Weeknight Meal Planner: 07/09/18

Toasty bread, juicy tomatoes, melty cheese, and smoky bacon—what’s not to love? These decadent grilled sandwiches are the perfect place to put your ripe summer tomatoes, and pair beautifully with a light, refreshing summer soup. While you could certainly prepare them in a skillet on the stove, going to the grill takes these superb summer sandwiches to the next level.

Using a blend of spiralized summer squash and zucchini “noodles,” this light and bright summer entree is as refreshing as they come. We absolutely love the fresh flavors this simple green goddess dressing packs into the dish; any leftover dressing would be great for dipping veggies into for an easy snack. Taking advantage of already steamed shrimp from the seafood counter of your favorite grocery store keeps this vibrant dish entirely no-cook and incredibly speedy. And to save a few extra minutes, you can grab containers of pre-spiralized vegetables from the produce section. In order to prevent sogginess, wait until it’s time to eat before assembling the components of your zoodle bowl. 

Picking up already steamed shrimp from the seafood counter of your favorite grocery store is a great time saving trick—and it can help keep your oven turned off during the summer months. Thus, these no-cook noodle bowls are packed with fresh flavors and textures, but take mere minutes to assemble. They’re just the low-effort, highly refreshing weeknight-friendly recipe you need during the hottest days of the year. 

Cool, creamy, and loaded with fresh flavor, this is just about the most perfect summer soup we could imagine. Plus, it’s a great no-cook recipe for when the heat of summer hits and you want to keep your kitchen cool. While a large blender helps here, you could certainly prepare the soup in two batches and stir them together at the end. Serve as a light lunch or appetizer with crusty bread—or for a more substantial meal, this chilled watercress-cucumber soup is a delicious partner to our Ultimate Grilled Tomato Sandwich. In order to get sour cream that “swirls” into the soup (instead of sinking to the bottom), you’ll need to thin it out with a bit of water. In a small bowl, simply whisk together a 2-to-1 ratio of sour cream and water, and you’ll be good to go.

A classic favorite from the chip aisle delivers extra personality and crunch to this family-friendly twist on chicken Parm. The boost of pizza flavor from the Pringles is a welcome addition—not to mention,  one the kids are sure to love.

When blueberries are in season, you find a reason to tuck them into just about anything and everything. Why? Because a burst of blueberry has a way of making almost everything better; that’s certainly the case with these corn muffins. Plump summer blueberries and corn are simply meant for one another. The fresh berries bring a fresh sweetness to the muffins, as well as moisture that makes for an insanely tender muffin. The buttermilk in this recipe is also key to achieving an exceptionally soft, rich muffin. The muffins bake at a high temperature in order to to get the golden color and crispy edges that you expect from classic cornbread. These hearty and delightful muffins are ideal both for a relaxed weekend brunch with friends, as well as an on-the-go breakfast while running out the door in the morning.