30 Lazy June Dinner Ideas to Make Every Night This Month (2024)

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Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen

Your favorite herb-packed salad dressing, but make it pasta sauce. A trio of fresh tarragon, basil and chives is the key to this vibrant dish's heavenly flavor. (The dollop of ricotta on top doesn't hurt either.)

Peter Som

Minimal prep, modest cooking time and almost no cleanup? I call that a win-win-win. (TBH, if those boxes aren't checked, I'm not turning on the oven.) You could use the tahini-honey glaze on another kind of fish, like halibut or cod, if salmon isn't your thing.

Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen

Make the most of strawberry season with this simple, ten-minute salad. The fruit is marinated in rice vinegar and honey, which releases all its juices and dresses the greens without much effort on your part. Add grilled chicken or baked tofu for more protein.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

With a store-bought rotisserie chicken on your side, the dinner options are endless. Here, it's tossed in bottled Buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing for 20-minute wraps that don't require a moment of cooking (well, besides toasting the tortillas to make them pliable).

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Whoever said soup was reserved for cold weather never had the pleasure of eating this mind-blowingly simple meal that comes together in a blender. Don't skip the crusty, cheesy baguette on the side—it's the ideal pairing for dipping.

Allison Day/Modern Lunch

A whole chicken? Fine. A whole chicken with potatoes and spinach, finished with tangy yogurt and pretty pomegranate arils? Divine. The entire dish can be prepped for cooking in about five minutes, and any leftovers will keep in your fridge for up to four days.

Heidi Swanson/Super Natural Simple

It's incredible what a difference fresh herbs and lemon zest can make. They're crucial for zhuzhing up this foolproof salad starring canned white beans. Smash the beans over toast, serve them atop greens or wash them down with white wine.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

It's buttery and bright like the O.G., but contains a fraction of the carbs, thanks to spiralized zucchini. Even better, you'll only need ten ingredients to pull off the dish, and most of them are likely in your kitchen right now. Make it as low-lift as possible by using store-bought zoodles instead of cutting your own.

Matt Russell/Cook Simply, Live Fully

This 20-minute powerhouse proves that you don't need to use every ingredient in your fridge and pantry to make a knockout dinner. The recipe only calls for seven components—and that's including salt and olive oil. Serve the chicken with plain, coconut or miso-infused rice.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

'Tis the season to stuff every farmers market squash you can get your hands on into your roomiest tote bag. This one-pan skillet pasta is the best way to show off your haul. Substitute zucchini if you'd like—just be generous with the ricotta.

Eva Kolenko/The Modern Proper

Despite its gourmet appearance, this elegant dinner is only 25 minutes away. You can cook the skirt steak on the grill if the weather's right, but the recipe calls for charring it under your broiler instead for fuss-free prep.

Doaa Elkady/The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook

This lightning-fast pasta is inspired by macarona bi laban, an Arabic dish that stars a glossy, garlicky yogurt sauce. The O.G. sauce is complemented by nutty tahini for good measure. If you want to go all out, top each plate with hashweh, an herby spiced Lebanese stuffing of rice, meat and nuts.

Kate Sears/The Modern Table

Foolproof, fast and nutritious, this is arguably the most flexible weeknight dinner of all time. Prepare the herb crumb and store it in the fridge a few days ahead to save time, or swap in crumbled potato chips as a salty substitute for breadcrumbs.

Amy Neunsinger/Magnolia Table

When summer's tastiest peaches are ripe for the taking, why worry about cooking? Simply slice, season and assemble them on a plate with fresh mozzarella and torn basil. Add heirloom tomatoes or prosciutto to the mix if you'd like.

Caramelized plantains, fresh produce and a sweet-and-sour lime-maple dressing unite for an unexpected salad your guests will ask for seconds of. Black-eyed peas give the dish a boost of plant-based protein, so it can hold its own as a main with ease.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially those who'll get to sink their teeth into these tender, juicy skewers. Don't let the meat intimidate you: These are practically foolproof (and the chimichurri is even simpler).

Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Katherine Gillen

No hate to kale Caesar, but I've been craving a new go-to summer salad recipe to lean on when I'm feeling lazy. This gem—made with radicchio, frisée, Granny Smith apples and pistachios—will be ready in a flash if you prep the herby ranch dressing in advance. Serve it with a side of grilled chicken to make it a complete meal.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Thanks to store-bought flatbread (and any veggies hiding in your crisper drawer), this summer pizza goes from oven to table in about 15 minutes flat. The recipe calls for a summery mix of zucchini, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes, but you could add just about any produce you'd like.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Crispy fish topped with a mound of light, vinegary light and tangy coleslaw is an easy win. Add fresh pico de gallo, avocado and crispy tortilla chips to the mix, and you have a salad for the books. Might I suggest drizzling the entire platter with avocado crema or chipotle mayo?

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

The spatchco*cked bird cooks to perfection in an hour, you won't have to dirty your entire kitchen to make it (since it's cooked on the grill) and the leftovers will make a mean chicken salad. Wait, you don’t knowhow to spatchco*ck chicken? It’s as easy as removing the backbone.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

It’s officially summer, meaning the weather is perpetually hot. Are you turning your oven on to make this barbecue essential? I think not. Let the Crockpot do all the heavy lifting, then serve the sammies with plenty of coleslaw and mac and cheese.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

The cooling, cucumber-kissed yogurt sauce is the ultimate match for light turkey burgers dappled with herbs, onion and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve 'em with Greek salad, or potato chips or French fries if you're feeling decadent.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

I usually reserve these vegan handhelds for a picnic, since they can be made up to two days ahead without turning soggy in the fridge. (Thanks, hearty collards.) But they're substantial enough to serve for dinner as well, courtesy of protein-packed hummus and peanut butter dip.

Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen

At my place, savory pie is always invited to dinner. Use multicolored heirloom carrots for a rustic look; they'll make the tart so pretty that your guests won't realize you started with store-bought puff pastry and jarred pesto.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

It's a 30-minute meal that tastes like you're dining on the French Riviera, minus the hassle of a long flight. If that isn't très chic, I don't know what is. Pass the aioli and a hunk of crusty baguette for dunking, s'il vous plaît.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

It’s hot and humid, so you’re craving something crisp and cool. Enter these fish-free poke bowls, which require zero cooking and are photogenic to boot. (Your Instagram followers are about to be so jealous.) In case you need help cutting the watermelon, I have you covered.

Matt Russell, Rachel Vere and Matt Hague/The Modern Spice Rack

You'll be shocked how easy chippy-caliber fish and chips are to make at home. For impossibly crispy white fish (take your pick of hake, haddock or sole), chill it after breading to allow the egg and flour to set. This will help the coating adhere as it fries.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

This is a buttery, charred dish that's best served with a glass of white wine on the patio. You can thank us once you taste it (or after your notoriously picky eater asks for a second helping). I won't tell if you bookmark it now to make in the off-season with canned corn.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

I love all no-cook meals, but those that are ready to devour *this* quickly are hands-down my favorites. All you need is a blender (countertop or immersion) or food processor and a boatload of ripe summer produce to put this stunner on the table.

Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen

You made it to the end of June—congrats! Your reward? Homemade pizza that offers cheese, fluffy crust and garlic, along with crisp, peppery arugula. (Balance is everything, no?) Crown it with a generous flurry of Parmesan cheese and you're in business.

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Food Editor

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...