18 Light Summer Dinners

18 fresh and light summer dinner recipes

Wow! Summer is passing by quickly. It’s been blazing hot outside, as to be expected in August here in Kansas City. I’ve rounded up a collection of seasonal tacos, salads and pastas for you. These recipes are light and fresh—exactly what I’m craving this time of year.

The only “trick,” if you want to call it that, will be to eat enough to fill you up. I know you can do it. If you don’t see exactly what you’re craving below, be sure to check out my full summer recipe archives. Cheers to summertime!

sushi bowl recipe

1) Veggie Sushi Bowls

Gluten free, with vegan suggestion in notes

“OH my goodness Kate, I have loved every recipe I’ve made from your site….but I have to say the Sushi Bowl is the best yet, YUM!!” – Charlene

Kale black bean burrito bowls make a delicious, redeeming, vegan dinner that packs well for tomorrow's lunch. cookieandkate.com

2) Kale, Black Bean and Avocado Burrito Bowl

Gluten free and vegan

“I’m not vegan but this is delicious. I used leftover beans and it turned out great. My aunt (who is vegan) has asked me make it two nights in a row. Thanks for the recipe it was the only one I found that I had all the ingredients in hand.” – Emma

Delicious zucchini noodles (zoodles) with pesto and tomatoes - cookieandkate.com

3) Zucchini Noodles with Basil-Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Gluten free and vegan

“We are volume eaters in my household and we need large quantities of food to feel full! This pesto was a total hit, my kids were shovelling down the whole meal and begging for more. VEGETABLES. MORE VEGETABLES? That’s a first! THANK YOU!” – J Marie

Simple, fresh lunch of broccoli chickpea pita sandwiches - get the recipe at cookieandkate.com

4) Lemony Broccoli, Chickpea & Avocado Pita Sandwiches

See notes for gluten free and vegan ideas

“I just had to come here to say that my husband LOVES this recipe. He begs for it every week and even told me he loves it just as much as pizza! haha :) Of course I love it too – so easy and delicious!” – Erin

arugula wild rice salad recipe

5) Arugula, Dried Cherry and Wild Rice Salad with a Zippy Lemon Dressing

Gluten free and easily vegan

“I made this salad for our family and they LOVED it!!! I’m making it again this week on their request!” – Deb

Caprese pasta recipe

6) Caprese Pasta Salad

Easily gluten free

“I loved this pasta! It was so easy and fast to make, and so fresh even when I heated it up the next couple of days. I’ll definitely be making this again.” – Rachel

This vibrant vegetable paella recipe is so easy to make in the oven! #vegetarian #vegan

7) Vegetable Paella

Gluten free and vegan

“Wow – This dish is amazing! The smoky rice and colorful veggies make this recipe pop both in flavor and aesthetically. My first time making Paella and it came together easily. I was even successful with the socarrat. Thanks for another delicious recipe :-)” – Dani

Sweet Corn and Black Bean Tacos recipe

8) Sweet Corn & Black Bean Tacos

Gluten free and easily vegan

“I made these last night and they were WONDERFUL! I loved the flavor; the lime adds a lot. I followed the recipe exactly and they are fabulous the next day for lunch!” – Laura

Super fresh tomato sauce with spaghetti - cookieandkate.com

9) Summertime Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Easily gluten free and easily vegan

“I made this yesterday and it was soooo good! We have a heat wave here in Germany right now so this was the perfect balance between refreshing and something warm for lunch. Will definitely make again :)” – Sam

Quinoa black bean tacos with avocado crema

10) Quinoa Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Sauce

Gluten free and vegan

“These tacos are so good and filling! The sauce was super easy to make too. I live in Austin and have eaten a lot of tacos and salsa – these are one of the best I’ve tasted.” – Alice

Summertime Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Jalapeño Pesto

11) Summertime Pasta Salad

Easily gluten free and easily vegan

“I made this last night to pack for lunches this week. Easy ingredients, simple to pull together, incredibly delicious, and so beautiful! I’ll definitely be bringing this as a side to summer cookouts!” – Lauren

green goddess hummus sandwich

12) Green Goddess Hummus Sandwich

Vegan

“This was amazing!! My husband and I made this for lunch today with your GG hummus recipe and we both loved it. The smoothness of the hummus did not fail. What an amazing tip. Thanks for another great recipe.” – Tara

This fresh summer recipe features burst cherry tomatoes, cherry tomato and sun-dried tomato pesto, zucchini noodles, and spaghetti! It's light and delicious. cookieandkate.com

13) Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles

Easily gluten free and easily vegan

“Made the double tomato pesto last night! Whoa–it was soooo delicious!! I served it to the fam with a combo of pasta and zoodles, but I had mine with all zoodles. The flavors were fresh and complex and everyone, even the teenager, loved it. Thanks for the great ideas!” – Michelle

Sweet and spicy Thai pineapple fried rice, a simple vegetarian dinner! - cookieandkate.com

14) Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Gluten free and easily vegan

“I made this last week. It was delicious! This was a hit with my entire family including two picky preschoolers.” – Brenna

cherry tomatoes pesto squash noodles and spaghetti

15) Pesto Squash Noodles and Spaghetti with Burst Cherry Tomatoes

Easily gluten free and easily vegan

“This recipe is divine! I’m a newlywed looking for easy, but delicious recipes and this was exactly it; my husband loved it! Plus I just planted basil…making a perfect excuse to make this all the time!” – Grace

