We’ve been grilling a lot this summer and eating our fair share of tacos, too. But after my mom called, raving about the absolute perfection of the fresh veggies she got at the farmer’s market this week, I wanted to focus on summer veggies for our meals this week.
These meal plan ideas are all dinners that will highlight the best vegetables you can find at your local market or grocery store this week, and they’re all light and summery and full of flavor. You will find yourself craving these, I promise!
This post contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission from certain purchases to help support the work we do at no additional cost to you.
At top: Stuffed Poblano Peppers at Dinner at the Zoo; Crispy Lemon Feta with Spicy Chickpeas and Basil Orzo at Halfbaked Harvest
Related: 5 ways to get kids to eat more vegetables—no bribing, begging, or fighting required
Whenever I start thinking about this Crispy Lemon Feta with Spicy Chickpeas and Basil Orzo at Halfbaked Harvest, my mouth waters. No joke. I didn’t think I was a fan of feta, but this recipe has changed me. And it even tastes delicious with vegan feta, if you don’t or can’t eat dairy. It’s bright and crispy and rich and just so good, and it’s always my go-to recipe when we have extra zucchini lying around.
Load these Chipotle Chicken Skewers at Keto Diet up with all the veggies. This is a fun way for kids to get excited about eating vegetables, since they’re already bite-sized. (Pro tip: call them fun-sized. It works.) This is also an easy recipe to use if you’re challenging your kids to “eat the rainbow” each day, and they can knock a whole lot of colors off their checklist in one dinner.
On hot summer nights I like a cool dinner, and this Zucchini Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce at From My Bowl is a tasty one. You’ll get lots of protein from the edamame, but if you want you can add some grilled pork, fish or chicken to go with this. If you don’t already have a spiralizer in your kitchen, this recipe is excuse enough to get one.
For your #TacoTuesday, switch things up and make these Stuffed Poblano Peppers at Dinner at the Zoo instead. It makes great use of in-season peppers right now, not to mention the other yummy veggies in the filling mix. The individual servings are a fun way to present them with dinner…and you can always bribe your kid with chips and salsa on the side, too.
Don’t let the looks of this creamy pasta with peas and bacon at Salted Mint deceive you: it’s not too heavy for summer, thanks to the loads of lemon zest you add to the sauce. I absolutely love this with fresh peas, but you could really use any fresh summer green vegetable, from asparagus to sugar snap peas. I make this our main course, but you could also serve it as a side with some grilled protein to cut back on carbs.
