21 Easy Weeknight Dinners for August
Blink, and somehow it’s August. The good news? Late summer might just be the most delicious time of year. Which means cooking starts with wandering the market and letting the best-looking produce decide what’s for dinner.
Luckily, August is overflowing with ingredients to make that decision easy. Heirloom tomatoes like water balloons about to burst! Overflowing baskets of satsuma plums! A bouquet of basil that doubles as a centerpiece! Tote it all home. These 21 easy weeknight dinners lean into the season, offering ways to put that haul to good use. Think hearty salads and feel-good pastas. You’ll also find plenty of one-pot dinners, 30-minute meals, and make-ahead moments built for busy nights. From sweet corn fried rice to sippable Spanish gazpacho, these August weeknight dinner ideas are ones you’ll turn to all month long, while your kitchen counter runneth over with the season’s best.
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi1/21Basil Chicken Stir-Fry
This simple weeknight dinner combines tender chicken with heaps of sweet, fragrant basil. No basil on hand? Baby spinach makes an easy substitute.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Christina Allen2/21Steak Salad With Feta Dressing
Photograph by Scott Semler, Prop Styling by Maggie Dimarco, Food Styling by Drew Aichele3/21Street-Corn Pork Stir-Fry
Photograph by Andre Rucker, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht4/21Cocoa-Blackened Chicken Thighs With Stone Fruit
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness5/21Green Curry–Glazed Salmon
Canned green curry paste does most of the work for a dish that tastes as if you tried much harder than you did.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams6/21Grilled Halibut With Basil-Shallot Butter
This grilled fish dinner comes together in 10 minutes and pairs well with grilled asparagus or quick coleslaw. Don’t want to break out the food processor? Chop the herbs and shallot finely, then mash into room-temperature butter.
Bobbi Lin8/21Shrimp Tacos With Pineapple
These sheet pan tacos are “super quick and easy to make,” writes one reader. Tossed in sriracha, the shrimp get a bit glazed from mingling with the drippings from charred pineapple. “We paired it with cilantro lime rice.”
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams9/21Corn Furikake Fried Rice
Next time you have leftover rice in the fridge, make this. With two parts fresh corn to one part rice, this stir-fry is hearty enough to stand on its own for dinner, but it also makes a great side for any late-summer party.
Photograph by Heami Lee Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Prop Styling by Emma Ringness10/21Peruvian-Style Tofu With Creamy Cilantro Sauce
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Thu Buser11/21Big Bean Ceviche
Don’t bother turning on the stove to make dinner. Instead, turn to canned butter beans marinated in a citrusy tomato sauce. Director of cooking Emma Laperruque plans to have this on repeat: “Love that you can make it a couple hours ahead!” she says.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Christine Keely13/21Ratatouille
This Provençal classic is made from a medley of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. To keep things simple, our version is cooked in one pot, entirely on the stovetop.
Photograph by Scott Semler, Prop Styling by Maggie Dimarco, Food Styling by Drew Aichele14/21Spaghetti With So Much Zucchini
Put your farmers market zucchini haul to work in this pasta recipe. Loosely inspired by pasta Amatriciana, three pounds of zucchini stand in for tomatoes.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kelsi Windmiller15/21Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles)
With just four ingredients and a handful of ice, this refreshing Japanese soba is the perfect way to beat the heat. Dress up your bowl with whatever you have around—say, grated daikon and nori or sliced cucumber and a boiled egg.
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams16/21Buttermilk Corn Pasta
Keep a tub of buttermilk powder on hand to make this quick pasta sauce, balanced by sweet summer corn and the chile heat of jalapeños.
Photograph by Heami Lee Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Prop Styling by Emma Ringness17/21Stone Fruit and Salami Panzanella
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Christina Allen18/21Grilled Arayes With Creamy Cucumber Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams19/21Halal Cart Chicken Salad
Use store-bought rotisserie chicken (or leftover grilled chicken) to make this salad inspired by a street cart staple.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Anna Billingskog20/21The Basically Burger
No grill? No problem. This juicy burger is cooked on the stovetop and cloaked in American cheese. The toppings? That’s up to you.