Heart of Romaine Salad with Pico de Gallo and Avocado Dressing

16) Heart of Romaine Salad with Pico de Gallo and Avocado Dressing

Gluten free and vegan

“Wow, just wow! I made this for supper tonight with salsa chicken burgers, and I am SO glad that I made enough pico, avocado dressing and black bean puree to have leftovers, because this ROCKED!I didn’t add any crumbled feta, and I don’t think it needed any, it was soooooo flavourful. Thank you SO MUCH for developing and sharing this!” – Denise

Cilantro-Pepita Pesto with Squash Ribbons and Fettuccine

17) Cilantro-Pepita Pesto with Squash Ribbons and Fettuccine

Easily gluten free and vegan

“Not only was this delicious when I made it, the leftovers were just as good – a major plus for me because I always want to have good leftovers to bring to work for lunch. I added some roasted sweet potato to one of my portions of leftovers and the flavors worked well together. I know this has been up for awhile, but thanks for another great recipe Kate!” – Amanda

The ultimate Buddha bowl recipe, featuring cooked brown rice, steamed and raw veggies, avocado and an addictive carrot-ginger sauce. #vegan #vegetarian

18) Build-Your-Own Buddha Bowl

Gluten free

“LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. The carrot ginger dressing is so delicious! A great vegetarian dish. Even my die hard carnivore husband loves it for dinner.” – M

P.s. More recipe roundups: 24 meatless recipes that carnivores will love and 23 cooling summertime recipes (no cooking required!). You can shop my essential kitchen equipment here. Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for a steady stream of recipe inspiration!

HELLO, MY NAME IS

Kathryne Taylor

I'm a vegetable enthusiast, dog lover, mother and bestselling cookbook author. I've been sharing recipes here since 2010, and I'm always cooking something new in my Kansas City kitchen. Cook with me!

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Comments

  1. Lisa Alexander

    Kate! I have been following your recipes for a long time now. You always post delicious food with easy-to-follow, inclusive instructions, and your photos are gorgeous. I really can’t thank you enough for all the effort you put into this blog. Love it!

    1. Kate

      Lisa, thank you! So nice to hear that you appreciate my recipes. Yay!

  2. Karen @ Seasonal Cravings

    I’m loving the sweet corn and black bean tacos. A winning combo!

    1. Kate

      They are mighty tasty. :)

  3. Rachel @ Mesa Cooking Co.

    Awesome list! Thank you for posting this – tons of meal inspiration all at once! Making heart eyes at those quesadillas right now :)

  4. Kari

    Yum! So many great choices! I made zoodles for the first time last night. So fun!

  5. Tara | Treble in the Kitchen

    I am so with you on boycotting the oven!! It’s over 90 here in Denver tooโ€ฆplease send some pool boys and ice cream ;)

    1. Kate

      Did you say pool boys and ice cream? I’m gonna catch the next flight out.

  6. Deepthi

    Hi Kate

    Could you pleeeeeease consider posting a recipe with garlic scapes? They’re so abundant this time of year!

    Cheers!

    1. Kate

      I never see them here in the middle of the U.S., though! Sad face. I will keep an eye out now that I know you’re interested.

  7. Jakob

    What a great compilation of dishes.
    I will share the list with my girl friend.
    She will love it.

  8. Jessie | Kitschen Cat

    This is genius! I already have #1 and #8 on my meal plan for this week — adding a couple of the others for next week :)

  9. Cassie

    I love the veggie sushi bowl, black bean avocado bowl and pesto squash noodles! I like to keep my dinners light as well!

  10. Ariel

    Exactly the post I needed today for some summer meal inspiration!

  11. Pam

    These all look so amazing! Can’t wait to try them asap! Thanks so much for such creative and delicious ideas.

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Pam! :)

  12. Niammy

    Thank you for sharing. This is awesome!

  13. Christina

    Recipes look great but what I’d really like to see are wedding photos! :)

    1. Kate

      Thank you! We are waiting to see all of them too :)

  14. Macy Brown From MakeTheBread

    This is an amazing Kathryne and…am so glad to read your posts…this all dinner recipes i will follow this plan in our diet list…Thanks for sharing wonderful recipes….!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Macy!

  15. Helen Jerman

    Wait – wedding gift? Are you getting married? Or maybe you already have?

    1. Kate

      I got married early June :)

      1. Helen Jerman

        Awesome! Congrats to you and the lucky guy!

  16. Cindy

    I have trained dogs for 35 years I can give you great training tips and secrets to get your dog to come to you when called.
    Love your recipes, this pesto dish looks awesome!
    Contact me and I can help you with Cookie!

    Cindy

  17. Cindy Midtbo

    Are you planning on doing another cookbook? I want to try so many of your recipes but I find it easier having a cookbook in front of me and not the computer.

    1. Kate

      Hi Cindy, thank you for asking! I’m not working on another cookbook currently, but maybe sometime in the future. We are having a baby next month, so I really don’t know when I will have the headspace for such a big project!

  18. Charles Kok

    Hi, Your article so fantastic. I enjoy your article. Many many thanks for sharing