Summer is officially here, and with the warmer weather comes amazing seasonal produce. But all too often, once you’ve unpacked your grocery bags of all those ears of corn and heads of romaine and zucchini, you still need the supporting players to put together a solid meal. With grocery store shopping still a risky endeavor, any meal plan should lean heavily on pantry staples like canned beans, tuna and tomatoes to round out healthy meals at home. From tangy, leafy salads with beans to easy tuna burgers and grilled shrimp with white beans, this roundup has you covered for delicious, unfussy summer meals with the help of your pantry.
Southwestern Corn & Black Bean Salad: Fresh summer corn kernels and ripe tomatoes meet savory canned black beans in this easy summer salad. Top with some sliced grilled chicken breasts for a hearty lunch or next to some salmon fillets with lime-butter for a restaurant-worthy dinner.
Easy Nicoise Salad: Nicoise salads are a French bistro staple, but with all of its separate components–hardboiled eggs, fresh green beans, herbed potatoes–it can be hard to make at home. In this easy version, canned tuna and olives are served over a bed of greens with seasonal tomatoes and green beans. We recommend doubling the Dijon-shallot dressing to drizzle over salads and cooked veggies all week long.
Quick Tuna Burgers: Pantry items like roasted red peppers, breadcrumbs, and Old Bay spice add flavor and binding to canned tuna in this easy burger recipe. Slide the finished patties onto a toasted bun and top with crisp lettuce, tomato slices or even some thinly sliced zucchini for crunch and color.
Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad: Canned chickpeas, tuna, and capers are tossed into summery salad greens and diced red peppers in this healthy recipe. A squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil give bright Mediterranean flavor without all the calories of a heavy dressing. Want to prep it ahead of time? You can make the tuna and bean salad and store in the refrigerator to scoop over your greens just before eating.
Greek Pasta Salad: Classic Greek ingredients like garlic, olive oil and oregano flavor this vegetable- packed pasta salad. Fresh cucumber and tomato chunks are tossed with the pasta and vinegar, and chickpeas and olives are added from the pantry for bright acidity, briny flavor and healthy plant-based protein. This salad tastes better the next day so make enough for leftovers!
Grilled Shrimp Skewers over White Bean Salad: Shrimp is a great weeknight protein. It cooks up quickly and satisfies picky palates. Here, the crustaceans are grilled on skewers and drizzled with a lemony herb dressing that does double duty in the creamy white bean salad they’re served with. Cherry tomatoes are folded in with canned beans but feel free to swap in with any veggie in your crisper drawer. Corn, diced zucchini, and bite-sized green beans are great swaps.
