Want to grill but don’t want to kill yourself making dinner? Here are all of my go-to easy grilling dinners that hit the spot!
I don’t know about you, but I want to make the most of the last days of summer. Of course that means going to the pool, playing outside, and wearing all my favorite no-tuck tops. But it also means firing up the grill as much as possible.
My family loves to grill in the summer. Grilled food just tastes better, especially in the summer. Why does grilled food taste so good? Is it the special char on the food? Or is it that I don’t usually have to cook when we grill dinner? It’s probably a combination of those things, truly.
Whatever the reason, let’s all take advantage of our last days of grilling season. Here are all of my family’s best easy grilling dinners. If you’re lucky, your husband will even help cook them!
Easy Grilling Dinners
Pizza
I’m going to start off this list of easy grilling dinners with my family’s most frequent dinner on the grill. We love pizza in my house, and we love it even more when we cook it on the grill. The crust is crispier, the cheese is bubblier – homemade pizza is just better on the grill.
To grill the best homemade pizza, here is what I do:
Dough
I really like to make my own pizza dough. Sure, a ball of fresh or frozen dough from the grocery store or your local pizzeria will work on a pinch, but I really prefer to whip it up myself. If you’re ready to try whipping up homemade pizza dough, it’s really very easy. I use Sally’s Baking Addiction’s pizza dough recipe and it has never steered me wrong. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time for the dough to rise (60-90 minutes) before dinner time!
Toppings
The beauty of homemade pizza is that you can add any combination of toppings your little heart desires. Stick to the classics, go funky, or try something completely new – all pizza is good pizza. If you’re at a loss for which toppings to choose, I have compiled all our favorite pizza toppings for our favorite easy grilling dinner.
Method
Now that you have your dough and your toppings, you need to know how to cook the pizza on the grill. Here’s what I do. Grab your pizza stone and put it on the cold grill grates. Then preheat the grill to about 475°-500°F. Once the grill is up to temperature, add your pizza. I find that a piece of parchment paper works really well for this purpose. If you’ve figured out how to use a pizza peel, can you please teach me? Once your pizza is successfully on the stone, close the lid and let it cook. I start checking it after about 10 minutes, but the timing varies based on how steady your grill keeps the temperature and how many toppings you add to your pizza. When it’s done, use your biggest spatula to slide the pizza off the stone. Then it’s time to cool, cut, serve, and eat!
Hamburgers & hot dogs
It’s surely not a list of easy grilling dinners if hamburgers and hot dogs aren’t included. Of course, we tend to think of hamburgers and hot dogs together as one meal, but you can split them up and have just hamburgers or just hot dogs too.
If you’ve ever cooked anything in your life, you can cook hamburgers and hot dogs. The key to success with these items on the grill is to know the doneness preferences of your dinner companions. If you’re feeding kids, you probably want to cook the hamburgers well done. If you’re feeding me, you probably want to burn the hot dogs a bit (but not to smithereens).
Toppings
Although there is nothing wrong with plain hamburgers and hot dogs, this easy grilling dinner really soars when you add toppings to the mix. Turn plain hot dogs into chili dogs with a spoonful of chili and some shredded cheddar. Amp up hamburgers with bacon and BBQ sauce. The topping possibilities are endless!
Marinated chicken
I have been really into marinated chicken this summer, so it has crept its way up to the number three spot on my list of easy grilling dinners.
Why have I been grilling so much marinated chicken lately? First off, it’s delicious. Second, there are so many different marinade options that it doesn’t get boring. And third, and maybe most importantly, my kids are much more likely to eat chicken when it has been marinated and grilled.
So, what are my go-to marinated chicken recipes for easy grilling dinners? Here are just a few of my absolute favorites.
Honey mustard chicken
I think it’s safe to say that I’ve mentioned before how much I struggle to get my 5-year-old son to eat chicken. He used to inhale it, but about a year or two ago, he suddenly went on a chicken strike. Since then, it has become my mission to find ways I can serve him chicken that don’t end in a fight. I’ve had a few successes, but the biggest success (and the biggest surprise) was grilled honey mustard chicken . He even requested it for his birthday dinner last year. It’s really easy to whip up the marinade with things you probably already have on hand. Just give yourself some time for the chicken to sit in the marinade before you throw it on the grill.
