Air Fryer Options

I cook with this large-basket air fryer (at least 6.5 qt capacity), which fits the chicken in this recipe in a single layer. You can also use a full-size oven with air fryer function: if so, you can make a double batch!

More Air Fryer Recipes To Try

• Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
• Air Fryer Shrimp
• Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
• Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
• Air Fryer Salmon Bites
• Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

Ingredients You’ll Need

Most of what you need is already in a well-stocked Mediterranean diet pantry. A quick tour of the key players:

• Rigatoni: I like rigatoni here because the wide tubes catch the chunky vegetables, but any short, ridged pasta (penne, spirals, ziti) works well.
• Cherry tomatoes: Try for ripe in-season tomatoes or there are many hothouse cherry tomatoes that taste great.
• Canned artichoke hearts: A Mediterranean diet pantry staple! I always have a few cans on hand.
• Green olives: Castelvetrano are my favorite (buttery, mild, not too briny), but any mild green olive works.
• Garlic, lemon zest, and Parmesan: These add big flavor dimension.
• Panko, smoked paprika, and fresh basil: The best part is the basil breadcrumb topping: sprinkle it as a required garnish before serving.

How to Make This Mediterranean Pasta

Here’s the rhythm of the recipe: full instructions are in the recipe below!

1. Boil the rigatoni in well-salted water until al dente, and reserve pasta water before draining.
2. Saute the cherry tomatoes in olive oil until they release their juices, then add the garlic, olives, and chopped artichoke hearts.
3. Make the basil breadcrumb topping by mincing fresh basil with panko, smoked paprika, and salt.
4. Toss everything together with lemon zest, grated Parmesan, and a splash of pasta water. Garnish with basil breadcrumbs before serving.

More Mediterranean Diet Recipes to Try

• Mediterranean Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
• Mediterranean Rice Bowl
• Mediterranean Salmon
• Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients You’ll Need

The best part about tuna salad is that you can make it using mostly pantry ingredients. Of course, you’ll need a ripe avocado. But other than the celery and onion, it’s a pantry friendly meal. Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthy lunch idea:

• Canned tuna: I usually use white meat (albacore), but light tuna works too. Water-packed makes it fresh and clean-tasting; oil-packed tastes a little richer. Both are great!
• Ripe avocado: This is the star, so make sure it’s ripe so that it can form the creamy sauce. See my guide on how to cut an avocado for the safe way to cut it.
• Celery: Needed for that signature tuna-salad crunch.
• Red onion: Just enough for sharpness.
• Dill pickles: My secret weapon! They bring that classic briny tang to the salad.
• Lemon juice: keeps the avocado from browning.
• Dijon mustard: Adds savory notes.

More Avocado Recipes To Try

• Add it to an Avocado Club Sandwich for a quick lunch
• Throw it into a Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich, a simple way to step up the standard
• Make Avocado Toast with Egg with bright yellow turmeric eggs
• Blend it into an Avocado Banana Smoothie
• Make tasty Crispy Avocado Tacos

Tips For Making Chicken Burgers That Aren’t Dry

Don’t skip this section! Ground chicken is very different to work with than ground beef. It has a lower fat content, so it’s not quite as naturally juicy and it doesn’t stick together as well. However, it makes a great burger! Here’s what to do:

1. Don’t overmix the meat. The more you handle ground chicken, the stickier it gets and the tougher the burgers are. Fold the seasonings in just until you no longer see streaks of bare meat. You’ll find you need to wash your hands a few times during the shaping process.

2. Spread the meat out before seasoning. Sprinkling the spice mix over a flat layer of chicken on a baking sheet means you can fold it in with two or three quick passes.

3. Chill the patties. Just 15 minutes in the fridge helps them firm up so they don’t fall apart when they hit the hot skillet.

4. Use a thermometer. Chicken needs to hit 165°F, but try not to overcook it or it will be tough. Use an internal read food thermometer for best results.

