caprese dish is simple to prepare and hearty enough to serve as dinner. It's perfect for warm summer evenings when you want something light yet satisfying.

    Get the recipe

    Air Fryer Salmon

    Air Fryer Salmon.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    In just 20 minutes, you can have flavorful skin-on salmon cooked in your air fryer, perfect for a quick meal any night. Seasoned with lemon juice and lemon pepper, this dish is sure to please everyone at the table.

    Get the recipe

    Chicken & Veggie Traybake

    Chicken & Veggie Traybake.
    Photo credit: Hungry Healthy Happy.

    This chicken traybake is simple to prepare and combines everything in one dish with a tasty Mediterranean dressing. With colorful vegetables and tender chicken thighs, it’s a flexible meal that you can easily customize.

    Get the recipe

    Caprese Flatbread

    Caprese Flatbread
    Photo Credit: Midwest Foodie.

    Caprese flatbread is perfect for a quick vegetarian meal or a light snack when friends drop by. It features a crispy flatbread topped with homemade spinach pesto, fresh mozzarella, juicy grape tomatoes, a zesty balsamic glaze, and fresh basil.

    Get the recipe

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    Garlic butter shrimp pasta.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta is a quick and tasty dish that brings together juicy shrimp, perfectly cooked pasta, and a rich garlic butter sauce. This is a great meal for summer evenings when you want something delicious without spending too much time in the kitchen.

    Get the recipe

    Ricotta Lemon Pasta

    A serving of lemon ricotta pasta.
    Photo Credit: Chenee Today.

    This lemon ricotta pasta sauce is simple to prepare and brings a fresh flavor to your dinner. It's a great option for summer evenings when you want something light and tasty.

    Get the recipe

    Zucchini Corn Fritters

    Zucchini fritters served with a dip.
    Photo Credit: Vintage Kitchen Notes.

    This is a great way to enjoy fresh summer vegetables. With just a few common ingredients, you can quickly make these crispy fritters.

    Get the recipe

    Grilled Chicken Thighs

    Grilled Chicken Thighs with fresh herbs.
    Photo Credit: Midwest Foodie.

    This recipe is simple and packed with flavor. The marinade is quick to mix up using common spices, and after a short time on the grill, dinner is ready!

    Get the recipe

    Sheet Pan Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

    Sheet pan prosciutto wrapped chicken.
    Photo credit: Recipes from a Pantry.

    Prosciutto-wrapped chicken is a simple dish that you can prepare quickly and with little effort. It's perfect for a summer dinner when you want something tasty without spending too much time in the kitchen.

    Get the recipe

    Larb Gai

    Larb gai.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This Thai chicken salad is a quick and healthy option you'll want to prepare often. It features a flavorful base and is topped with crunchy peanuts.

    Get the recipe

    Smoked Salmon & Spinach Pasta

    Salmon spinach pasta.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    A super quick pasta dish loaded with smoked salmon & lemon flavor you'll be coming back to over and over again.

    Get the recipe

    Red Pesto Salmon

    Red Pesto Salmon.
    Photo credit: Hungry Healthy Happy.

    Baked Pesto Salmon is a simple and healthy dinner option that's full of flavor and can be customized to your liking. It features tender salmon fillets with a delicious red pesto on top, paired with crispy potatoes, asparagus, and broccoli.

    Get the recipe

    Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

    Buffalo chicken drumsticks being dipped in sauce.
    Photo credit: Real Food With Sarah.

    Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks are packed with flavor and simple to prepare. Coated in a tasty dry rub and smothered in buffalo sauce, they’re sure to be a hit!

    Get the recipe

    Air Fryer T-Bone Steak with Homemade Garlic Butter

    T-bone steak with garlic butter.
    Photo credit: Emmeline Kemperyd.

    Juicy T-bone steaks come out perfectly in the air fryer, and they're quick to prepare. Pair them with a simple garlic butter or your favorite sauce for a satisfying dinner.

