If there's one thing my post-Memorial Day brain wants this month, it's to do the least amount of cooking possible while still taking advantage of summer produce (looking at you, heirloom tomatoes) and warm weather. With these June dinner ideas, you can spend a little less time in the kitchen and a little more time in the yard soaking up the sun—and sipping a refreshing wine cocktail. Read on for 30 of my favorite meals to serve this time of year, including plenty of no-cook gems.
30 Lazy June Dinner Ideas to Make Every Night This Month
Love you, skillet gnocchi
June 1: Green Goddess Pasta
June 3: Strawberry, Basil and Arugula Salad with Lots of Black Pepper
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.
June 4: Buffalo Chicken Wraps with Blue Cheese and Celery
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).
June 5: 15-Minute Cucumber-Avocado Blender Soup
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.
June 6: Sheet Pan Persian Lemon Chicken
June 7: Five-Minute Bean Salad
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.
June 8: 20-Minute Shrimp Scampi Zoodles
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.
June 9: Chicken Thighs with Chili Crisp
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.
June 10: Skillet Pasta with Summer Squash, Ricotta and Basil
'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.
June 11: Summer Vegetable Steak Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
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.
June 12: Spaghetti with Garlicky Yogurt Sauce
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.
June 13: 15-Minute Herb-Crumbed Fish
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.
June 14: Joanna Gaines’s Peach Caprese Salad
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.
June 15: Sweet and Spicy Plantain Salad
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.
June 16: Steak Skewers with Chimichurri Sauce
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).
June 17: Bitter Greens Salad with Herby Ranch Dressing
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.
June 18: Cheater’s Vegetarian Pizza with Zucchini and Bell Peppers
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.
June 19: Fish Taco Salad
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?
June 20: Cheater’s Whole Grilled Chicken and Vegetables
The spatchcocked 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 know how to spatchcock chicken? It’s as easy as removing the backbone.
June 21: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
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.
June 22: Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce
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.
June 24: Carrot-Ricotta Tart with Pesto and Pine Nuts
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.
June 25: Moules-Frites (Steamed Mussels and Fries)
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.
June 26: Watermelon Poke Bowls
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.
June 27: Za’atar Fried Fish with Preserved Lemon Tartare
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.
June 28: Summer Skillet Gnocchi with Grilled Corn and Burrata
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.
June 29: 15-Minute Gazpacho with Cucumber, Red Pepper and Basil
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.
June 30: Skillet Salad Pizza
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.