More Favorite Chicken Dinner Recipes

• Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Greek Chicken Bowls
• Chimichurri Chicken
• Grilled Chicken Salad
• Baked Chicken and Farro
• Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

More Vegetarian Grill Recipes

Outside of these fajitas on the grill, there are so many great vegetarian grill recipes for summer! Try these favorites:

• Try our 25 Vegetarian Grill Recipes
• Make a Grilled Veggie Burger
• Try Easy Grilled Tofu
• Opt for hearty Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Variations & Substitutions

• Swap the fish. Tilapia, halibut and cod would also work here; just adjust the cook time based on thickness.
• Add greens to the sauce. Before adding the salmon, stir a few large handfuls of baby spinach or arugula into the tomato sauce. It wilts down and adds color and nutrition.
• Make it dairy-free. Most store-bought pestos contain Parmesan: look for a vegan pesto option if necessary.
• Turn up the heat. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a tablespoon or two of jarred Calabrian chilis.

Print

More Salmon Recipes You’ll Love

• Oven Baked Salmon
• Grilled Salmon
• Mediterranean Salmon
• Stuffed Salmon
• Smoked Salmon

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Complete dinner in a bowl. Protein, greens, and vegetables all in one, no sides needed
• Weeknight-friendly or party ready. Do the active work of making the dressing and prepping the veggies during the marinading time.
• Super customizable. Swap proteins, greens, or dressings depending on what you have.

How To Make Grilled Chicken Salad

This grilled chicken salad recipe requires 30 minutes of marinating time, when you can prep the other salad components. Then grill the chicken and put it all together! Here’s the basic outline (or go to the full recipe):

Protein & Veggie Swap Ideas

This salad is so easily customizable to ingredients you have on hand and diet preferences! Many of us are cooking for multiple diets these days, and this one makes it easy to cook for many diets at once. Here are a few ideas:

• Change the protein to tofu, shrimp or salmon! Throw on grilled tofu to make a vegan version, or make grilled shrimp or grilled salmon.
• Make the protein with a different method. Try pan seared chicken breast, blackened chicken, Parmesan chicken, baked tofu, sauteed shrimp, or baked salmon.
• Swap in different vegetables. Use different greens like spinach or baby arugula. Add shredded carrots, bell peppers, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, or mushrooms.

What Goes in a Hummus Bowl

This concept is so simple for easy lunches and dinners where you don’t even have to think. It’s great for filler days of the week where you don’t want to cook, or you want to use up veggies in the fridge. There are a few elements that are required, and then lots of fancy toppings that can step it up from basic to beautiful. Here are the required elements in a hummus bowl:

The Essentials

• Hummus: find the best purchased brand you can, or make your own (see below)
• English cucumber: An English cucumber is long and thin with no tough skin, no seeds and a milder flavor than standard cucumber. Look for it in the produce section!
• Cherry tomatoes or red bell pepper: It’s nice to have a red element
• Olives: Kalamata olives add a satiating salty pop; try Castelvetrano olives as a milder option
• Red onion: or use shallot for a milder option
• Pita bread or gluten free crackers: It’s nice to have a bread item for dipping: use whatever fits your diet

Optional But Recommended

• Baby greens or chopped lettuce (optional): Baby greens add texture and nutrients
• Feta cheese (optional): A sprinkle adds another savory element; omit or try vegan feta for dairy-free
• Rice or another grain (optional): This makes the hummus bowl more filling, so it’s nice to include as a dinner option. We like using the microwavable pre-cooked rice packages for quick meals, or using leftover cooked rice or quinoa, farro, or even pastas like couscous or orzo.

