15 Easy Spring Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Spring dinners usually start leaning away from the heavier meals that made sense in colder months. More salmon, shrimp, chicken, asparagus, artichokes, lemon and fresh herbs start finding their way onto the table, but dinner still needs to feel filling.

Collage of easy spring dinner recipes with a grain bowl, lemon rosemary chicken, salmon foil packets and spinach asparagus frittata.

Some nights, it’s salmon with rice, shrimp or chicken in a lemony sauce. Other nights, it’s a frittata with salad, tacos, pizza or a tart with greens on the side.

Those are the kinds of dinners you’ll find in the list below.

Honey Glazed Air Fryer Salmon

Ready in 10 minutes and made with only 6 ingredients, this is one of the quickest dinners in the roundup. The honey glaze gives it plenty of flavor without much effort. Serve it with rice, couscous or steamed asparagus.

Skillet Chicken Fajitas

Chicken fajitas are hard to beat on a busy night, especially when everything cooks in one skillet. Peppers, onion, avocado and warm tortillas make this an easy dinner to keep on repeat. The yogurt garlic dip from the post works really well here too.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Boneless chicken thighs bake in a lemony sauce with rosemary, onion and garlic, which gives you plenty of flavor without much prep. This is the kind of dinner that starts sounding especially good in spring, when bright sauces take over from heavier ones. Rice or couscous is enough on the side.

Shrimp Stir Fry

This comes together fast and has plenty of sauce, so it makes sense served over rice. The shrimp and vegetables keep it colorful and chopping everything ahead helps dinner move even faster. A good one for nights when time is short, but takeout is not the plan.

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Parmesan-coated chicken in lemon butter sauce with capers makes this feel a little more special than standard chicken breasts. The sauce is reason enough to serve it with pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.

Orange Glazed Salmon

Thissalmon gets a bright citrusy glaze from orange juice, zest, honey, garlic and lemon thyme. It takes salmon in a slightly different direction from the usual lemon version, while still keeping dinner simple. Couscous, rice or orzo allwork well on the side.

Spinach and Asparagus Frittata

Asparagus and spinach make this feel especially right for spring. It is lighter than some of the other dinners in the list but still works well as an evening meal. Add bread or a simple salad on the side.

Salmon Tacos

Pan-seared salmon, a quick salsa and yogurt sauce make these tacos fresh and easy. They’re a nice change from the usual salmon fillet dinner.

Tomato Salsa Shrimp and Rice

The homemade tomato salsa is what makes this shrimp and rice stand out. It brightens the whole dish and adds plenty of flavor without a heavy sauce. This one fits especially well on warmer evenings.

Artichoke Tart

Puff pastry, artichoke hearts, spring onion, tomatoes, prosciutto and red pepper pesto make this tart easy to pull off on a weeknight. A green salad on the side is all it needs.

Burrata Pizza

Burrata, artichoke hearts, green olives and arugula give this pizza a lighter topping combo than the usual pizza night. Adding the burrata after baking keeps it soft and creamy.

Black Bean Tacos

These are colorful, easy to build and useful for busy evenings. Black beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes and cilantro lime sauce keep them full of flavor, and part of the filling can be made ahead. They are also a solid meatless option to have in the mix.

Mediterranean Buddha Bowl

A bowl like this works well when you want dinner to feel lighter without ending up hungry later. Roasted chickpeas, couscous, avocado, carrot ribbons, arugula, feta and lemon give it plenty of texture. This is a good one for warmer days.

Homemade Mediterranean bowl with chickpeas, avocado, carrot ribbons, arugula, lemon slices and lemon tahini dressing.

Grilled Salmon Foil Packets

Once grilling season starts, these foil packets make salmon very easy to throw together. The packets can be prepped ahead. Add potatoes, rice or a salad depending on how hungry everyone is.

Oven Baked Sea Bass

Whole fish does not need much to be good, and this recipe keeps it simple. Garlic, parsley, olive oil and lemon are enough here, and prep takes about 10 minutes. Potatoes, bread or a salad will round it out nicely.