These Italian recipes are perfect for easy, seasonal summer dinners; ideas for salads and appetizers, simple pasta recipes, and low-lift entrées.
Summer Dinners, the Italian Way!
When I think of Italian food, the flavors I think of first are made for summer: ripe tomatoes, tender eggplant, fresh basil, and good olive oil. Italian recipes prioritize simplicity in a way that makes them ideal for summer, not only because those ingredients are growing now, but also because they require less of us to make something delicious with them.
This list is my personal edit of the Italian recipes I reach for most when summer is at its peak. With one exception (eggplant parm is worth it, I promise!), these recipes don’t require you to spend much time in a hot kitchen, and they taste like the kind of food you’d eat on a piazza or terrace somewhere.
The rest are weeknight heroes that will help get dinner on the table in 20 minutes without sacrificing time outside, whether in the garden, on the patio for cocktail hour with friends, or at the park or pool with your kids.
Summer Salads & Appetizers
Panzanella
A love letter from Tuscany to peak-summer tomatoes, this bread salad recipe reinvents day-old bread into croutons that soak up every drop of juice from ripe tomatoes and a garlicky olive oil dressing until they’re somewhere between crispy and soft. I like to serve it with grilled swordfish and vegetables, and maybe a strawberry granita for dessert. This is the thing to make at the height of tomato season; summer in a bowl!
Shrimp Scampi
Is there anything more mouth-watering than shrimp scampi? Plump shrimp cooked in a garlic butter sauce with white wine and lemon. I love them as an appetizer with crusty bread for sopping up the sauce, or as a main with grilled asparagus. They also make a perfect Italian apertivo spread paired with Prosciutto and Melone or Blistered Tomato Bruschetta. Chef’s tip: Don’t overcook shrimp! They are done when they turn pink and curl into a loose “C” shape!
Antipasto Salad
Raid your local Italian deli and make this no-cook dinner! It’s a chunky tumble of charcuterie, Giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables), olives, and a combination of cheeses in a peppery Dijon vinaigrette. Add a simple zucchini ribbon salad for more veg. Or, if you do want to cook something, cannoli are a showstopper!
Caponata
Caponata is one of Sicily’s most beloved dishes, a sweet-and-sour eggplant relish with celery and capers, is one of the most complex-tasting things you can make with a handful of late-summer vegetables. Serve it warm, at room temperature, or cold, piled onto crusty bread or alongside grilled chicken or with Insalata di Mare, Italian seafood salad. Add another Sicilian classic: lemon pudding!
Sunny Summer Pastas
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
This Roman classic, spaghetti tossed with garlic, good olive oil, red pepper flakes, and a handful of fresh parsley, couldn’t be simpler, but it’s so, so satisfying. The trick is not rushing; taking the time to sizzle the garlic until golden in the olive oil, infusing it with a mellow sweetness that makes the whole dish sing. A perfect opportunity to sip an Aperol spritz!
Pasta Primavera
Technically, this is “springtime pasta” in Italian, but I promise you nobody will mind eating this colorful tangle of pasta, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, bell peppers, and onions in summertime. Rather than sautéeing each vegetable, I roast them all on a sheet pan and then combine them with pasta. The result is wonderfully caramelized, and hands-off, too!
Mediterranean Pasta
If your goal is to simplify your summer meals, bookmark this recipe! Spaghetti tossed in a light garlic and lemon olive oil sauce, then loaded with grape tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, crumbled feta, and both fresh parsley and basil. Except for the tomatoes, scallions, and herbs, everything else is out of a jar, which makes this pasta dinner a breeze! Top it with some easy sheet pan shrimp for more protein!
Italian Summer Entrées
Chicken Spiedini
An Italian-American adaptation of Arrosticini, fire-grilled lamb skewers from Abruzzo, chicken pieces are marinated, coated in seasoned breadcrumbs, skewered, and grilled. They’re a little smoky and beautifully browned on the outside, but the real finishing touch is a punchy garlic, Parmesan, and parsley drizzle. To serve these at a casual dinner party, I’d start the evening with a Limoncello Spritz and finish it with a gorgeous green Pistachio Tiramisu for dessert.
Eggplant Parmesan
When gorgeous and dense summer eggplants appear at the market, this vegetarian casserole is on the menu at my house. In my version, I skip the heavy breadcrumb layer and fry the eggplant slices dipped only in beaten egg and flour. I think this really lets the flavor of the eggplant and the sweet tomato sauce sing!
Chicken Caprese
A classic caprese salad is an absolute summer essential that I enjoy as often as I can when the best tomatoes are available. With this recipe, we make it into a main dish by using seared chicken breasts as a base, topped with basil pesto, mozzarella, and fresh tomato. Want to add even more veg? Try this chicken caprese salad!
Chicken Scallopini
Thin chicken cutlets are quickly sautéed until golden, then bathed in a bright, lemon-herb pan sauce. It’s elegant, but fast, exactly the kind of simple dinner summer calls for. Add a few handfuls of baby arugula simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar or go all out and serve them with grilled artichokes or this lemony fennel salad with shaved parmesan. For dessert, you can’t miss with this two-ingredient lemon sorbet.
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