More Mediterranean Recipes To Try

This hummus bowl is an ideal easy Mediterranean diet recipe that makes healthy eating fun! Here are a few more easy Mediterranean-style recipes to liven up your diet:

• Go for Mediterranean Tuna Salad
• Try Mediterranean Couscous Bowls Recipe
• Opt for 5-minute Simple Chickpea Salad
• Mix up a Greek Salad

How to Grill Halibut: Step by Step

This grilled halibut recipe calls for placing the fish fillets directly onto the grill grates: not foil! This infuses the best charred flavor into the fish (foil which blocks some of the flavor absorption). Here’s the basic idea for how to grill halibut:

• The temperature for grilled halibut? Medium high heat, or 375 to 450 degrees. Medium high heat makes for a perfectly cooked piece of fish. While you can cook at high heat and then finish at lower heat, we like the ease of grilling at one temperature.
• How long to cook grilled halibut? Cook for 3 to 4 minutes skin side up until grill marks form and the flesh starts to release from the grates. Flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes until flaky. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the fish: it should read 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

What to Serve Alongside

Got your fillets of grilled halibut? Let’s make it a meal! There are so many great sides to pair with this halibut recipe: especially those you can make on the grill! Here are a few ideas for making a meal:

• Grilled vegetables like these Best Grilled Vegetables (pictured)
• Grilled corn like Perfect Grilled Corn, Elote or Corn in Foil
• Grilled green vegetables like Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Green Beans, Grilled Broccolini, or Grilled Broccoli
• Rice like Lemon Rice or Basil Rice
• Salads like Corn Salad, Cucumber Salad, Potato Salad, or Green Bean Salad
• Slaws like Coleslaw, Cilantro Lime Slaw or Broccoli Slaw
• Desserts like Grilled Apples a La Mode, Grilled Bananas or Grilled Pineapple

More Grilled Fish Recipes To Try

Grilled fish always hits the spot! Try these other grilled fish recipes to add to your arsenal:

• Try amazing Easy Grilled Salmon
• Opt for Easy Grilled Tilapia or Perfect Grilled Cod
• Try Grilled Red Snapper
• Make Best-Ever Grilled Tuna Steak

Video: Watch Me Make This Chicken and Farro Recipe

More Easy Healthy Dinner Ideas To Try

• Mediterranean Rice Bowl
• Easy Shrimp and Rice Skillet
• Mediterranean Chicken
• Mediterranean Salmon

How to Grill Tuna Steak (Step by Step)

The basic concept behind grilled ahi tuna: you need to crank up your grill to the highest heat possible! To get a perfect sear on the outside and a raw inside, the hotter the better. Because grills vary, the exact temperature will be different based on your grill.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

To make sure this was really the best vegan lentil soup, I tested the recipe with a few of my readers. Luckily, this cozy soup went over better than expected with my real-life recipe testers! Here’s what they had to say:

• “Made the soup last night. I loved the flavor. My husband said this could easily go into regular rotation at our house!” -Laura
• “I made your Best Vegan Lentil Soup and totally agree with the title of the recipe! Delicious!” -Sarah

Flavor Secrets for Vegan Lentil Soup

This vegan lentil soup is full of big flavor, despite being made only with plants. Some recipes rely on bacon or sausage to keep eaters coming back for more, but this one does it without meat or dairy. Even my kids love this healthy recipe! Here are the tricks to making an irresistible lentil soup:

• Sauteed fennel brings a nuance in flavor. Using fresh fennel alongside onion adds a smoky, nuanced undertone to this soup. Find fennel in mainstream groceries in the produce section: it looks like a big onion with a fuzzy top (how to cut it!).
• Fire-roasted tomatoes lend a bright sweetness. Fire-roasted tomatoes taste sweeter out of the can than standard tomatoes, which can have a bitter finish. If you can’t find them, grab the best-quality canned tomatoes that you can.
• Adding garlic at the end of cooking amps the flavor. Garlic is usually added at the beginning of making a soup, when you’re sauteing the vegetables. But here, you’ll add minced garlic at the end, when the soup is done simmering. It adds even more flavor this way! Let the soup stand for 5 minutes to infuse the garlic aroma.

