30 Sunday Dinners for Summer
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Enjoy the sunshine and flavors of summer with these Sunday dinner recipes. These dinner recipes feature filling protein and seasonal vegetables for a fresh and tasty meal. Recipes like Grilled Chicken Thighs with Summer Corn Salad and Cherry Tomato & Garlic Pasta are bright and satisfying.
In addition to taking advantage of fresh produce, Sunday dinners can provide leftovers, which is a boon if your Mondays are kind of hectic. A Sunday meal can often extend 3 to 4 days in the fridge if stored properly. It should be placed in airtight containers in the fridge shortly after serving (within an hour if temperatures are hitting 90°F; 2 hours if not). For any recipe that includes vegetables known to get watery or soggy, you might want to separate ingredients to maintain the integrity of the dish.
Summer Vegetable Gnocchi Salad
This riff on pasta salad is best served warm while the gnocchi are nice and tender. Plus, the grilled veggies taste extra-good fresh off the fire in this easy gnocchi recipe.
Lemon-Herb Salmon with Caponata & Farro
Dig into your farmers market haul to cook this colorful and healthy Mediterranean diet dinner recipe that's packed with vegetables. Feel free to swap in any vegetables or cook up another whole grain, such as brown rice. Serve with a glass of your favorite red wine.
Corn Risotto with Tomatoes & Spinach
Corn and tomatoes make this risotto taste like summer itself, but you can stir in almost any vegetables that your family likes. Make this simple entree vegetarian by swapping in vegetable broth or "no-chicken" broth for the chicken broth.
Polenta Bowls with Roasted Vegetables & Fried Eggs
You really can't beat creamy polenta with a fried egg on top—unless you add some roasted veggies, as we've done in this hearty and healthy meal in a bowl. Serve these bowls for a satisfying brunch, lunch or dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes. Feel free to swap (or add) in other veggies, such as broccoli, to customize your bowls according to what's in season or what you have on hand.
Grilled Chicken Thighs with Summer Corn Salad
Chicken thighs are easy on the budget and great for grilling because they stay moist in the heat. Here, they are paired with a fresh corn and tomato salad for a simple summer dinner. When grilling skin-on chicken thighs, watch for flare-ups. Move the chicken away from the flames and reduce heat, if necessary, to keep it from charring.
Pita Panzanella Salad with Meatballs
This Mediterranean-inspired salad combines the flavors of Greece with the format of a traditional Tuscan bread salad for a refreshing yet hearty meal. For a twist, try stuffing the salad into the pitas rather than crisping them in Step 3.
Cherry Tomato & Garlic Pasta
This easy and healthy pasta recipe takes just 20 minutes to prep so it's a perfect weeknight dinner. Cooking garlic cloves whole and then mashing them into the sauce not only saves time, it creates a mellow garlic flavor that melds seamlessly into the silky burst cherry tomatoes.
Stuffed Eggplant with Couscous & Almonds
Smoky almonds, meaty eggplant and whole-grain couscous with herbs make this meal plenty satisfying. Harissa gives the creamy sauce a little kick.
Easy Grilled Turkey Burgers
A few key ingredients transform this simple burger into something truly juicy and delicious.
Tandoori Chicken Kebabs
In this Indian-inspired healthy dinner recipe, tandoori-spiced yogurt does double duty as a marinade and dipping sauce for these chicken kebabs. Serve with brown basmati rice and a spinach salad.
Hasselback Caprese Chicken
Using the hasselback technique (cutting crosswise slits every half-inch along the chicken breast) cooks the chicken faster and ensures you get a burst of flavorful gooey filling with each bite. This quick one-pan high-protein and veggie-packed dinner is easy to make and the whole family will love it.
Succotash Salad with Grilled Sirloin
A summer salad through and through! Grilled sweet potatoes and grilled sirloin steak add just enough smokiness without overpowering all of the fresh flavors, while a creamy lime dressing brings everything together.
Zucchini-Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Tahini-Ranch Sauce
This veggie burger recipe is one you'll want to make again and again. Savory chickpea and zucchini patties are topped with a creamy, herb-flecked tahini ranch sauce, juicy tomato slices and peppery arugula for a satisfying and healthy homemade veggie burger. Serve these vegan burgers on buns or stuff them in pitas. We recommend making extra sauce—it's a great dip for veggie sticks and, thinned with a little water, it makes a wonderful salad dressing.