Caesar chicken
If the honey mustard chicken has been my son’s recent favorite, then Caesar chicken has been mine. I can’t get enough of this stuff! I love to marinade and grill this chicken, and then slap it on a bun with some crispy Romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, and parmesan cheese. Truly the perfect summer meal, if you ask me!
BBQ chicken
I’m adding BBQ chicken to the list even though this isn’t truly a marinated chicken. I don’t marinade my BBQ chicken. I simply add a little salt and pepper to the chicken and throw it right on the grill. Then, I baste with BBQ sauce toward the end of the grilling process. It may not technically be a marinated chicken, but it’s delicious, so I wanted to include it.
Steak
My husband loves to grill steak. And sometimes we can get our kids to eat it! If you like steak and you think your kids might give it a try, add steak to your list of easy grilling dinners!
When we grill steak, we don’t really have a go-to cut of meat. I buy what’s on sale or what I’m in the mood for if nothing is discounted the day I go to the store. The cuts of meat I buy most often are filet mignon, New York strip, and London Broil. If we are grilling filets or New York strips, I like to serve these with a vegetable and potato of some sort. The London Broil, though, is great to slice and serve on top of a salad. Steak doesn’t have to be fancy!
Grilled corn dishes
Right up there with easy grilling dinners in the summer for me are vegetable-based dinners that really celebrate the bounty of summer. So, an ideal summer dinner for me is a vegetable-based dinner on the grill. My favorite vegetable to grill in the summer is corn. Luckily, I’ve found some tremendous grilled corn dishes over the years so I get to enjoy grilled corn in many different ways. Here are just a few of my favorite grilled corn dishes.
Grilled corn enchiladas
Enchiladas are the way to my heart. I love chicken enchiladas and beef enchiladas and spinach enchiladas. But, in the summer, I especially love grilled corn enchiladas. If you’re looking for a recipe, I typically use this one, but I grate the zucchini instead of chopping it to get my kids to eat them.
Steak and elote tacos
If you want grilled corn in a Mexican-inspired recipe, but you don’t want to go through the effort of making enchiladas, try out these steak and elote tacos. This easy grilling dinner involves simply grilling corn and skirt steak, whipping the grilled corn into a simple salad, and mounding it all in grilled corn tortillas. Easy and oh so delicious!
Pulled pork pizza
I love pulled pork in just about anything. I love a pulled pork sandwich, pulled pork jacket potato, pulled pork nachos. It’s all up my alley. In the summertime, though, my favorite way to eat pulled pork is on a pizza with grilled corn. Layer BBQ sauce, pulled pork, and grilled corn on a pizza crust. Then smother it all with cheese and throw it on the grill. Easy grilling dinner heaven awaits!
Fish tacos
If you want an easy grilling dinner and you like fish, please try grilling fish for fish tacos! I love fish tacos, but I hate to make them because cooking fish stinks up my whole house. Yuck! In the summer, though, I take my cast iron pan out to the grill and cook the fish there. Then, I flake the fish (my favorite is Mahi Mahi), add some toppings (we like a lime-based cabbage slaw and some julienned mango), and roll it all up in a charred corn tortilla. In addition to fish tacos being an easy grilling dinner, they also count as a good way to get your kids to eat fish. My kids often balk at the idea of eating fish, but not when in the form of a taco. If you have trouble getting your kids to eat fish, try serving up some fish tacos!
Pork tenderloin
Last, but certainly not least, on my list of easy grilling dinners is pork tenderloin. I love pork tenderloin, and I think it’s a largely underrated cut of meat. This is especially true when talking about cuts of meat to grill. Pork tenderloin cooks quickly, takes a marinade like a dream, and turns out tender and juicy when grilled. This honey garlic grilled pork tenderloin is our particular family favorite. I get no complaints when this dish is on the menu!
Other posts
Do you want other end of summer content before the season slips away? Check out these posts:
I hope you enjoy some of these easy grilling dinners before the end of the summer. What is your favorite easy grilling dinner? Please share below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.