Nutrition Benefits of Lentils

Lentils are not only tasty, but they’re also full of nutritional benefits and are inexpensive to buy! So this vegan lentil soup is not only good for your pocketbook, it’s healthy too. Here are a few of the major nutritional benefits of lentils:

• They contain protein and fiber. Lentils are a good source of plant-based protein. 1 cup of cooked lentils has about 18 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber (per Harvard).
• They are low in fat and calories. Lentils have virtually no saturated fat and are a low-calorie food.

They’re Good for the Planet, Too!

Just what do lentils have to do with the planet? More than you may think. A recent New York Times article on food and climate change indicated that the world’s food system is responsible for about ¼ of the planet-warming greenhouse gases.

The chart in the article shows the difference between beef and lentils (grouped under Beans). Beef accounts for 40 times more greenhouse gases than lentils.

If that’s not motivation to make a vegan lentil soup once in a while, I’m not sure what is! For more ideas for what to make, try this Lentil Salad or Lentil Curry. Or, check out my top lentil recipes or vegan lentil recipes.

Variations to Try

Here are a few variations on lentil soup that you might enjoy:

• Got an Instant Pot? Make this exact soup using Instant Pot Lentil Soup!
• In the mood for curry flavor? Try my Curry Lentil Soup.
• Want a pureed soup? Try my Creamy Red Lentil Soup.
• Want to add even more veggies? My Butternut Squash Lentil Soup is a perfect fall dinner; it also stars leeks and leafy green kale.

What to Serve With It

What to serve with this lentil soup? Just a soup does not a meal make! (Unless you eat a few servings, which I often do.) Here are a few things I’d serve with this soup:

• Bread: Artisan Dutch Oven Bread and Multigrain Bread are perfect with soup; both are vegan, and the latter is full of whole grains. If you’re up for a bread challenge, try my Best Sourdough Bread.
• Cornbread: Amplify the cozy with a moist and lightly sweet cornbread. Try Homemade Cornbread, Classic Cornbread Muffins, or Easy Vegan Cornbread.
• Popovers: If you’re not going for a fully vegan meal, this Popover Recipe makes fluffy, eggy poofs that pair perfectly with soup.
• Salad: An obvious choice. Try my Favorite Chopped Salad, Easy Arugula Salad, or Best Tossed Salad.

More Lentil Recipes to Try

• Lentil Salad
• French Lentil Salad
• Hearty Lentil Stew
• Lentil Curry
• Seasoned Brown Lentils
• Masoor Dal (Indian Red Lentils)

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what goes into these grilled shrimp tacos (full amounts in the recipe card):

• Large shrimp (26–30 per pound): I use this size because they’re substantial enough to stay juicy on the grill without overcooking.
• Olive oil: Helps the spice rub stick.
• Cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and kosher salt: My simple but flavorful spice blend.
• Mexican coleslaw: This adds the crunch and a pop of bright flavor! You can make a full batch, or use my shortcut below.
• Small flour or corn tortillas: Corn keeps this recipe gluten-free; flour is softer and easier to fold.
• Mayonnaise + Mexican hot sauce: Cholula is my go-to for spicy mayo!
• Fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish: Don’t skip these: they tie everything together!

What to Serve with Grilled Shrimp Tacos

I served this healthy grilled shrimp tacos recipe at an outdoor dinner party, and it was a hit! Looking for some ideas on how to serve your tacos? Here’s what my dinner party menu looked like:

• Grilled Shrimp Tacos
• Refried Bean Dip or 5 Minute Bean Dip with tortilla chips
• Mexican Coleslaw (left over from the tacos!)
• Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
• Lime Frozen Daiquiris (or try Frozen Margaritas or any of my Best Margarita Recipes)
• Chopped Pineapple, for dessert

The first time I served this menu, my kids gobbled it all up! They especially loved dipping chips in the bean dip (of course!).

