Spring & Summer Dinner Menu (with Free Printable)

Check out this list of delicious, seasonal spring and summer dinner menu ideas! The recipes are divided up into convenient categories, and theres’ even a printable menu to help make meal planning and dinner time simpler this summer! 

The cold days that call for chilis and hearty comfort dishes are making their leave, and spring and summer are rolling in. The sun and heat and fresh bounty of seasonal fruits and vegetables call for a different kind of eating.

I don’t know about you, but I AM HERE FOR IT! Bring on the salads, and pastas made with garden veggies, and generally lighter, faster dishes. 

One thing I do at the beginning of a new season is to make a seasonal menu to use when trying to think of what’s for dinner (or for lunch). Even though I know the “kind” of food I want to eat, I can still come up blank when it’s time to actually pick a specific meal. Having a list of options ready to go helps me TREMENDOUSLY. And I want to share that with you.

(scroll to the bottom of this post to find links to more seasonal menus and meal planning inspiration)

I put together a list of 70 dinner ideas for spring and summer, divided into categories– because every night does not call for the same kind of recipe. The dinner menu is divided into:

1. Family Favorites
2. Low-Prep & Quick
3. On the Grill/Smoker
4. Fresh & Seasonal
5. Salads
6. From the Freezer
7. Hospitality
8. Sides

There isn’t only one right way to use this dinner menu. My hope is that it serves you in whatever way you need it to.

Maybe you print this menu and only cook from this list over the spring and summer. Maybe you need that kind of help– taking a lot of searching and decision-making off your plate. (If this is you, save this specific page to your home screen so you have quick access to the recipe links). 

Or, maybe you save this post and come back when you are looking for a new recipe to try when you’re making your meal plan, or when you need a quick dinner idea during the week.

OR, maybe you scroll through and get inspired to make your own spring and summer dinner menu. You can print off a blank version of the menu and fill in your own favorite recipes in the eight categories.

SAVE.PRINT.SHARE.EAT WELL! 

Spring & Summer Dinner Menu

FAMILY FAVORITES

• Easy Homemade Stromboli (pictured above)
• Pan Fried Chicken Strips 
• Homemade Pizza (my super simple thin crust pizza dough & 8 pizza sauce ideas)
• Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
• Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie
• Fried Catfish/Fish
• Easy Skillet Chicken Carbonara
• Taco Night
• Beef Enchiladas with IP Homemade Sauce
• Instant Pot Cheeseburger All-the-Way Pasta (in my cookbook)

LOW-PREP & QUICK

• Tastiest Easy Sliders (pictured above)
• 30 Minute Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
• Sheetpan Nachos
• Skillet Tortellini Bake
• Honey Mustard Ham & Pesto Melts
• Instant Pot Herb Chicken & Rice
• Sheetpan Sausage & Root Veg
• 30 Minute Fried Rice
• Instant Pot Jerk Chicken Drumsticks (in my cookbook)
• Blackened Fish Tacos (in my cookbook)

ON THE GRILL/SMOKER

• Greek Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs (pictured above)
• Brats with saurkraut
• Marinated London Broil
• Cheeseburgers and/or hot dogs
• Smoked Pork Butt/Whole Chicken
• Steaks
• Grilled Pork Chops
• Cedar Plank Salmon
• Flank Steak Fajitas
• Marinated Grilled Chicken (5 easy chicken marinades from Gimme Some Oven)

FRESH & SEASONAL 

• Garden Fresh Pasta Primavera (pictured above)
• Black Bean & Spinach Egg Rolls
• Spring Green Risotto (recipe coming soon)
• Fettuccine with Sausage & Blistered Tomatoes
• BLTs
• Sheetpan Shrimp Boil (recipe from Damn Delicious)
• Skillet Crab Cakes
• 5-Minute Super Greens Pesto with pasta
• Buddha Bowls
• Instant Pot Creamy Clam Chowder (in my cookbook)

SALADS

• Simple Summer Pasta Salad (pictured above)
• Chicken Caesar Salad
• 10 Easy Homemade Salad Dressings
• Southwest Black Bean Pasta Salad (recipe coming soon)
• IP Ridiculously Easy Chicken Breast & Salad Bar
• Greek Pasta Salad (recipe from Skinnytaste)
• Homemade Chicken Salad
• Our Favorite Tuna Salad
• Summer Panzanella (recipe from DELISH)

FROM THE FREEZER

• Instant Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes (pictured above)
• Easy Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie
• Make-ahead meatballs & marinara 
• Chicken Potstickers (we get ours from Costco)
• Vegetable Egg Rolls (we get ours from Costco)
• Black Bean Burgers (we get ours from Costco)

HOSPITALITY

• Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches (in my cookbook or get a venison version here) (pictured above)
• Build Your Own Burrito Bar
• Blackened Chicken Alfredo with Roasted Broccoli
• Instant Pot Shredded Barbecue Pork
• Grill + BYOM (bring your own meat)
• Instant Pot Salsa Verde Shredded Pork Tacos (in my cookbook)
• Instant Pot Rosemary Honey Ham (in my cookbook)
• Sunday Best Pot Roast (in my cookbook)

SIDES

• Roasted Zucchini Spears with “Secret Sauce” (pictured above)
• Roasted Carrot Fries
• Sauteed Garlicky Greens
• IP Corn on the Cob
• Roasted Okra Fries
• Blistered Garlic Green Beans
• Maple Bacon Brussel Sprouts
• Rosemary Parmesan Squash Casserole
• Sauteed zucchini & onions
• Grilled/roasted asparagus
• Instant Pot Stone-Ground Grits
• Amazing Dilly Ranch Potatoes (in my cookbook)
• Herb Rice Pilaf (in my cookbook)

Get the Printable Menu ::

• PRINT THE SPRING & SUMMER DINNER MENU
• PRINT A BLANK VERSION 

Print off whichever version you prefer and tuck it in your planner or purse, or tape it on the inside of a cabinet. I hope it helps to relieve some of the pressure of meal planning this season, and helps you to eat a variety of delicious dishes!

I would love to see your menus wherever you keep them! If you share on social media, please tag me, @thispilgrimlife, so I can see! If you find it helpful, consider sharing it with your friends. 

MORE LIKE THIS ::

• Summer Lunch Menu
• Simple Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping Routine
• Adventure Day Food Ideas & Printable Menu
• 50+ Fresh Summer Vegetable Recipes & Resources

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