15 Summer-inspired Recipes That Anyone Can Make

Summer is right around the corner and with the return of the warm sun, it also means it’s time to break out your summer-inspired recipes! Summer is a great time for cooking with the many flourishing fruits and vegetables freshly available. Whether it’s on the grill or in the kitchen, these recipes are both delicious and easy enough that anyone can make them. Here are 15 summer-inspired recipes that anyone can make.

1. Greek Salmon

This Greek salmon recipe is a delicious and easy meal that will easily make your go-to list for summer-inspired recipes. It shouldn’t take you longer than an hour overall to prep and cook this salmon. There are a good amount of ingredients but the steps required to implement them into the overall dish are easy to follow and take little time to do. By the end, you’ll get a delicious salmon filled with Greek flavors perfect for any occasion!

2. Ultimate BLT

A BLT (bacon-lettuce-tomato) as ultimate as this should easily top your list for favorite summer-inspired recipes. The recipe gives you an option between a brown-sugar rub or maple-mustard glaze for your bacon, and both are delicious so you can’t go wrong. Baking the bacon takes the longest for this sandwich, about 35 to 50 minutes depending on the bacon’s thickness, but overall it won’t take you very long to whip this up.

3. Hawaiian Grilled Cheese

Another delicious, classic sandwich that anyone can make in no time! This recipe for a Hawaiian grilled cheese is super easy to make packed with tons of great flavors. To give it those great Hawaiian flavors you’ll add, in addition to the cheddar and provolone cheese, pineapple rings and some teriyaki sauce. Also, of course, you’ll use white Hawaiian sweet bread to really top it off. It makes a great addition to anyone’s summer-inspired recipes who love the tastes and flavors of Hawaii!

4. Simple & Citrusy Asparagus Stir-Fry

Here’s a great stir-fry recipe to give your list of summer-inspired recipes a green and healthy boost. All you’ll need is a: red chili pepper, garlic cloves, some vegetable oil, asparagus, salt, soy sauce, butter, an orange, cilantro, and toasted white sesame seeds. The recipe points out a big tip for making this dish is to get the pan super hot before adding any ingredients. That way you’ll be able to keep your asparagus and such super green and crisp while also bringing out all the great flavors!

5. California Grilled Chicken

This recipe for this California grilled chicken is both easy and delicious making it perfect for your go-to list of summer-inspired recipes! You’ll want to marinate the chicken in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, honey, oil, Italian seasoning, and some salt & pepper. Let it marinate for about 20 minutes then grill the chicken until slightly charred, about eight minutes per side. While still on the grill, top the chicken with slices of mozzarella, avocado, and tomato, and then cover your grill to let it all melt for probably about two minutes. An easy and healthy meal perfect for lunch or dinner!

6. Pork Chops with Celery and Almond Salad

If you want a great, well-balanced meal with summer-inspired recipes, then this is the recipe for you. These pork chops with a celery and almond salad are perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s a relatively easy recipe to follow with cooking up the pork chops as the most complicated part, but it’s still easily doable. You’ll get nice butter-basted pork chops complimented well by your bright, crunchy celery and almond salad!

7. Grilled Chicago Dogs

A super easy recipe to make that gives you a delicious Chicago-style hot dog! It should be an easy addition to your go-to summer-inspired recipes for its simplicity yet great flavors. In addition to the grilled hot dogs, you’ll use sliced pickles, cherry tomatoes, onions, relish, lettuce, and a drizzle of mustard! Well-packed with great ingredients and ready in just a few minutes- what else could you want?

8. Steak Tacos with Cilantro-Radish Salsa

The addition of the radish salsa to these steak tacos helps turns this recipe into a perfect addition to your list of summer-inspired recipes. It’s really easy to make and should only take you about 20 minutes in total! Cooking the steak is easy with only salt & pepper seasoning, then cooking for about five minutes each side to get a nice medium-rare cook to it. Afterward, you’ll quickly make the cilantro-radish salsa by mixing up some cilantro, radishes, onions, chile, lime juice, some oil, and salt & pepper to taste. Make up your tacos with some slices of steak, radish salsa, some queso fresco, and the remaining cilantro!

9. Greek Salad

This delicious Greek salad recipe can be made in 15 minutes and doesn’t take too many ingredients. It’s got a great mix of vegetables that make it healthy but hearty, especially if you add some grilled chicken or salmon to it! The salad is made up of cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and crumbled feta cheese. While the homemade dressing is red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dried oregano, olive oil, and salt & pepper. Salads like this are great for your summer-inspired recipes if you’re looking to stay healthy during the summer!

10. Farmers Market Quinoa Salad

If you’re looking for super healthy summer-inspired recipes, then this farmers market quinoa salad is perfect for you. The recipe is a little complicated in terms of ingredients, however, once you’ve got it all you should be able to make it in no time. There is also some wiggle room for substituting different nuts or greens that you might prefer. Try out different combinations and maybe you’ll make some brand new summer-inspired recipes from this one that you and others will love!

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11. Beer-Battered Fish

Frying food can sometimes seem daunting and too complicated to even consider attempting. However, once you get over that hump and do it once or twice you realize it’s not too hard! You don’t need a fancy deep-fry appliance or expensive ingredients to make great fried chicken or this delicious beer-battered fish. This recipe is easy to follow and pretty cheap to carry out. Be careful of overcrowding your pot with too many pieces because that can bring the temperature down too much and you won’t be able to fry as efficiently. Overall, it should only take you about 40 minutes total until you’re enjoying these delicious beer-battered cod!

12. Grilled Flatiron Steak with Toasted Spice Vinaigrette

Here’s a really easy and delicious recipe that you can make in no time at all. The toasted spice vinaigrette takes more ingredients in itself than the rest of the overall recipe. The vinaigrette uses coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and some salt & pepper. You’ll need to taste the seeds in a small, dry skillet for a couple of minutes and then chop them up. Combine with the rest of the ingredients for a delicious vinaigrette that deliciously complements the medium-rare cooked steak as well as the chopped tomatoes.

13. Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

This recipe for shrimp fettuccine alfredo is easy to follow and by the end, you’ll be able to make delicious fettuccine alfredo whenever! Whether you want to use chicken or shrimp or something else you can at least make the creamy alfredo base. It should only take you about 30 minutes to whip up this dish, and after one taste you’ll quickly be throwing it on your go-to list of summer-inspired recipes.

14. Grilled Greens & Cheese Quesadillas

Here’s a great alternative for a cheese quesadilla that gives it a boost of green veggies. The recipe uses onion, garlic, Swiss chard, lime juice, salt, and Toma cheese (or sharp cheddar, the recipe says Toma cheese can be difficult to get). You’ll also serve the quesadillas with some delicious grilled salsa Roja and avocado-tomatillo salsa verde! The accompanying recipes for those salsas are on the same page.

15. Clam Chowder

Lovers of seafood should not skip out on the summer-inspired recipes such as this one. Not only is this recipe for clam chowder delicious, but it also allows you to make your own clam chowder from scratch and to realize that it’s not too difficult. There may be a good couple of ingredients but it should only take you 30 minutes to prepare and cook this clam chowder for you to enjoy. If you haven’t tried it before, the addition of bacon to clam chowder really gives it a great boost in flavor!