5 Quick Dinners for the Start of Summer

For when you're short on time and energy.

By
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva is a trained chef, registered dietitian, recipe writer, and food photographer, specializing in modern Jewish cuisine. She runs Nosh with Micah, her personal blog.
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Published June 16, 2025
Micah Siva
Two sandwiches filled with ground meat, lettuce, and tomato on a plate, with a Simply Weeknight Recipes logo

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

With summer in full force, my toddler is enrolled in a summer day camp with shorter hours than his typical daycare. This means that I spend more time chasing him around the kitchen than I do making dinner. With this in mind, I need summer-inspired recipes that are colorful, easy, and somewhat kid-friendly.

This week, I’m solo parenting, which means that I can finally eat what I feel like and disregard my husband’s likes and dislikes. That means mushrooms! Fish! Cooked tomatoes! Cooked onions! Eggplant! Zucchini! Rejoice!

  • Pesto Pasta Salad

    A bowl of pasta salad with rotini, cherry tomatoes, peas, and pesto sauce, on a table with a striped napkin

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    I know my kid will always eat pasta with pesto. This week, I’m adding goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, roasted eggplant, and zucchini (at least to my bowl!), for a simple pasta salad that I can also eat for lunch.

  • Tilapia with Olives, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

    Tilapia with Olives Mushrooms Tomatoes

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    Founder Elise Bauer shares, "Tilapia are mild tasting, and fresh vegetables can really shine and highlight this relatively inexpensive fish. Feel free to use any tender white fish fillet with this recipe, for example cod or red snapper."

  • Chopped Cheese

    Two Halves of a Chopped Cheese Sandwich on a Plate

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

    Simple Recipes editors note, "The humble chopped cheese sandwich, like many iconic regional sandwiches, is a product of working-class neighborhoods and a blending of immigrant stories. It’s affordable, appealing, customizable, and readily available when hunger strikes–if you happen to live in a neighborhood of New York City where you can cruise into a corner store and order one."

  • Chicken Mango Lettuce Wraps

    chicken mango lettuce wraps

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    I love the lightness of lettuce wraps during warmer months, and they are the perfect way to get rid of some of the leftover vegetables and fruits in the fridge. I like to add thinly sliced red peppers, peas, and cucumber, and will be making this with extra firm tofu in place of chicken for a quick dinner! I also like to serve this with rice noodles for a little extra bulk.

    Continue to 5 of 5 below

  • Grilled Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

    Portobello mushroom pizza with pepperoni on the grill

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    My husband doesn’t like portobello mushrooms. That means that when he’s out of town, I’m adding them to my shopping cart! I’m topping mine with a three-cheese blend of mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan cheese and drizzling with a little bit of truffle oil for a mushroom-forward dinner. I’ll serve it with a simple arugula salad for an easy meal.

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