Summer nights can make a full dinner sound heavier than you want, but skipping dinner is not always the answer. Pick a main, a handheld, or a noodle dish depending on what sounds right after the day you had. Set it out with a salad, sliced fruit, or a cold drink and let dinner stay casual.
Sweet Orange Chicken
Crisp chicken pieces meet a glossy orange sauce in Sweet Orange Chicken, a 40-minute dinner using fresh orange juice, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red pepper paste. The chicken is coated, fried, and tossed with the thickened sauce before green onions and sesame seeds go on top. Spoon it over steamed rice with broccoli nearby for a bright takeout-style plate that feeds four.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Orange Chicken
Taco Salad
Built inside a crisp tortilla bowl, Taco Salad combines seasoned ground beef, romaine, black beans, tomato, cheddar, avocado sauce, and cilantro in 30 minutes. Each shell is fried briefly, shaped over an oven-safe bowl, and filled after the beef cools enough to protect the lettuce. Set the toppings out separately so four people can build their own bowls without the shells losing their crunch.
Get the Recipe: Taco Salad
Slow Cooker Ribs
Seasoned with brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, Slow Cooker Ribs turns one rack of baby back ribs into four portions over 4 hours and 20 minutes. Barbecue sauce goes between the rib layers before the slow cooker handles the tenderizing, then a short oven finish caramelizes the top. Add corn, slaw, or potato salad when the backyard dinner needs a centerpiece with very little last-minute work.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Ribs
Baked Salmon
Glazed with honey, fresh orange juice, garlic, and thyme, Baked Salmon gives two diners a flaky main in 25 minutes. The salmon is brushed with olive oil, topped with the citrus mixture and orange slices, then baked at 400°F until it separates easily with a fork. Pair it with a green salad or roasted vegetables, and spoon the extra pan sauce over everything before the plates leave the kitchen.
Get the Recipe: Baked Salmon
Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Boiled with ginger and Shaoxing wine, the chicken in Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken is pulled into pieces and mixed with cucumber, carrots, onion, and a lemon-soy dressing. Cilantro, garlic, sesame, chili, oyster sauce, and sesame oil give the 25-minute dish several layers without a fried coating. Chill it for a hot evening, or keep it at room temperature for an easy dinner spread that feeds four.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Grilled Shrimp
Threaded onto skewers and brushed with lemon herb butter, Grilled Shrimp puts a one-pound batch on the table in 20 minutes. Garlic, lemon zest, and chopped parsley, oregano, or dill season the shrimp as it picks up light char from the grill. Tuck the finished shrimp into tacos, toss it through pasta, or lay it over a crisp salad when four people need a fast outdoor dinner.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Shrimp
Panda Express Beijing Beef
After a one-hour marinade, Panda Express Beijing Beef fries cornstarch-coated flank steak and tosses it with red bell pepper, onion, garlic, hoisin, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, and apple cider vinegar. The full recipe runs 1 hour and 40 minutes and makes four portions, with the sauce turning glossy over high heat. Spoon it over steamed rice while the beef still has its crisp edges and the vegetables retain some bite.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Beijing Beef
Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Coated in flour and cornstarch after a fish sauce marinade, Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp combines one pound of shrimp with Thai chilies, garlic, ginger, scallions, crushed peppercorns, and coarse salt in 35 minutes. A quick fry gives the four-serving dish its crisp surface before the aromatics finish it. Set it beside rice and sliced cucumbers, or divide it across a casual small-plate dinner.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Pesto Pasta
Fresh basil becomes the sauce for Pesto Pasta, a 22-minute recipe that blends garlic, Parmesan, toasted pine nuts, and olive oil before tossing everything with one pound of short pasta. Reserved pasta water loosens the pesto so it coats penne, fusilli, or rotini instead of sitting in clumps. Take the bowl straight to the table with extra Parmesan, and four dinner portions are handled without a heavy sauce.
Get the Recipe: Pesto Pasta
Grilled Shrimp Kabobs
Jumbo shrimp share the skewers with red and green peppers, red onion, and portobello mushrooms in Grilled Shrimp Kabobs. A honey-garlic marinade with olive oil and paprika rests for 30 minutes, bringing the total recipe time to 53 minutes for four servings. Add rice, flatbread, or a chopped salad alongside, then bring the skewers over while the vegetables still have structure and the shrimp remain juicy.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Shrimp Kabobs
Grilled Tri Tip
A parsley-and-cilantro chimichurri does double duty in Grilled Tri Tip, first coating a two-pound roast and later finishing the sliced beef. Garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes build the sauce, while the meat grills about 10 minutes per side after at least 30 minutes of marinating. Slice across the grain after a short rest, and four portions are ready for plates, sandwiches, or salads.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Tri Tip
Grilled Steak Pinwheels
Rolled around Emmental cheese and fresh spinach, Grilled Steak Pinwheels turns butterflied flank steak into four portions in 35 minutes. The filled steak is tied, sliced, brushed with olive oil, and grilled until the centers reach the preferred doneness. Plate the pinwheels with grilled vegetables or a tomato salad when the dinner calls for sliced steak that looks distinct without relying on a long ingredient list.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Steak Pinwheels
BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
Smoky shredded chicken fills BBQ Chicken Quesadilla with Mexican-style cheese and sweet corn inside three large tortillas. The 27-minute recipe makes three servings, with each folded tortilla crisped in olive oil until the cheese melts and the outside turns golden. Cut the quesadillas into wedges, then add cilantro, sour cream, or jalapeño so everyone can finish this handheld dinner at the table.