Steak & Strawberry Spinach Salad
With all due respect to the strawberries, croutons can really make a salad, especially these croutons. Instead of tossing them with oil and baking them, we start the bread and oil in a cold saucepan for the crunchiest results.
Grilled Clams with Corn & Pepper Relish
Cooking bivalves like clams is pretty foolproof because they tell you when they're done—you'll know they're ready once they open. Discard any that stay closed.
Eggplant Gyros
Eggplant's meaty texture is a delicious vegetarian stand-in for the lamb that typically fills a gyro sandwich. The vegetable absorbs the lemony-herby-spicy marinade like a sponge, so if you have time, let it marinate for the full day.
Peppery Barbecue-Glazed Shrimp with Vegetables & Orzo
In this healthy BBQ shrimp recipe, shrimp are seasoned with a peppery spice blend and served with zucchini, peppers and whole-grain orzo for a delicious and easy dinner that's ready in just 30 minutes. The shrimp and veggies are cooked in the same skillet, so cleanup is a snap too.
Zucchini Pizza Casserole
Got a bumper crop of zucchini? Try this crowd-pleasing casserole-meets-pizza dish, which can easily be made gluten-free. A layer of tender shredded zucchini is topped with all the classics: sauce, cheese, pepperoni and sliced bell pepper. Experiment with your own favorite toppings, but make sure you don't overload the crust or it will be too wet.
Grilled Pork & Vegetables with Fresh Corn Polenta
Fresh-corn polenta is a summery accompaniment to the pork and vegetables here. Ancho chile powder, made from dried ground poblano peppers, adds sweet, mild heat.
20-Minute Chicken Cutlets & Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Tomato Sauce
This low-carb chicken dinner whips up in only 20 minutes, thanks to thin-cut chicken breast and packaged zucchini noodles. If you have a spiralizer and want to make your own zucchini noodles, use two medium zucchini.
Grilled Fish with Peperonata
This healthy grilled fish dish is made for easy summertime entertaining. The peperonata can be made in advance and reheated while you grill the fish.
Roasted Vegetable Pasta
Zucchini, bell pepper and onion combine to create a delicious medley of flavor and color in this healthy vegetable pasta dish.
Grilled Halloumi & Summer Vegetable Tacos
Because of its semi-firm texture, halloumi is prone to sticking to the grill. Be sure to oil the grill grates well before adding the brined Cypriot cheese.
Sheet-Pan Caprese Pizza
This light and flavorful caprese pizza is ready when the tomatoes are just heated through and the mozzarella cheese is slightly melted. If you want a little more on this pizza, it'd be delicious with a few slices of prosciutto. Chef tip: Let your dough come up to room temperature before you stretch it—it'll make it much easier to work with.
Blackberry BBQ Pork Chops with Collards & Corn
Steaming corn right on top of the collards saves time and dirties fewer pots in this easy dinner recipe. Skip bottled BBQ sauce and mash blackberries with some pantry staples to yield a finger-licking-good barbecue sauce for the juicy pork chops. To make it even faster, grab a bag of prechopped collards from the produce section.
Grilled Eggplant & Tomato Pasta
The combination of slightly smoky grilled eggplant and sweet tomatoes is delightful. The eggplant-tomato mixture served over whole-wheat pasta with fresh basil and a bit of salty cheese makes an easy, healthy weeknight dinner.
Taco-Stuffed Zucchini
These stuffed zucchini boats are filled with all your favorite taco ingredients like seasoned meat, cheese and avocado. They're perfect for a a low-carb alternative on taco night or a great kid-friendly way to sneak in more vegetables.
Parmesan-Crusted Cauliflower with White Beans & Tomatoes
This Parmesan-crusted cauliflower makes a flavorful and hearty vegetarian main that is ready in under an hour. A generous amount of cooking spray helps the panko breadcrumb coating on these cauliflower steaks get nice and crispy.
Grilled Shrimp Tostadas
Grilling gives these shrimp tostadas a boost of smoky flavor. Skewering the shrimp prevents them from falling through the grates while getting even char on each side. If you have a grill basket, you can throw them in that instead; just make sure to get them into a single layer so they don't steam.
French Onion Pork Chops with Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale
Fans of French onion soup will love sinking their teeth into these smothered pork chops. Served with a mess of garlicky veggies, these French onion pork chops are a weeknight winner.
Read the original article on Eating Well.