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29 Quick and Easy 5-Ingredient Recipes to Make All Summer

It’s a hot summer night. You want a delicious dinner but can’t be bothered with an involved, complicated dish. Well, you’re in luck, because we happen to live by the motto “five ingredients or bust.” (Kidding, kind of.) Here, 29 quick and easy 5-ingredient summer recipes to make on repeat through Labor Day. They’re all supremely tasty, and none of them require more than a handful of fresh seasonal ingredients (plus a few pantry staples you already have in your kitchen).

90 Easy Summer Dinners That Everyone Will Love


1. One-pan Steak With Beets And Crispy Kale

Easy, delicious and only one dish to wash up. What’s not to love?

2. Corn And Tomato Salad With Feta And Lime

A surplus of corn on the cob calls for one thing: this tangy-sweet salad.

3. Pan-fried Cod With Orange And Swiss Chard

Just 30 minutes stand between you and this next-level dinner, but you wouldn’t know it at first glance.


4. Cacio E Pepe

If you learn one pasta recipe by heart, make it this.

5. One-pan Eggs With Asparagus And Tomatoes

FYI, this tastes just as good for breakfast as it does for dinner. (Er, we mean brinner.)

6. Easy 5-ingredient Corn Soup

With a crunchy sesame-seed brown butter topping, this dish is anything but boring.

7. Grilled Peach, Prosciutto And Mozzarella Sandwich

We like to call this open-face sandwich “summer on a plate.”

8. Zoodles With Tomato Sauce And Mozzarella

Think spaghetti pomodoro, just a little lighter.

9. Shrimp And Grits

Oh, and it happens to be paleo-friendly. Happy cooking, y’all.


10. One-pan Roasted Chicken With Carrots

11. Spinach Parmesan Zucchini Noodles

What, you thought we’d make a list like this and not include plenty of zoodles? They’re a summertime staple.

12. Lemon Chicken With Asparagus

It’s bright, fresh and basically the epitome of summer.

13. Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

You can totally pass pasta salad off as healthy when there’s kale involved.

14. Tomato Salad With Grilled Halloumi And Herbs

Can we take a second to appreciate that halloumi? It magically holds up to a hot grill, so the outside stays crisp while the inside gets delightfully melty.

15. Green Beans With Garlicky Pistachio Vinaigrette

Don’t skimp on the salt when blanching the green beans—it’s key to a well-seasoned side dish.

16. Spaghetti With Rosemary And Lemon

Lemon makes everything taste like summer, in our humble opinion.

17. Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo (shrimp In Garlic Sauce)

Bonus: This one comes together in about 15 minutes.


18. Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

If you have olive oil in your pantry, you have the makings of a very delicious dinner.

19. Blt Tacos

Nothing against sandwiches; we just have a soft spot for tacos.

20. Linguine With Bacon, Peaches And Gorgonzola

Bacon is always a good idea when there’s pasta on the table. (Peaches too. Who would guess?)

21. Pan-seared Scallops With Citrusy Corn Succotash

Shh…these scallops are secretly so easy to make, but they look and taste totally impressive.

22. Burst Tomato And Zucchini Spaghetti With Avocado Sauce

Have vegan friends? Serve this luscious plant-based dish.

23. Melon Salad With Chili Powder, Mint, Lime And Flaky Sea Salt

Minimal effort, maximum results. We’re kind of obsessed with this spicy-sweet side dish.

24. 15-minute Buffalo Chicken Sliders

These cuties start with a humble rotisserie chicken—kinda genius if you ask us.

25. 15-minute Cucumber-avocado Blender Soup

Cold soup on a hot night? We’re coming over for dinner.

26. Eggs Baked In Tomatoes

Aka how to make good use of your heirloom tomato harvest.

27. 5-ingredient Chipotle Chicken Taquitos

They’re even better than the restaurant version, promise.

28. Grilled Watermelon-feta Skewers

Rather than just chopping up the ingredients and tossing them with dressing, this flavorful salad-on-a-stick begins at the grill.

29. Green Goddess Quinoa Summer Salad

*Drizzles Magic Green Sauce over our entire life*



sarah stiefvater

Wellness Director

  • Oversees wellness content
  • PureWow's resident book reviewer
  • Has worked in lifestyle media for 11 years

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Former Senior Food Editor

  • Headed PureWow’s food vertical
  • Contributed original reporting, recipes and food styling
  • Studied English Literature at the University of Notre Dame and Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education