Get the Recipe: BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
Shrimp Tempura Roll
Sushi rice seasoned with rice vinegar and sugar forms the base of Shrimp Tempura Roll, a 50-minute recipe for two. Crisp shrimp, nori, avocado, cucumber, black sesame seeds, and Sriracha mayonnaise create the filling and finish. Keep the rice cool enough to handle, roll with steady pressure, and slice just before dinner so the nori stays neat and the tempura keeps more of its texture.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Tempura Roll
Skillet Chicken Thighs
Golden-skinned chicken settles into a Dijon cream sauce in Skillet Chicken Thighs, a 35-minute main that makes four servings. Shallot, garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, thyme, and heavy cream build the sauce after the thighs are seared with paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Put mashed potatoes, rice, or bread underneath the chicken so the extra skillet sauce has somewhere useful to go.
Get the Recipe: Skillet Chicken Thighs
Mediterranean Salad
Chopped romaine gives Mediterranean Salad its base, while cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumber, chickpeas, red onion, Kalamata olives, feta, and parsley fill out the bowl. A lemon-Dijon vinaigrette with garlic and oregano brings the 15-minute recipe together for six. Bring it in as the cool side to grilled mains, or add chicken, shrimp, or tofu when the salad needs to carry more of the dinner.
Get the Recipe: Mediterranean Salad
BBQ Chicken Sliders with Homemade Slaw
Soft rolls hold saucy chicken and a crisp cabbage-carrot topping in BBQ Chicken Sliders with Homemade Slaw, a 30-minute recipe that feeds six. Green and purple cabbage mix with paprika, sour cream, lemon juice, and mayonnaise before the assembled sliders bake under a buttered top. Pass the warm tray with pickles or chips for a handheld dinner that works equally well around a patio table or television.
Get the Recipe: BBQ Chicken Sliders with Homemade Slaw
Mushroom Tacos
Sautéed mushrooms take on garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and lime in Mushroom Tacos, which makes six tacos in 15 minutes. Warm tortillas hold the seasoned mushrooms with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, optional cheese, and cilantro. Place lime wedges, guacamole, or sour cream nearby, then let each person finish a couple of tacos while the filling is still hot and the tortillas remain pliable.
Get the Recipe: Mushroom Tacos
Chicken Shawarma
Yogurt, lemon, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, and recipeamom season the chicken thighs in Chicken Shawarma before they roast on skewers. The recipe lists 1 hour and 15 minutes, with at least two additional hours of marinating, and it makes four servings. Wrap the sliced chicken in warm pita with red onion, cucumber, lettuce, herbs, and yogurt sauce, or arrange the same components in bowls for a fork-and-knife dinner.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Shawarma
Udon Noodles
Thick noodles absorb a soy, garlic, ginger, and hoisin sauce in Udon Noodles, a 35-minute stir-fry for four. Red bell pepper, green beans, carrots, green onions, and sesame oil add color and crunch before the cornstarch-thickened sauce coats the wok. Keep leftovers for lunch, but bring the first bowls out immediately with sesame seeds on top while the noodles are chewy and the vegetables still have snap.
Get the Recipe: Udon Noodles
White Chicken Enchiladas
Shredded chicken, sour cream, Monterey Jack, green chiles, and taco seasoning fill the tortillas in White Chicken Enchiladas. Butter, flour, and chicken broth form the creamy sauce, while the 50-minute recipe makes four portions and finishes with 25 to 30 minutes in the oven. Top the pan with cilantro, avocado, jalapeño, or red onion, then carry it to a family dinner or potluck while the cheese is still bubbling.
Get the Recipe: White Chicken Enchiladas
Vegetable Pasta
Roasted zucchini, red onion, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes give Vegetable Pasta color and texture around penne in a 35-minute recipe for four. Olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, and Italian herbs become a light sauce loosened with reserved pasta water. Pack it for a potluck, bring it to the patio warm, or chill the leftovers for lunch, since the vegetables and pasta hold up without a thick cream sauce.
Get the Recipe: Vegetable Pasta
Bang Bang Shrimp
Lightly crisped shrimp gets coated in a sauce of mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, and Sriracha in Bang Bang Shrimp. Lime juice and cornstarch prepare the shrimp for the skillet, while cooked basmati rice, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro turn the 20-minute recipe into four dinner portions. Spoon the shrimp over rice with extra sauce on top, keeping the cucumbers on the side for a cool contrast.
Get the Recipe: Bang Bang Shrimp