Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (July 17 – 23)

A little birdie told us your schedule is packed this summer. Between camp drop-offs, beach days and pool hangs, who has time to squeeze in cooking dinner? Don’t fret, friend: We have seven easy, impressive meals to cook this week that will be on the table in 30 minutes or less. (Heck, some only need 15 or 20.) Not only are they easy enough for beginners to tackle, but they’re also seasonal and kid-friendly, if we do say so ourselves.

This lightning-fast meal is packed with protein and veggies. Carbs need not apply, since traditional pasta is swapped for spiralized summer zucchini. Serve with a spritz of lemon, a flourish of chopped parsley and a glass of white wine. (Better yet, treat yourself after making dinner in 20 minutes flat with something sweet that pairs well, like a Talenti Alphonso Mango Mini Sorbetto Bar.)

Even picky eaters will love this cheesy, herbaceous chicken main, which uses store-bought basil pesto for a low-lift boost of flavor. Swap the breasts for thighs or add fresh corn kernels to the mix: Just be sure to use the prettiest farmers market tomatoes you can find. 

Believe it or not, this decadent dish is totally vegan. Instead of cream or milk, the key to the sauce is raw cashews, corn and a few pantry seasonings. Once blended with starchy pasta water, the thickened sauce is primed for lacquering long, tender pappardelle. 

Plant-based eaters will be charmed by this fish-free spin on poke. Instead of raw tuna, watermelon stars in the well-balanced bowl, alongside a nutty, zingy dressing that brings the produce to life. Did we mention it’s no cook?

Weekends are for flexing your grill skills. Wow your guests (or your roommates) with ginger-kissed chicken breasts, charred corn on the cob and tender asparagus, cooked in foil packets that make cleanup refreshingly painless.

If your kids like hot dogs, we’re betting these caramelized onion-crowned brats will be a hit—especially if you top ’em with ketchup (just don’t tell a Midwesterner). You’ll only need six ingredients to prepare the unexpected handhelds; the rest is all toppings. We’re partial to pickles and kraut.

_{Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.}