Ingredients in Pesto Grilled Cheese

Pesto grilled cheese is simple to whip up, but since there are only a few ingredients, you’ll want them to be as high-quality as possible. Homemade basil pesto has the best flavor and tastes so much fresher than store-bought; it’s a must if at all possible! Here’s what you’ll need for pesto grilled cheese:

• Basil pesto
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Monterey jack cheese
• Italian bread
• Butter

For the Pesto: Homemade vs Store-Bought

This pesto grilled cheese tastes best with homemade basil pesto made with fresh basil! Of course, I know that’s not always possible. But if you’re using purchased pesto, keep in mind that the flavor and quality of jarred pesto vary widely between brands. Many jarred brands taste intensely acidic or have an odd aftertaste. Here’s what to know:

• Homemade pesto has the best flavor! Basil Pesto is best homemade. Or, you can try Arugula Pesto or Kale Pesto, which have a slightly spicier flavor, or even Sun Dried Tomato Pesto.
• Purchased pesto brands vary greatly in flavor, with some being very acidic. Brands vary in their salt and acid levels. Some brands I have stopped using altogether because their bitter, acidic notes can overwhelm the dish.
• Some brands of refrigerated fresh pesto are now on the market (in the produce section). This type of pesto tends to have a better flavor than jarred pesto. Experiment to find one you love!

Best Bread to Use

What’s the best bread for a grilled cheese sandwich? I have some opinions! Here are a few pointers:

• Use an artisan bread. Wonderbread or mushy wheat bread just don’t work well for grilled cheese. Use an artisan bread like a crusty loaf or sourdough if you can.
• Make sure the bread is not too crusty. Artisan bread that’s too crusty can make for very tough crusts, which can be hard to bite. Here, I used store-bought sourdough bread with just the right texture.

Customize It

There are lots of ways to step up this pesto grilled cheese sandwich (you probably have lots of ideas). Just keep in mind, if you’re adding a tomato, make sure to slice it very thinly. Adding a tomato can make it harder to melt the cheese!

Here are a few ideas for adders to this pesto grilled cheese sandwich:

• Tomato, thinly sliced
• Sundried tomatoes
• Caramelized onions
• Honey
• Bacon
• Sundried tomato pesto instead of basil pesto

What else would you add to your pesto grilled cheese? Let me know in the comments below!

More Recipes With Pesto to Try

• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Pesto Tortellini
• Pesto Gnocchi
• Pesto Salmon
• Pesto Spaghetti

What is Tagliatelle?

Tagliatelle is a traditional Italian egg pasta with long, thin ribbons about 1/4-inch (6 mm) wide. The name comes from the Italian verb tagliare, meaning “to cut.” It is slightly wider than linguine (4 mm) and narrower than pappardelle (2.5 cm or 1 inch).

You can buy tagliatelle both dried and fresh. It is traditionally served with Bolognese sauce, but it also works with other tomato-based sauces and cream or butter-based sauces.

Ingredients in This Tagliatelle Pasta

This tagliatelle recipe is fast and easy to whip up, with a quick homemade marinara sauce. It uses my favorite Italian trick: dried tarragon! A little dried tarragon goes a long way in adding an herbaceous, intriguing flavor to this simple dish. You’ll want the best quality canned tomatoes for this one. Here’s what to have on hand:

• Dry or fresh tagliatelle
• Garlic cloves
• Unsalted butter
• Whole fire roasted or San Marzano tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Basil
• Tarragon
• Kosher salt
• To garnish: Fresh basil, Parmesan cheese

Use Fire Roasted or Best Quality Tomatoes

The key to this homemade marinara sauce recipe? The quality of the tomatoes; use fire-roasted or San Marzano if you can! Low-quality canned tomatoes have a bitter, flat flavor that can’t be masked by extra seasoning. Fire-roasted tomatoes have a pure, developed flavor with less simmering time. Here are a few notes on finding the best quality tomatoes:

• Fire-roasted tomatoes are a type of canned tomato that’s cooked over an open flame before canning. The flavor has sweet undertones before cooking, instead of being acidic like many canned tomato varieties.
• Where to find them? Fire-roasted tomatoes are becoming easy to find in grocery stores in the US; they’re sold by several brands (Muir Glen is my favorite). If they don’t have them, opt for San Marzano tomatoes or the best quality you can find.
• Can’t find them? Substitute the best quality canned tomatoes you can find and increase the simmer time by 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar if the flavor still seems bitter.