    Get the recipe

    Beet Pasta

    Beet Pasta.
    Photo credit: Gluten Free Stories.

    This smooth sauce combines tender beets with creme fraiche, feta cheese, sautéed onion, and garlic, creating a delicious topping for any pasta. It's a simple way to enjoy a colorful and flavorful dish.

    Get the recipe

    Vegetable Pasta Salad

    Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe.
    Photo credit: The Gracious Pantry.

    This vegetable pasta salad is great for a light summer dinner or as a side to grilled dishes. It's a simple and tasty option that everyone can enjoy.

    Get the recipe

    Steak Fajita Pasta

    Steak Fajita Pasta.
    Photo credit: Out Grilling.

    Steak Fajita Pasta is a hit with families, featuring marinated and grilled steak on top of creamy pasta mixed with fajita spices and grilled veggies. It's a simple way to serve a delicious meal to a group using just a few steaks.

    Get the recipe

    Salmon Crème Fraîche Pasta

    Salmon Crème Fraîche Pasta.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This salmon pasta with crème fraîche and lemon is quick to prepare and packed with flavor, perfect for any weeknight dinner. Using fresh or frozen salmon, it offers a light and refreshing meal that you can enjoy all year long.

    Get the recipe

    Salmon Tacos

    A salmon taco.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    Fresh salmon is seasoned and pan-fried in no time, then served with a simple Ginger Avocado Salsa for tasty Salmon Tacos. This is a healthy dinner option that’s quick to prepare and full of flavor.

    Get the recipe

    Instant Pot Pulled Pork Burgers

    Instant Pot Pulled Pork Burger Recipe
    Photo Credit: Midwest Foodie.

    This recipe uses a pressure cooker to make pork shoulder that’s super tender in just over an hour with very little prep work. You’ll have a filling meal that everyone enjoys while you take care of other things for 45 minutes.

    Get the recipe

    More Recipe Roundups

    • Creamy ranch chicken and potatoes.
      24 Crockpot Meals That Cook While You Relax
    • Greek pasta salad.
      19 Light and Zesty Pasta Recipes to Beat the Heat
    • Cheesburger sliders.
      22 Stupid Simple Summer Ground Beef Recipes That Get the Job Done
    • Goulash.
      16 Easy Slow Cooker Meals for the Whole Family

    About Emmeline Kemperyd

    Emmeline Kemperyd is a writer, food blogger, recipe creator and food photographer and the founder of alwaysusebutter.com. She has 20+ years experience creating and simplifying recipes so they taste good, and are quick, easy, and approachable. She is a regular contributor to MSN and her work has been featured by The Guardian, Well+Good, Vulture, SheKnows, Good Men Project, and The Feed Feed, among others.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Emmeline! I love tasty food, but I'm always in a hurry. And I have the quick and easy recipes to prove it!

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Sliced air fryer roast beef.
      Air Fryer Roast Beef
    • top down view of a tortellini casserole
      Cheesy Tortellini Casserole with Spinach
    • Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake [Dump and bake!]
    • sliced rib eye steak topped with salt
      How to Cook a Rib Eye Steak Without a Cast Iron Skillet (3 Methods)

    Popular Articles

    • Smoked salmon spinach pasta.
      25 Best Summer Dinners for When You’re Out of Time
    • Texas pasta.
      27 Comforting Casseroles That Won't Cost You a Fortune
    • Creamy crockpot tortellini.
      19 Set It and Forget It Crockpot Dinners We’re Making All Summer Long
    • A scoop of no baked ziti.
      32 Hearty Dump-and-Bake Recipes That Will Fill Everyone Up

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    All affiliate links are always marked with "*" or "affiliate".

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    A collage of sites where always use butter content has been featured.

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclaimer
    • Disclosures
    • Editorial Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • info@alwaysusebutter.com
    • Pink Giraffe Ventures AB, Runstens Byväg 51, 147 91 Grödinge, Sweden
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2018-2025 Pink Giraffe Ventures AB