Healthy Summer Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy

When the sun comes out and the days get longer (as well as when the kids are off school) it can be hard to decide what to cook for mealtimes. You don’t want anything too warm or heavy like a stew, or something which will take up a lot of time. With that in mind, here are some easy-to-make, healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy this summer…

Basic Pasta Salad

Putting together a basic pasta salad couldn’t be easier. Simply cook off a bag of pasta (whichever shape you fancy!) as per the instructions, and leave it to cool. You can douse it in cold water once cooked if you want to speed up the process! Then you just need to grab a big salad bowl and add your pasta alongside whichever other healthy ingredients you want: chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sliced chicken, sweetcorn… the options are endless, and if you add a range of colours this is really beneficial and makes lunchtime a lot more interesting. Mix everything together and it’s ready to serve.

Feta & Peach Couscous

This one might sound a bit more ‘out there’ but summer is a great time to experiment with new flavour combinations – this can be really reminiscent of holidays you’ve been on, adding some excitement to long summer days. You only need four ingredients for this one: dried couscous, a block of feta cheese, three ripe peaches and some mixed seeds, plus any extra seasoning you might want to add.

First of all you’ll want to de-stone the peaches and cut them into quarters, then roast them in the oven or air fryer with around 35 grams of mixed seeds, your ripped or chopped up feta, and a bit of olive oil. Cook your couscous according to the pack instructions in the meantime. When everything is roasted (around 10-12 minutes), pop it all together in a bowl and you’re done! To add some extra flavour to the dish, opt for flavoured couscous instead of plain.

Pea & Ham Pasta

Perfect after a busy day of summer activities when everyone’s worked up an appetite, this pea and ham pasta dish only takes around 20 minutes to cook. It’s tasty, filling and downright delicious! To serve four you’ll need the following:

• 400g dried pasta
• 200g cooked ham
• 320g podded peas
• 300ml double cream
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 2 chopped red onions

First of all, get the pasta cooking – again, choose any shape you like! While that’s boiling away, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan and fry off your onion until it’s soft. Then add the ham, cream and lemon juice plus some grated parmesan if you fancy it. Season however you want and let it heat through. When the pasta is almost cooked, add the peas too and let them soften; this takes around 3 minutes. Drain your pasta and peas, then add back to the pain with your cream mixture. Keep some pasta water in case you need to loosen the mixture, and that’s pretty much it. Serve, perhaps with a side salad or garlic bread, and enjoy!

Tortilla Pizzas

This is one that turns cooking dinner into a family activity, and tortilla pizzas are much healthier than regular ones. Buy some tortilla wraps, as well as some pizza sauce, grated mozzarella and your toppings of choice. All you need to do is spread the sauce onto the wrap, then add your cheese and toppings – choose colourful veggies and protein-packed meat options – then pop in the oven for around 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted. This is perfect for a fun, quick lunch or an evening playdate, as well as for adults who are looking to lose weight this summer and want to cut down on carbs.

Pineapple Chicken Kebabs

If you’re having a BBQ, these are a great idea – the pineapple adds a sweetness that your kids will love! Make a marinade from BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, crushed garlic gloves and some grated ginger; cover some chicken breast chunks in this mixture and leave for as long as you can. This is a great one to prep in advance if you have the time! When it’s grill time, thread the chicken onto skewers with pineapple chunks, chopped peppers and onion petals. BBQ them and eat!

Cooking for kids can be tricky at the best of times, let alone in the summer when excitement is at an all time high and all they want to do is play in the sunshine. But hopefully you’ve found some great ideas in this blog post to feed your family during the longer days.