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As you prep for the busy month of July, you might be looking to refresh your summer menu, and we’re here to help! These dinner recipes, featuring tasty meals like BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous or Bruschetta-Topped Crispy Baked Chicken, are healthy and delicious options. With a yummy recipe for every day of the month, let’s get cooking!
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Charred Corn & Pepper Salsa
The roasted pepper and corn salsa that tops this gorgeous tomato salad has a kick from the tart sherry vinegar and moderately spicy and fruity Aleppo pepper. Red-wine vinegar and ground ancho chile are good alternatives. Grill some chicken, fish or other protein along with the corn for an easy summer dinner.
BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous
In the U.S., dry whole-wheat couscous has been partially cooked, making it a quick-cooking (5 minutes!) whole-grain weeknight dinner champ. And when you buy peeled shrimp, plus a bag of prechopped kale and bottled barbecue sauce, the savings in prep time helps to get this healthy dinner done in a jiff.
Quinoa, Chicken & Broccoli Salad with Roasted Lemon Dressing
Roasting lemons mellows their tartness and creates a layer of caramelized flavor that pairs well with the raw broccoli and savory quinoa in this healthy chicken dinner salad. Even better, the chicken and lemons roast on one sheet pan, making cleanup a breeze.
Bruschetta-Topped Crispy Baked Chicken
A fresh tomato-and-basil topping on panko-crusted chicken cutlets makes an easy meal for family or casual entertaining.
Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese
This super-easy dish is perfect for summer. Store-bought frozen cauliflower gnocchi are crisped up in a pan, then tossed with mozzarella cheese, plenty of basil and balsamic vinegar for a hearty and healthy spin on the classic caprese salad.
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado & Walnuts
Serve this summery strawberry spinach salad alongside soup or a half sandwich, or top with grilled chicken or roasted salmon for a complete and easy healthy meal.
One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta
This creamy chicken and broccoli pasta makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. We opt for small shells in this recipe, but any other small pasta, like orecchiette, would work, too.
Sheet-Pan Harissa Chicken & Vegetables
This one-pan dinner gets a hit of flavorful heat from harissa, the popular North African chile-and-garlic paste. We use harissa paste from a tube for this recipe. It’s got a concentrated chile flavor that makes an excellent spice rub for chicken and adds a subtle punch of heat to a refreshing herbed yogurt sauce.
Zucchini Noodle Primavera
This primavera recipe cuts carbs by swapping out the pasta for zucchini “noodles.” This quick vegetarian dinner is chock-full of colorful vegetables smothered in a light, creamy sauce. We like using prepackaged spiralized zucchini noodles to keep this recipe ultra-fast, but if you have a spiralizer and zucchini on hand, you can easily make your own.
Chickpea Burgers
These chickpea burgers are similar to falafel, but with the added whole-grain goodness of brown rice and wheat germ. Serving them on pita breads with thick slices of tomato and a dab of plain yogurt continues the Middle Eastern theme, or drizzle with a little sauce made with minced garlic and tahini thinned with water and lemon juice.
Edamame Lettuce Wrap Burgers with Peanut Sauce
Edamame make these homemade veggie burgers mean, green protein machines. Peanut sauce, curry paste and quick-pickled carrots give them Thai-inspired flair.
Poached Salmon with Fennel & Lemon
This poached salmon recipe uses an aromatic broth to infuse the fish with flavor while keeping it moist. Cook it with the skin on and keep the simmer gentle to ensure the fish stays intact. If you can’t find a fennel bulb with its greens still attached, don’t panic. Just grab some dill to use instead.
Mixed Grill with Balsamic-Mustard Vegetables
This healthy dinner recipe is perfect for using up whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand. Just pay attention to cook time: denser vegetables, such as peppers and onions, take a bit longer than softer ones like zucchini and squash. Smaller ones, like cherry tomatoes, may need to be cooked in a grill basket.
Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Casseroles make perfect meal-prep dinners, and this enchilada version is no exception. The whole casserole can be built and left to hang out in the refrigerator for up to three days—just bake it off on a busy night and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time.
