This week’s On the Menu features 52 easy summer dinner recipes, from grilled favorites to fresh salads and a sweet treat.
Summer is in full swing, and this week’s on-the-menu is full of delicious dishes, perfect for these long, hot days. From firing up the bobby grill to quiches filled with fresh vegetables from the farm and garden, this week’s dinner celebrates everything I love about this time of year.
There’s a little bit of everything, grilled favorites, a few new discoveries and a very special steak dinner that changed our plans for the entire week. With 52 recipes in total, there’s plenty to keep your table and your family happy, whether it’s just a regular Tuesday night or an occasion worth celebrating.
Grilled Honey Garlic Chicken is on the menu tonight, and it’s a good one to add to your summer rotation. Bobby is the grill master in our house, so this is his go-to, and I always ask him to make extra because it’s just as good for lunch the next day. The glaze caramelizes to a gooey, savory finish right on the grill, giving the chicken so much flavor in every bite.
Round it out with a cool spaghetti pasta salad—a blast from the past, thick slices of garden tomatoes, and roasted brown sugar peaches with vanilla ice cream for a sweet finish to the night.
🌿 Tip Box: Save the last brush of glaze for the last few minutes on the grill. Adding it too early can burn the sugar before the chicken finishes cooking.
Roasted Honey Garlic Chicken
Spaghetti Pasta Salad
Sliced garden tomatoes
Roasted Brown Sugar Peaches With vanilla ice cream
We always look forward to our salmon cake on the menu. They were often part of our dinner table growing up, although this isn’t my mom’s salmon cake because I added so many extra flavors. If you don’t want to air fry the salmon cake, you can saute it or bake it in the oven. Serve them with garlic corn on the cob for an easy, satisfying dinner.
🌿 Tip Box: To bake instead of air fry, make salmon mixture in a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve it sliced, like you would meatloaf.
Not your mother’s salmon cakes
Garlic corn on the cob
I am excited about this beautiful, summery quiche recipe. I love cooking with crusts, and when a recipe calls for a ready-made pie crust, I’ll make my own. Shortcrust pastry Rather because it is simple and very tasty. Round out the meal with an arugula salad topped with shaved Parmesan and pepitas in a lemon vinaigrette.
🌿 Tip Box: A quiche with a rich, custardy filling pairs with a salad dressed in an acid-based vinaigrette. Lemon or vinegar cuts the richness and balances the meal.
Farmers Market Quiche
Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan and Pepitas in a Lemon Vinaigrette
A rotisserie chicken is a miracle of modern convenience, and there are so many ways to use it. Tonight’s rotisserie chicken and rice only takes about an hour to cook, and most of that time is just cooking, so it comes together as a delicious, easy dinner, especially since I almost always have leftover rice in the freezer.
If you make one thing this week, make panzanella salad. Tomatoes are so good right now, and this salad is always a big favorite whenever the whole family gets together.
🌿 Tip Box: Toast the bread cubes for panzanella a day ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. This prevents them from getting soggy when they meet the juicy tomatoes.
Easy Amazing Rotisserie Chicken and Rice Bake
Easy Delicious Panzanella Salad: Tuscan Bread Salad
Taco salad is one of my favorite dinners, and I could easily eat it every day of the week. I season ground beef with mine Magic Dust RubIt’s the same rub I use on chicken and sprinkle on fish, and it adds such a delicious flavor to this recipe. Round out the meal with a batch of homemade refried beans served in a crispy baked tortilla bowl.
🌿 Tip Box: To season beef, add about a quarter cup of water and two tablespoons of Magic Dust Rub when it’s browned. This keeps the spices evenly distributed and adds moisture so the meat doesn’t dry out.
Taco Salad with Baked Tortilla Bowl
Homemade Refried Beans
Sliced garden tomatoes
I’ve always loved cod, but it wasn’t until a vacation at Waquasset Resort, where I had the most delicious fried butter cod, that it became an obsession. This recipe is very close to the perfection of the cod I first tasted on Cape Cod, so follow the directions closely for the best buttery finish with a hint of garlic.
The accompanying salad is another must-make. My daughter made her version during another summer trip to OXB, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Tomatoes, peaches and cherries are in season now so make them now. End the meal with a roundless roti to soak up every bit of the butter sauce.