Fresh Tagliatelle vs Dried

Fresh tagliatelle pasta is best for this recipe, if you can find it! I found mine at a local pasta shop. If you can’t find it fresh, dried works too. Here are a few notes to remember about fresh vs dried pasta:

• The equivalent of 8 ounces of dry pasta = 12 ounces of fresh pasta. The fresh pasta weighs more because it contains more moisture.
• Fresh pasta takes about half the time to cook as dry pasta. Fresh tagliatelle takes about 3 minutes to cook.

More Ways to Serve It

This long, wide noodle works with other sauces, too! Here are a few more ways to serve tagliatelle:

• Try it with Arrabiata Sauce
• Make a traditional Bolognese Sauce
• Go for Creamy White Sauce and if desired, add sauteed mushrooms
• Make Easy Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce
• Opt for Pomodoro Sauce

More Pasta Recipes to Try

• Asparagus Pasta With Lemon
• Classic Red Sauce Pasta
• Creamy Gemelli Pasta
• Pasta alla Norma
• Shrimp Linguine

Ingredients You’ll Need

Let’s say you have just minutes to whip up dinner and you’re low on grocery ingredients. Maybe it’s the end of the week, you’re just back from traveling, or you haven’t had time to think about dinner. Garlic butter noodles to the rescue! This recipe calls for just 6 ingredients (plus salt) and comes together in 20 minutes. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Spaghetti noodles
• Garlic
• Salted butter
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• Lemon zest (optional)
• Fresh or dried parsley
• Kosher salt

If you don’t have any fresh ingredients, dried parsley flakes work in a pinch! Lemon zest adds a fresh punch to the flavor, but it’s not required if you don’t have a lemon on hand. Tip: Lemons stored in the refrigerator can last up to 1 month!

How to Cook Pasta to Al Dente

The best way to make garlic noodles that taste incredible? Cook the pasta to al dente! Al dente means “to the bite” in Italian. Most chefs agree that al dente is when pasta is tender with a small white speck inside when you bite into a piece. Here are a few tips for the perfect al dente pasta:

• Boil the pasta a few minutes less than the package instructions indicate. Often, the package makes for overcooked pasta.
• Start taste testing early. Start taste testing and stop cooking when the pasta is just tender, but you can still see a small white speck inside.

Tips for Garlic Butter Noodles

Garlic butter noodles are simple to put together, with only a few things to note about the method! Here are a few tips for this recipe:

• Mince the garlic very finely. It adds a pungent, irresistible flavor to this pasta.
• Remove the garlic from the heat after sauteing. You’ll sauté the garlic with the butter, then set it aside until the noodles are done. Don’t leave it on the heat, or it will keep cooking and may get too browned!
• Save out the pasta water! When you’re draining the pasta, don’t forget to save out a bit of the water. This starchy liquid helps to make the buttery pan sauce.

Notes on Serving Size

This garlic butter noodles recipe calls for 8 ounces of pasta, enough for 4 modest servings. However, if you eat it as a main dish, you may find it makes more like 2 to 3 servings. As a side dish, it can work for 4 to even 6 servings.

If you’re making it as a main dish, feel free to double the recipe if desired. To make it easy, click the 2X recipe button below!

More Easy Dinner Recipes to Try

• 35 Fast & Easy Dinner Ideas
• Easy Quesadilla
• Classic Tuna Melt
• Quick Hummus Bowls
• Easy Garlic Shrimp
• Brown Sugar Salmon

Ingredients for Grilled Salmon

How to Grill Salmon: Step by Step

Some people swear by cooking grilled salmon in foil. But in my recipe testing, I’ve found the very best way is right on the grill grates. This way, you get all the smoky flavor and a crispy exterior! Here are the basic steps for how to grill salmon, or see the full recipe below.