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Healthy Summer Recipes You'll Want to Make on Repeat All Season

Healthy Summer Recipes You'll Want to Make on Repeat All Season

By Kelsey Ogletree

Updated May 04, 2020

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Andy Lyons

Celebrate the season with our best healthy summer recipes, including satisfying salads, grilled meats, one-pan dinners, and veggie-packed soups full of the season’s bounty. The best part? These healthy summer meals all have fewer than 600 calories per serving and will fuel you (and the family) with plenty of protein and fiber to keep you fuller longer.

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Indian Cauliflower Fried Rice

Jason Donnelly

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Subbing cauliflower for rice boosts nutrition in this easy healthy dinner recipe loaded with veggies and irresistible flavors of Indian spices. For under 300 calories, you'll be fueled with 5 g fiber and 26 g protein.

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Apricot-Thyme-Glazed Chicken

Brie Passano

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Skip the sugar-laden store-bought barbecue sauce and make your own with chopped fresh apricots, honey, vinegar, and spices. Healthy summer meals like this one will smell so good on the grill in your backyard, neighbors will flock to your fence to see what’s cooking.

Buy It: Char-Broil Gas Grill, $239.99, Target

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Burrito Bowls

Blaine Moats

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As much fun as it is to try new healthy summer recipes, sometimes you just want to stuff your face into a big old burrito bowl. Here's one you can actually feel good about eating, even with the extra guac.

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Summer Bean Soup

Carson Downing

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The best healthy summer recipes incorporate many flavors from your garden. This summer bean soup, while on the lighter side, is comfort in a bowl with leeks, shelling beans, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, and Swiss chard. Add in whatever fresh herbs you have on hand, too, for a final summery touch.

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Turkey Meat Loaf Pockets with Peach-Barbecue Glaze

Jacob Fox

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Top-rated among our favorite healthy summer dinners, this isn't your grandma’s meat loaf. Filled with cheesy mixed veggies and slathered in a peachy barbecue sauce, these turkey pockets are everything you want in a comforting summer meal.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken with Peaches and Tomatoes

Melanie Acevedo

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Got half an hour, chicken breasts, and a bounty of fresh peaches and garden-ripe tomatoes to use up? You can whip up this recipe (and only dirty one pan) to serve your family easy healthy summer dinners in a flash.

Buy It: USA Pan Baking Sheet, $19.99, Crate & Barrel

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Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

Andy Lyons

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Asian lettuce wraps are our jam, and thanks to lean beef and reduced-sodium soy sauce, this Korean twist on one of the summer recipe lets us have more for less.

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Beans and Greens Soupe au Pistou

Carson Downing

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Enjoy this Provençal twist on veggie-loaded minestrone (ready in only 45 minutes!) for an alfresco summer dinner and pretend you’re sitting outside a quaint bistro in the South of France.

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Bison-Zucchini Burgers

Jacob Fox

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Bison is leaner than beef, but equal in protein so it makes a great beef alternative in a burger recipe. Top with zucchini ribbons and a secret mustard sauce for the best burger you never saw coming.

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Orange Salmon with Edamame Orzo

Jacob Fox

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This sweet, citrus meal starring salmon is one of our favorite easy healthy summer recipes. Marinate the fish in lemon and orange juice, then place atop a bed of orzo and iron-rich edamame.

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Asian Potato Salad with Shrimp

Blaine Moats

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Shrimp and potato salad are two summer staples that are even better together. Ditch the mayo-base dressing and drape the chilled duo in a chili-garlic sauce that's both healthy and delicious.

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Asparagus Noodle Bowl

Aya Brackett

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It's true: you can have your bacon and a healthy pasta dinner, too! The key is in the sauce. Ditch the premade stuff and simmer yours in garlic and white wine. Asparagus and chicken provide protein and potassium.

Related: Trendy Noodle Bowls

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Red-on-Red Chicken Salad with Feta-and-Honey Balsamic Drizzle

Jason Donnelly

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Skip processed bottled dressing and make your own drizzle using reduced balsamic vinegar and honey. Natural sugars from summer fruit sweeten the chicken salad, adding lots of vitamins and few calories. Make a party out of this healthy summer meal by serving in cute watermelon bowls or over fresh spinach.

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Shrimp, Mango, and Couscous Skillet

Jacob Fox

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Everything's better with mango (at least, if you ask us)! This shrimp-couscous dinner tastes like paradise in every chipotle-coated bite. Queso fresco gives it a cool, creamy finish.

Related: Perfect-for-Summer Mango Recipes

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Grilled Chicken Salad

Scott Little

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Full of grapes, goat cheese, chicken, and fresh greens, this crisp salad fulfills four of your necessary food groups. Need a last-minute meal idea? Use last night's leftover grilled chicken to pull this dinner together in a flash.

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Grilled Shrimp Panzanella

Blaine Moats

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We’ve overhauled Panzanella, a traditional Italian salad featuring dry bread and tomatoes, by making this healthy summer recipe with fresh, seasonal produce like sweet peppers and zucchini. Serve it as a side for as many as 10 people, making it the perfect choice for summer potlucks.

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Fish Tacos with Cabbage and Chile Pepper Slaw

Andy Lyons

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These light yet satisfying fish tacos get a flavor boost from bright citrus flavors and a fiery chile-pepper slaw. Not only is this summer dinner recipe low-cal, it fills you up with 5 grams of fiber.

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Creamy Farro-Smothered Portobellos

Karla Conrad

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Farro, an ancient grain with a chewy nutty texture, stars alongside Swiss chard, dried tomatoes, and goat cheese in our simple stuffed portobellos. At under 250 calories per serving, this entrée proves it can be delicious to make healthy summer dinner recipes.

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Skewered Shrimp Scampi

Scott Little

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Fast-cooking vermicelli pasta makes the perfect bed for these garlicky shrimp skewers that go from prep to plate in under 30 minutes. Squeeze fresh lemon wedges over shrimp for added citrus flavor.

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Eggplant Caprese Salad

Blaine Moats

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Add extra Italian flavor to this classic summer salad with grilled eggplant slices and a dried tomato-basil dressing. Less than 400 calories, it's a tasty and healthy meatless option for any meal (but still has 14 grams of protein).

21 of 24

Sloppy Turkey and Veggie Sandwiches

Scott Little

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Looking for a leaner take on your usual summer barbecue fare? Try our turkey and veggie twist on sloppy joes, and don’t forget the creamy yogurt and goat cheese sauce, it adds rich decadent flavors.

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Grilled Honey-Orange Chicken Salad

Blaine Moats

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Prepare the marinade for this sweet citrus salad in the morning, and let the chicken soak all day long. Not only will this cut your evening prep time, but it will give the chicken time to absorb the flavors for irresistible taste in every bite.

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Planked Sesame-Ginger Tuna Steaks

Jason Donnelly

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Grill tuna steaks between two cedar planks for irresistible smoky flavor. A simple Asian-inspired sauce adds a bit of spice to our tuna steaks, which pair perfectly with sweet grilled pineapple in this healthy summer dinner.

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Chicken, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

Andy Lyons

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Summer-fresh tomatoes and cucumbers add bright, in-season flavor to this lettuce-free salad recipe, while olives and chicken add heartiness to make it a full meal.

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