17 Light and Easy Summer Dinner Recipes
By Rebecca Walton, wlr team
With hot sunny days and warmer evenings, sometimes deciding what to eat for dinner can be a bit of a chore - you want something substantial enough, but light to eat... and nobody wants to spend hours in the kitchen when the sun is shining outside!
Our collection of 17 light and easy summer dinner recipe ideas are vibrant, full of flavour, quick and easy to make and, most importantly, calorie counted.
Enjoy a taste of summer inspiration with meal ideas from 'Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki' to 'Pan Fried Haddock with Meditterranean Salsa'. Hot, balmy evenings don't have to mean the only choice is a simple salad...
Included are recipes for both vegetarians and vegans - Look for the (V) or (Ve)
Juicy Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki
So easy to make, these skewers are great for the BBQ (or grill) when the weather starts to warm up. A delicious, light summer dinner everyone can enjoy. View recipe
Mouth-watering Mediterranean Quiche (V)
Packed with juicy, fresh Mediterranean veg, this quiche is bursting with flavour. An indulgent summer evening meal. View recipe
Fresh and Healthy Avocado Prawn Salad
Bright and colourful, this summer salad is super quick to prepare. The tangy lemon prawns complement the fresh avocado perfectly. View recipe
Genovese Spinach and Tomato Pesto Gnocchi (Ve)
Delicious Italian gnocchi dish that's quick and easy, on your table in 20 mins. A fresh and tasty evening meal for only 442 calories. View recipe
Speedy Mexican Beef Tacos
A quick and tasty midweek summer meal, our Mexican beef taco recipe includes salsa and guacamole for only 445 calories. View recipe
Pan Fried Haddock with Mediterranean Salsa
Fresh, full of flavour, nutritious, and ready in 20 minutes - what more do you need! A perfect summer recipe. View recipe
Crispy Bacon, Apple and Walnut Salad
An indulgent summer salad that's sure to satisfy. Easy and quick to make for when you just want to enjoy the sunshine. View recipe
Quick Skinny Margherita Pizza (V)
A twist on classic pizza - this tasty and light recipe uses French stick and low fat mozzarella - keeping it under 300 calories, including a fresh salad. View recipe
Spicy Tiger Prawn Stir Fry
Bursting with flavour and great fun to prepare, this ginger, garlic and chilli stir fry is full of delicious Asian flavours - all for only 320 calories. View recipe
Kicking Chicken Quesadillas
Packed full of punchy flavours, these quesaadillas are a delicious way to bring a bit of Latin America to your back garden on a sunny summer evening. View recipe
Moroccan Style Buddha Bowl (Ve)
Nutritious and flavoursome - this salad bowl with a zingy Moroccan dressing is high fibre, high protein, and full of goodness for a summer evening. View recipe
Vibrant Chimmichuri Steak
Top your favourite steak with this delicious, vibrant chimichurri dressing that you can make yourself. Served with zesty lemon potatoes and salad - all for around 400 calories. View recipe
Gorgeous Quick Greek Salad (V)
A quick and easy Greek salad - low calorie and boasts 3 of your 5-a-day. Enjoy it with a toasted bagel for under 400 calories. View recipe
Low Fat Spanish Seafood Paella
With sunny Spanish flavours and a variety of seafood this fantastically filling meal will be a hit with family and friends and can serve up to 6. View recipe
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
Bright and colourful, these shrimp tacos are super quick to make and totally delicious. Served with a fresh mango salsa for a zingy tasty meal at only 476 cals. View recipe
Easy Hoisin Tofu Stir Fry (Ve)
Bright and colourful, these shrimp tacos are super quick to make and totally delicious. Served with a fresh mango salsa for a zingy tasty meal at only 476 cals. View recipe
Skinny Thai Green Chicken Curry
A fabulous fragrant light curry - you’ll love this Thai green chicken dish. Serve with either rice or noodles for a full on flavour hit. View recipe
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If you're looking for some help planning your low calorie diet, with delicious recipe and meal combinations, why not take a look at our 26 most popular weekly diet plans?
How to Plan a Diet
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Printable Weekly Diet Planning Sheet
If you do want to plan your weekly menu, our Printable 7-day Diet Planning Sheet can help.
Low calorie recipes - Build your own delicious daily meal plans
Looking for more quick, easy, fresh and delicious low calorie recipes to mix up your meal plans?
Inside are 30 scrummy breakfasts, 30 luscious lunches and 30 delish dinners, giving you 27,000 different combinations - enough to have a different menu every day for over seventy years!
Calorie Counted Recipes
Easily calculate the calories in your own home-cooked recipes using our extensive UK food database, or get ideas and inspiration for calorie counted meals from the searchable WLR recipe database.
