10+ Lazy Summer Dinner Ideas
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Browse through handpicked ideas of our lazy summer dinner ideas. Recipes that work great for when you don’t feel like cooking!
If you need a place to start, my favorites are Instant Pot Spaghetti and Breakfast Quesadillas for lazy summer nights.
Why You Are Here
- It’s too hot outside to even think about cooking.
- You want to spend extra time at the pool and don’t want to worry about dinner when you get home.
- You need someone to tell you what to make for dinner that will require minimal effort.
Whatever your reason is, we’ve got your back. We’ve scoured our ever-growing recipe index and handpicked lazy summer dinner ideas that will work perfectly for those nights when you just.don’t.have.it.in.you.
10+ Lazy Summer Dinner Ideas
4-Ingredient Breakfast Quesadillas
These are fast and fun to make. I serve them with salsa, sour cream, and/or guac when making them for dinner. They are delicious!
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Sliders
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.
Instant Pot Spaghetti
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.
Egg in a Hole
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!
Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan Sliders
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!
Crockpot Mexican Chicken
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!
Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
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.
Pizza Bread
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!
4-Ingredient Pork Chops
These are a fan favorite! Simply dredge in the 4-ingredient seasoning mixture and pan fry in minutes. Serve with Baby Boiled Potatoes.
Taco Meat
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.
Instant Pot Mac & Cheese
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.
Turkey Pesto Paninis (and/or Deli Bar)
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!
Pizza Quesadillas
Pizza Quesadillas are filling snack or light meal that parents can feel good about feeding their kids. This tasty pizza snack comes together fast and can be customized so easily!
Rotisserie Chicken (+ 15 Ways to Use It!)
These delicious leftover rotisserie chicken recipes utilize one of the cheapest and healthiest store-bought shortcuts! Perfect for nights you don’t want to cook.
I hope this short list of lazy dinner ideas makes those summer nights easier and more enjoyable!
More Ways to Make Dinner Easier
If you want to minimize your time in the kitchen this summer, we highly recommend you utilize your freezer. We have so many fabulous freezer meals that have freezing instructions, or try one of our 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions.
We also have a quick start guide to help anyone who is new to the idea of freezer cooking.
Freezer Meal Quick Start Guide
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The 4 ingredient pork chop link takes me to a crockpot drumstick recipe, which looks delicious but I would love to see the pork chop recipe. Thanks.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll fix that now. Here is the link to the pork chops: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/easy-pan-seared-pork-chops/