Lemon garlic butter cod
Tomato Peach Cherry and Burrata Salad with Herb Vinaigrette
No-sugar crusty bread
I loved the look of this skirt steak so much that I decided to skip the original menu tonight so we could have it for dinner. Bobby is out on the patio right now, grilling steaks at 98 degrees, cooking thermometer in hand. I sent it out with instructions to pull them to 130 degrees for a perfect medium, because the carryover heat will bring them to 135 by the time they rest.
Round out the meal with corn on the cob and a simple caprese salad and tonight’s dinner will be special.
🌿 Tip Box: Let grilled steak rest for five to ten minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to be redistributed through the meat instead of spilling out onto the cutting board.
Marinate skirt steak on the grill or stovetop
Boiled corn on the cob
Caprese salad
The first icebox cake I ever ate was made by my mother-in-law, when I was dating my husband, so any icebox cake holds a special place in my heart. This key lime version is perfect for summer, cool and refreshing with just the right amount of tang, and comes with very little time on the stove.
🌿 Tip Box: Icebox cakes need at least four hours, and ideally overnight, in the refrigerator, so that the layers soften and blend together. Plan ahead so it’s ready to slice when dinner rolls around.
Key lime icebox cake
Here are a few more recipes that caught my eye this week and are worth adding to your own rotation. Take a look and see what you like best!
N Easy Herby Chicken Salad with Dill and Lemon Perfect for a light lunch on a hot day.
With our local pitch coming, a Summer Peach Spinach Salad It would be a wonderful way to use it.
I love Fritos, although I bet I haven’t eaten any in ten years, so this Fried Corn Salad Definitely on my list to try.
A Frozen S’more Dessert This is an ingenious idea for a hot summer night.
From our own archives, A Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze Always worth revisiting.
This Strawberry Lemonade Cookies They look as fresh as they sound.
For a mandap dessert with friends, I have my eye on this one Skillet Bourbon, Peach and Blueberry Crumble.
Zucchini can be a bit bland on its own, but this Baked Parmesan Zucchini Rounds Solve that problem nicely.
A Rolled Zucchini Salad with Balsamic Dressing Another great way to use a garden full of zucchini.
A Watermelon and Feta Salad with Mint and Balsamic Lime Drizzle One of my favorite ways to celebrate the season.
For another take on corn, try this Cheesy Corn Fritters.
No summer table looks complete without it Best dill pickle potato salad.
a loaf Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread Makes a lovely addition to breakfast or lunch.
This Eggplant Casserole It has so many wonderful flavors.
Queso Chicken Stonegable is a longtime favorite for an easy weeknight dinner.
This Seasoned Ranch Pretzel Bites It’s hard to stop eating once you start.
A Chinese Chicken Salad Loaded with great vegetables and crispy fried noodles.
I always make a batch Garlic dill refrigerator pickle Once the cucumbers and zucchini start coming.
When you need dinner on the table, this 15 minutes Bang Bang Salmon A great one to keep in your back pocket.
A Garden Vegetable Spread It’s a great way to use what the garden has to offer.
A Creamy Broccoli Salad A great side to keep on hand all summer long.
This Creamy Chicken and Corn Pasta Comforting enough for a chilly evening and easy enough for a weeknight.
A colorful one Cowboy Caviar Perfect for topping tacos or scooping with chips.
For your next summer gathering, this Fresh Caprese Pasta Salad Easy to make ahead.
A crispy one Oven Baked Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Herbs Here’s an easy way to bring a little more flavor to weeknight dinners.
This Honey Butter Skillet Corn Turns fresh corn into a rich, buttery side in minutes.
For a hearty dinner, try Salisbury Steak Meatballs with Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes.
This Air Fryer Flounder Recipe A light and easy way to get dinner on the table quickly.
For a crunchy side dish, this Garlic Parmesan Roasted Zucchini Worth adding to your rotation.
Chicken Pinot Noir with wild mushrooms and fresh basil Looks special enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight.
For a taste of the beach, this Clams with white wine butter and garlic Come together quickly and taste like summer.
On days when it is too hot to cook, A Greek salad made for those days that are too hot to cook Exactly what you need.
That wraps up another delicious week on the menu! I hope this week’s menu makes your planning a little easier and your table feel a little more special. Enjoy, and I’ll see you back here next week with more inspiration for your kitchen.
Happy cooking, friends…
