10+ Lazy Summer Dinner Ideas

With only 3 main ingredients, this Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe is a fast, flavorful, nutrient-dense meal that the whole family will love. We also give ideas for extra add-ins. Leftovers are great!

Try this to clean out the fridge and pantry–everyone will love it! My daughter helps me make this.

Slice up veggies, fruit, deli meat, and cheeses. Lay out various crackers, pretzels, nuts, dried fruit or any other charcuterie board favorites. The key is making it look appetizing and setting out toothpicks!

More ideas to add:

• Make our high protein Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip or Blender Hummus in just minutes for dipping the veggies in. It’s delicious and nutritious!
• Apple slices or celery sticks with peanut butter
• Crackers with cream cheese on top
• Banana slices with nut butter
• Cut up Fruit Pizza Roll Ups
• Stovetop Popcorn

Simply season the chicken and then drop it in the crock pot. Toss with some BBQ Sauce at the end. Such an easy dinner with very little hands on time.

This is one I’ve been making lately! I can’t believe how easy it is to make the (optional) meat sauce in the Instant Pot, then add water, pasta, and sauce. About 25 minutes of hands-free time later, you’ve got dinner ready to go.

This is my go-to meal for the nights when I’m pooped–Cheesy Scrambled Eggs, toast, and fresh fruit. Done in minutes and everyone is happy.

Feel free to toss in some chopped up ham, chives, or spinach while they cook.

A dump-and-go recipe that won’t heat up the kitchen in the summer. Serve over brown rice for a healthy and delicious summer meal!

The air fryer is the key to lazy summer meals. It means you don’t have to heat up your kitchen and dinner is done in no time.

This pork tenderloin is SO easy and delicious. Turns out perfect every time.

Check out all of our air fryer recipes.

Make this light, flavorful Asian-inspired slaw and add store-bought rotisserie chicken for a well-rounded meal. It’s one of the most popular on our site.

Throw a few ingredients into the crockpot (or Instant Pot), and you’ll have a family-favorite dinner for a busy night. Bonus: Freezing instructions included!

Grill, air fry, or bake this flavor-packed salmon in minutes on any summer night. Delicious!

This recipe takes just 18 minutes from start to finish, dirties only one pot, and tastes creamy and delicious! Plus, it’s made with all real food ingredients.

Either make our delicious Turkey Pesto Paninis or simply grab a loaf of bread from a local bakery and lay out deli meat and toppings. Dinner is done!

Hear me out on this. Make a BIG batch of taco meat all at once, freeze some, and then eat it in different ways: Taco Bar, Baked Nachos, Beef Quesadillas, Beef Burritos, etc.

Either buy frozen meatballs or make our Baked Italian Meatballs (you can make them in bulk ahead and freeze them). Then, all you do on a summer night is cook the meatballs in the air fryer and build these yummy meatball subs.

By far one of the most popular (and simple) recipes on Thriving Home. Shredded chicken, flavorful marinara sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and a crunchy breadcrumb topping make up this quick and comforting casserole. Enjoy “as is” or serve over pasta.

This pizza bread is made with simple ingredients, requires minimal effort, and is a kid favorite! It’s an easy, 20 minute meal that is also freezer friendly. You can also cut it in smaller portions for an appetizer!

If you want to skip the oven, heat these in the air fryer instead!

To make this a lazy dinner, prep ahead some of the ingredients on the weekend and build this any night in minutes.

Prep oven bacon, hard boiled eggs, chop up rotisserie chicken, and chop your veggies to have on hand. The Savory Salad Dressing (my favorite!) can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for weeks too.

Breakfast for dinner anyone? These do require few minutes on the stove but they come together fast and are a crowd pleaser. Serve with one of our smoothies!