What's for Dinner This Week: No-Bake Lasagna, Swordfish Skewers, and a Must-Make Chowder
Wondering what to make for dinner? Need some inspiration? Here's our list of suggestions: dinner recipes that take less than an hour of mostly hands-off time. Yes, there will be pasta (or noodles!) and, yes, it will be delicious. We'll be here every Friday with five weeknight dinners, including recipes, shopping lists, and everything you need to streamline your week ahead.
Fast, flavorful, and summery: If our weeknight dinner recipes have a theme this week, that's how we'd describe it. We're grilling when we can and enjoying as much of the corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and other seasonal produce favorites as possible—it's August, after all. That's not surprising, but what might be is how fast some of our meals come together. You can and should make dinner in 25 or 30 minutes with these recipes.
Related: Main-Course Salads That Are Packed with Protein
What to Buy
The produce and fresh ingredients you need to buy for your meals this week:
What to Make
No-Bake Lasagna with Ricotta and Tomatoes
You love lasagna, but really, are you going to make it in August? Instead, give this no-bake summer take on the comfort-food classic a spin. The only cooking required is for the pasta, and the whole dish takes 25 minutes—it's a revelation.
Pork Buns with Bok Choy Slaw
Another night, another fast dinner—though this one will take you a full 30 minutes. The fast, flavorful recipe is a great way to use ground pork. The meat is stir-fried with the tasty trio of sambal oelek, hoisin sauce, and vinegar, then served in hot-dog buns.
Summer Smoked-Salmon Chowder
Tonight, we're turning on the stove for a delightful dinner recipe that's at once comforting and different. It's chowder, yes, but a touch unexpected. (We're not entering into any debate about the relative merits of New England versus Manhattan.) So, what makes this a fresh take on chowder? The smoked salmon; a small amount packs a ton of flavor. The supporting players are the traditional chowder stars: potatoes, corn, and zucchini.
Grilled Marinated Chicken Thighs
When in doubt, use this recipe—one of our summer go-tos—to grill these easy, delicious chicken thighs. It's a great example of our mantra to marinate after, not before. Simply seasoned chicken thighs are grilled then tossed with a lemony herb-packed sauce.
Double the recipe and you'll have sandwiches for tomorrow, something to place on top of an easy pasta, or leftovers to take on that weekend picnic. For today, pair the chicken with potato salad or plain rice and a simple lettuce salad—or maybe some grilled corn on the cob?
Swordfish with Watermelon and Lime-Ginger Citronette
Another night, another fast meal. You'd never guess that this main-dish salad, featuring a bright lime-ginger dressing over watermelon wedges and meaty grilled-swordfish kebabs, takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. That gives you time for a pre-dinner cocktail!
