August Dinner Menu Ideas

Use the seasonal August Dinner Menu Ideas here as inspiration and a starting point for your own family menus.

Check out all the great reasons to meal plan here!

August is full-on summertime here in the Pacific Northwest - school doesn't start back until Labor Day and the weather is usually reliably sunny and warm (although you never know here, really...).

Our grill sees the most action now - our family is pretty much in agreement that the garden vegetables taste best grilled, so it's not unusual for us to eat them every other day.

In between we're making salads, quick stir-fries, or easy frittatas that only use the stovetop or broiler.

The only time I use the oven is in the mornings to make bread - because when the tomatoes are coming on, you've got to have grilled Easy Artisan Bread or Sourdough Artisan Bread to eat them with. SO good.

Below are four weeks of August dinner menu ideas that take advantage of seasonal produce, yet are quick and easy to prepare.

These meals are really what our family eats and enjoys, so I hope you will find some ideas for your family here, too!

August Dinner Menu Ideas

Week 1

Rotisserie chicken (store bought or slow cooker spiced whole chicken), Easy Homemade Pita Bread, Easy Homemade Hummus, Authentic Greek Salad

Tostadas made with Homemade Refried Beans, leftover rotisserie chicken, lettuce, cheese, onion, etc., served with homemade Pico de Gallo and/or Salsa Cruda (or any garden salsa you may have left from canning).

Chicken Caesar Wraps (using the last of rotisserie chicken), Heirloom Tomato & Feta Salad

Asian Slaw, Spicy Chicken Noodle Salad (use grilled chicken)

Smashed Garlic Burgers with Jalapeños, chips, pickles & carrots

Week 2

Grilled chicken-zucchini skewers (sprinkled with Basic Spice Rub & served with Tomato Chutney), Easy Grilled Potato Planks, Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Tomatoes

Grilled pork chops with Rhubarb Chutney, Caesar Slaw, Grilled Artisan Bread & fresh tomato slices

Soft tacos make with slow cooked pulled pork, chicken, or beef (whatever’s on sale), Spicy Cumin Lime Coleslaw

Slow cooker/Instant Pot ribs finished on grill with Chipotle BBQ sauce, Zucchini, Corn, and Tomato Saute, Tuscan White Bean Salad

Thai Grilled Pork and Vegetable Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Week 3

Summer Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Green Beans, grilled chicken, Zucchini and Feta Fritters (can make early and reheat on the grill)

Greek Tuna and Tomato Salad, Grilled Garlic Green Beans, and grilled Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread

Summer Corn and Sausage Tart (made with a super easy press-in-the-pan crust), grill leftover artisan bread served with Fresh Tomato Bruschetta Topping

Easy Grilled Vegetables, Swiss Chard and Sausage Frittata, Tomato and Feta Salad

Greek Style Grilled Beef Lettuce Wraps, Pita (homemade if you have time), Hummus

Week 4

Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Tacos with Chipotle-Yogurt Sauce, chips & pico de gallo

Grilled salmon, grilled garden vegetables

Sausage & Corn Stuffed Zucchini, sliced tomatoes on chopped lettuce with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Italian Sausage Pasta Primavera (using seasonal green beans, red peppers, zucchini & onion)

Garden Stir-fry with pork (green beans, zucchini, peppers & onions), rice

Note: our family’s menu always has a couple of standards: Saturdays alternate between burgers on homemade buns (or pigs-in-blankets) & fries and homemade pizza; Sundays are mostly on-your-own leftovers (if nothing is available, a quick pasta is made using our frozen roasted tomato sauce or pesto).

If you need more ideas for menu planning, you can always check out these articles in our archives:

• Menu Planning 101 & 5 steps to frugal menu planning
• Seasonal cooking through the year
• Monthly dinner menus

I hope you enjoy and are able to use some of these favorite family meals of ours. You can follow me on Pinterest for even more simple, seasonal and from scratch dinner ideas!