20+ Low-Carb, High-Protein Dinners for Summer
Enjoy the summer harvest with these nutritious dinner recipes. These dishes highlight seasonal produce like spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini, all while keeping you under 15 grams of carbs per serving to help you reach your nutritional goals. Plus, these dinners provide at least 15 grams of protein from ingredients like eggs, chicken, beef, and salmon to help you stay full and satisfied. Try recipes like Chicken and Zucchini Casserole and Chopped Salad with Chicken for a delicious, filling meal you’ll want to have on the dinner table all summer long.
Pan fry salmon with creamy tomatoes for 20 minutes
Salmon fillets are cooked quickly and coated in a delicious, creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini, and Italian seasoning. This easy salmon dinner is sure to become a new weekend favorite that the whole family will love. Best news: You can have this meal on the table in 20 minutes.
Chicken and zucchini casserole
This baked chicken and zucchini casserole is creamy, delicious, and low carb! The whole family will love this easy casserole, plus it’s a great way to get kids eating their veggies.
Pesto chicken bread
This pesto chicken bake is easy to make and delicious too! The chicken stays moist while the cheese on top becomes bubbly and crunchy. The combination of pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes is a homemade combination every time. Serve the chicken over pasta or your favorite grain.
Mozzarella, basil and zucchini omelet
This veggie-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. You can make it for breakfast, or serve it for lunch or dinner with a salad and a slice of crusty baguette drizzled with olive oil.
Chopped salad salad with chicken
Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing is made in the same bowl as the salad, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.
Zucchini enchiladas
Using thinly sliced zucchini instead of tortillas is a great way to cut down on carbs and enjoy cheesy chicken enchiladas. If you like heat, choose hot enchilada sauce.
Salmon and avocado stuffing
Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocado for an easy no-cook meal.
Zucchini quiche with cheese
This cheesy, crustless zucchini quiche contains lots of shallots and zucchini covered in a light custard. Feta and fontina cheeses add a rich depth of flavor. You can serve it for lunch or anytime you have extra zucchini on hand.
Salmon pesto
Herby, bright pesto coats tender salmon fillets in this quick and healthy fish dish. Colorful cherry tomatoes burst and combine with shallots to complement pesto in this quick and simple weeknight dinner.
Grilled steak with tomato salad
Cutting a steak right after cooking breaks all the rules of cooking meat, but in this recipe we do it intentionally in order to catch the juices and incorporate them into the marinade. Serve this grilled steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the delicious taste.
One Bowl Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
Thanks to quick-cooking shrimp, this one-pot meal comes together in record time. Tomatoes add a touch of color and acidity, while chopped basil brings freshness. Serve over pasta or whole grains.
Gochujang Glazed Salmon with Spinach and Garlic
Gochujang, Korean red pepper paste, and honey give this salmon a little sweetness and a lot of spice.
Lemon chicken with spinach
This simple, super-quick chicken dinner—full of spinach and peppers—is delicious on its own or served with brown rice or your favorite pasta.
Mahi Mahi with spicy tomato and fennel sauce
Check out sustainable mahi mahi options at SeafoodWatch.org. Do not throw away the greens that decorate the fennel bulb! Those fronds light up and carry the flavors of this super-quick dinner. If your onions don’t have fronds, put fresh dill in their place.
Chicken cutlets for 20 minutes with tomato sauce and garlic
This quick-cooking, protein-rich chicken dish is perfect for any night of the week. Here, we cook cherry tomatoes with a little wine until they burst and become jammy—creating a delicious sauce to pair with chicken. A little sugar at the end balances the acidity of the sauce.
Shrimp Scampi Zoodles
Classic shrimp prawns get a low-carb makeover in this easy dinner recipe. Zucchini noodles, also known as zoodles, are a healthier alternative to traditional pasta — they mimic the texture of pasta with the flavor of whatever sauce you serve them with. Make sure to add salt and drain the zoodles, otherwise your final dish will be soupy and the flavor will be diluted.
Grilled Salmon Caprese
This oven-ready recipe is easy to prepare. Toast salmon fillets and cherry tomatoes side-by-side in one skillet, then drizzle with balsamic glaze to bring them together.
Lemon garlic chicken with green beans
This easy lemon garlic chicken recipe calls for cutlets that cook in less than 10 minutes! Can’t find them? Make your own from chicken breasts. Place each breast on a cutting board and, with the knife parallel to the board, cut the thin side of the chicken breast in one smooth motion. The green bean side is cooked in the same pan as the chicken, so this easy, healthy 20-minute dinner is not only quick to prepare, but clean-up is easy, too.
Fried pork chops with peas, carrots and pearl onions
This super-quick, one-dish dinner is packed with classic flavor and is such a crowd pleaser that you’ll want to use it in your regular weeknight dinner rotation. We advocate bone-in pork chops for maximum flavor, but boneless pork chops are a good alternative. To complete this meal a little more, serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
Pork chops with sweet balsamic onions
Balsamic onions and raisins add a touch of sweet and salty flavor to these grilled pork chops. Complete this healthy dinner recipe with sweet potatoes and green beans.
Spicy honey grilled shrimp
The shrimp are coated with sweet heat thanks to the hot honey and Sriracha. If you want to turn down the heat a bit, use regular honey instead.
One-pan chicken with basil butter, anchovies, and shishito peppers
Don’t miss the anchovies in this healthy chicken thigh recipe. Their fishiness blends in, adding a salty, umami flavor that even salty little fish skeptics won’t protest. And this healthy skillet dinner is cooked in one skillet and takes just 20 minutes to prepare — in case you needed any more selling points for this recipe.
