15+ 30-Minute High-Protein Dinner Recipes for Summer

 If you’re wanting an easy summer dinner, look no further than this collection of recipes. These meals are packed with seasonal produce, including tomatoes and zucchini. Plus, each dinner has at least 15 grams of protein per serving to help you feel full and satisfied for longer after eating it. Flavorful recipes like our Shrimp Lettuce Wraps and Burrata Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes & Spinach are on the table in just 30 minutes or less.

Creamy Feta & Tomato Pasta

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall


This creamy feta-and-tomato pasta puts a satisfying vegetarian dinner on the table using only 5 simple ingredients. Cherry tomatoes are a go-to when tomato season is not at its peak. Grape tomatoes provide a sweet and juicy alternative, ensuring a satisfying and flavorful meal.

Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

An easy-to-make slaw served on the side of these salmon tacos makes for a filling and fast weeknight dinner. If you prefer more heat in these fish tacos, simply add a pinch or two of chipotle chile powder or cayenne with the chili powder.

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist Tucker Vines


Enjoy these shrimp lettuce wraps filled with crisp veggies and juicy shrimp sautéed with garlic and soy sauce. This light and flavorful dish is perfect for a weeknight meal or weekend gathering. Sambal oelek, a spicy chile paste known for its vibrant red color and intense heat, adds an extra kick. Reduce or omit it to adjust the heat to your liking.

Skillet Bruschetta Chicken

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster


This flavorful skillet chicken bruschetta puts a tasty spin on a traditional dish. Drawing inspiration from the Italian appetizer, we replace the usual toasted bread with protein-packed chicken cutlets. The vibrant and juicy chopped tomato topping remains a constant, complemented by a drizzle of sweet and tangy balsamic glaze. For an added layer of flavor, serve topped with shaved Parmesan cheese or add some chopped olives to the tomato mixture for a briny kick.

Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata

This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Serve it for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette.

Tuna Poke

Poke (pronounced poke-ay), a Hawaiian word meaning “to chop” or “to cut,” refers to a traditional Hawaiian salad of diced raw fish in a simple, soy-based sauce with punchy seasonings like toasted sesame and chopped scallion greens. These tuna poke bowls feature seasoned brown rice and fresh veggies for a healthy, satisfying meal packed with protein and fiber.

Burrata Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes & Spinach

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This luscious pasta dish features burrata cheese—a soft cow’s-milk cheese that looks similar to fresh mozzarella but features a creamy center that melts beautifully. You can substitute chopped fresh summer-ripe tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes. If they are plump and juicy they will moisten and flavor the pasta well so you can hold back on adding the full amount of pasta water. Serve with crusty garlic bread and a green salad on the side.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall


This speedy dinner recipe combines shrimp with pillowy gnocchi, pesto and peas in a creamy sauce. Feel free to substitute the peas with other veggies such as broccoli or asparagus. For a bit of heat, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper, or garnish with grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory flavor.

Balsamic Chicken Pasta Bake with Zucchini Noodles

Packed with plenty of vegetables and tons of flavor, this chicken pasta bake is inspired by the ingredients in a caprese salad.

Sheet-Pan Salmon with Crispy Quinoa

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell


Enjoy a complete protein-rich dinner cooked on just two baking sheets for easy cleanup with this salmon, roasted tomato and quinoa recipe. Baked quinoa adds texture and crunch to the dish. After the quinoa finishes cooking, fluff it with a fork to release steam and encourage it to crisp up as it sits. Packages of precooked quinoa streamline the prep, but if you have leftover quinoa, it works just as well.

Tajín Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

Greg DuPree


Tajín, a Mexican chile-lime seasoning, adds a spicy and acidic punch to sweet and mild shrimp. Opt for a low-sodium chile-lime seasoning, or improvise by combining chili powder, a little lime zest and a healthy squeeze of lime juice. Look for pineapple that’s already been peeled and cored for speedier prep.

Pesto Chicken Bake

This pesto chicken bake is easy to make as well as delicious! The chicken stays moist while the cheese on top gets bubbly and crispy. The pesto, mozzarella and tomato combination is a home run every time. Serve the chicken over pasta or your favorite grain.

Fish Taco Bowls with Green Cabbage Slaw

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Fresh salsa verde, green cabbage and avocado all contribute to the vibrant green color of this light and bright fish taco bowl. We love the mild flavor and firm, meaty texture of halibut but any firm white fish like mahi mahi or tilapia will work well in its place. We garnish this flavorful taco bowl with cilantro, but if you want to take it a step further, try toppings like sprouts or watermelon radishes for even more bright green color.

Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast Sandwiches

Matthew Francis


This caprese stuffed chicken breast features the classic ingredients of a caprese salad—juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil and balsamic vinegar—nestled into a seasoned and cooked chicken breast that can be picked up and eaten like a sandwich. The perfect chicken breast for this recipe is small, but avoid thin-cut breasts so you can slice them open easily. You can trim a regular chicken breast down to the right size, or cut a large 8-ounce breast in half crosswise to get two smaller pieces.

Summer Shrimp Salad

Use an array of colorful tomatoes to make this healthy shrimp salad pop. Cooking the shrimp with fresh herbs and garlic infuses them with flavor without coming off too strong for a light dinner salad that’s perfect for summer entertaining.

Caprese Pasta Salad with Salami

Tomatoes—both cherry and heirloom—are the star of the show in this pasta salad. This easy summer dinner includes salami for its rich savory flavor, but you can skip it or sub in white beans to make this dish vegetarian. Recipe adapted from Tomato Love by Joy Howard.

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