22 Low-Carb, High-Protein Dinners for Summer

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Published on July 4, 2023

Reviewed by Dietitian

Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken — Photo: Jason Donnelly

Enjoy the summer harvest with these nutritious dinner recipes. These dishes highlight seasonal produce like spinach, tomato and zucchini, all while staying under 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving to help you meet your nutrition 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 our Chicken & Zucchini Casserole and Chopped Power Salad with Chicken for a tasty and satiating meal you'll want on your dinner table all summer long.

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20-Minute Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet

20-Minute Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet — Jamie Vespa

Salmon fillets cook quickly and are coated with a delicious creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. This easy salmon dinner is sure to become a new weeknight favorite the whole family will love. The best news: you can get this meal on the table in 20 minutes flat.

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Chicken & Zucchini Casserole

Chicken & Zucchini Casserole — Photographer /Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall

This baked chicken and zucchini casserole is creamy, hearty and low-carb! The whole family will love this easy casserole, plus it's a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies.

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Pesto Chicken Bake

pesto chicken bake

This pesto chicken bake is easy to make as well as delicious! The chicken stays moist while the cheese on top gets bubbly and crispy. The pesto, mozzarella and tomato combination is a home run every time. Serve the chicken over pasta or your favorite grain.

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Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata

This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Make it for breakfast, or serve for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette.

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Chopped Power Salad with Chicken

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken — Jason Donnelly

Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.

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Zucchini Enchiladas

Using thinly sliced zucchini in place of tortillas is a great way to cut back on carbs and still enjoy cheesy chicken enchiladas. If you like the heat, opt for a spicy enchilada sauce.

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Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal.

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Cheesy Zucchini Quiche

Cheesy Zucchini Quiche

This cheesy crustless zucchini quiche has plenty of leeks and zucchini enveloped in a light custard. Feta and fontina cheeses add a rich depth of flavor. Serve it for brunch or anytime you have extra zucchini on hand.

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Pesto Salmon

Pesto Salmon — Will Dickey

Herby and bright pesto coats tender salmon fillets in this quick and healthy fish dish. Colorful cherry tomatoes burst and combine with shallots to complement the pesto in this fast and simple weeknight dinner.

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Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad

Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules on meat cookery, but in this recipe we do it intentionally in order to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.

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One-Pot Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta

One-Pot Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta — Jason Donnelly

Thanks to quick-cooking shrimp, this one-pot meal comes together in record time. Tomatoes add a burst of color and acidity, while chopped basil brings freshness. Serve over pasta or whole grains.

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Gochujang-Glazed Salmon with Garlic Spinach

Gochujang-Glazed Salmon with Garlic Spinach — Jacob Fox

Gochujang, a Korean red chile paste, and honey give this salmon a little bit of sweetness and a whole lot of spice.

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Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach

Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach — Diana Chistruga

This simple, ultra-quick chicken dinner—packed with spinach and peppers—is delicious on its own or served over brown rice or your favorite pasta.

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Mahi-Mahi with Spicy Tomato-Fennel Sauce

Mahi-Mahi with Spicy Tomato-Fennel Sauce — Jason Donnelly

Check for sustainable mahi-mahi options at SeafoodWatch.org. And don't chuck the greens that grace a fennel bulb! Those fronds brighten and carry the flavors of this ultra-quick dinner. If your bulb doesn't have fronds, sub fresh dill in their place.

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20-Minute Chicken Cutlets with Garlic Tomato Sauce

Chicken Cutlets with Garlicky Tomato Sauce — Jason Donnelly

This quick-cooking, high-protein chicken dish is perfect for any weeknight. Here, we cook down cherry tomatoes with a little wine until they burst and become jammy—making a luscious sauce to pair with chicken. A pinch of sugar at the end balances the sauce's acidity.

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Shrimp Scampi Zoodles

Classic garlicky shrimp scampi gets 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 while taking on the flavor of whatever sauce you serve them with. Make sure you salt and drain the zoodles, otherwise your final dish will be soupy and the flavor will be diluted.

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Roasted Salmon Caprese

roast salmon with tomatoes and mozzarella on a white plate pictured on a blue background

This oven-ready recipe is snap to prep. Salmon fillets and cherry tomatoes roast side by side on one pan, then are drizzled with balsamic glaze to pull it all together.

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Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

This easy lemon-garlic chicken recipe calls for cutlets, which 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 your knife parallel to the board, slice into the skinny side of the chicken breast in a single smooth motion. The side of green beans is cooked right in the same pan as the chicken, so this 20-minute easy, healthy dinner is not just a snap to prepare—the cleanup is a cinch too.

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Skillet Pork Chops with Peas, Carrots & Pearl Onions

This superfast one-dish dinner is full of classic flavor and is such a crowd pleaser that you'll want to work it into your regular weeknight dinner rotation. We call for bone-in pork chops to maximize flavor, but boneless pork chops are a fine substitution. To round out this meal a little more, serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

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Pork Chops with Balsamic Sweet Onions

Balsamic onions and raisins add a burst of sweet and savory flavor to pan-seared pork chops. Round out this healthy dinner recipe with sweet potatoes and green beans.

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Hot Honey Grilled Shrimp

Hot Honey Grilled Shrimp — Jason Donnelly

Shrimp are coated in sweet heat thanks to hot honey and Sriracha. If you want to take the heat down a notch, use regular honey instead.

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One-Pan Chicken with Basil-Anchovy Butter & Shishito Peppers

Don't skip the anchovies in this healthy chicken thigh recipe. Their fishiness blends in, adding salty, umami flavor, so that even skeptics of the salty little fish won't protest. And this healthy skillet dinner is cooked in one pan and takes just 20 minutes to prep--in case you need more selling points for this recipe.

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