Meal-Prep Falafel Bowls with Tahini Sauce
These quick couscous bowls come together in 20 minutes thanks to healthy convenience items like frozen falafel and steam-in-bag fresh green beans. Whisk together the simple tahini sauce while the other ingredients cook.
Smoky Slow-Cooker BBQ Brisket Sandwiches
Making brisket in the slow cooker ensures it is tender, delicious, and full of flavor. Serve this BBQ Brisket on hamburger buns for a tasty and satisfying meal.
Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Anna Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This zesty pasta salad draws inspiration from the flavors of elote—Mexican grilled corn on the cob that’s smothered in a creamy mayo-based sauce and sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese and lime. Corn kernels blister in the hot pan and a sprinkle of smoked paprika brings out the flavor. If you can’t find cotija cheese, grated Parmesan is a good substitute
Herby Cod with Roasted Tomatoes
Oregano, thyme and paprika flavor the cod in this 15-minute, Mediterranean-inspired meal. Olives, capers and roasted cherry tomatoes add color and zest to each bite.
Black Bean & Chipotle Tostadas with Crème Fraîche
If you love breakfast burritos or huevos rancheros, you’ll love this tostada with seasoned black beans on crispy tortillas with scrambled eggs on top. Pass salsa or hot sauce to go with it.
Tomato & Smoked Mozzarella Sandwiches
Take a classic combination like fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, add a couple flavor-packed ingredients like olives and sun-dried tomatoes, put it between two pieces of crusty bread and you’ll have a satisfying weekend lunch or an easy warm-weather supper.
Mushroom Orzo with Lemon & Parmesan
This mushroom orzo with lemon and Parmesan is a creamy dish rich with flavor thanks to mushrooms and a velvety smooth sauce.
Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos
In this vegetarian taco recipe, cauliflower is tossed with a smoky-tangy sauce made with honey, lime juice and chipotles in adobo sauce before being roasted. Serve with more hot sauce, if desired.
Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini
A tangy, nutty tahini dressing brings together no-cook ingredients like canned chickpeas and roasted red peppers for these easy meal-prep lettuce wraps. Make these wraps ahead of time for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. A few wedges of warm pita finish off the meal perfectly.
Vegetarian Quinoa & Feta Stuffed Zucchini
These vegetarian stuffed zucchinis are perfectly tender and fresh with the flavors of the Mediterranean. Olives and feta cheese deliver a nice salty bite, while quinoa adds a nutty flavor, along with protein and fiber.
Basil-Tomato Chicken Skillet
Quick cooking chicken tenderloins and packaged spinach make this fragrant dinner come together in just 25 minutes.
Red Lentil Fritters with Ginger-Yogurt Sauce
Here we soak lentils instead of fully cooking them, which gives them just enough added moisture to be whirred up into a fritter without being too wet. Serve these curry-spiced fritters on top of a green salad or tucked into a pita.
Tandoori Grilled Tofu with Red Peppers & Broccolini
Spiced yogurt does two jobs here as both the marinade and the sauce for this grilled tofu recipe.
Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Food Stylist:Chelsea Zimmer
A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner recipe—the flavorful oil they’re packed in is used to sauté the shallots and the actual tomatoes help to add delicious flavor to the creamy sauce. Served with perfectly cooked salmon, you really can’t go wrong with this easy 20-minute weeknight meal.
Big Beautiful Summer Salad
This gorgeous and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance, and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Serve it on its own for a light vegetarian meal or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.
Cucumber, Tomato & Avocado Salad
This vibrant cucumber, tomato and avocado salad is perfect for BBQs and backyard parties. The dressing is whisked together right in the salad bowl before you add the vegetables, so it’s also incredibly easy to make. Choose a fairly firm avocado so it holds its shape in the salad.
Grilled Blackened Shrimp Tacos
Give juicy shrimp tacos a Cajun flavor spin with spices and a quick sear on a hot grill. An easy avocado mash adds creaminess to cool off the spicy kick.