Your Parasite-Proof Dinner Roundup

I am cracking up writing this post right now because so many of you actually wanted it, and honestly, I was already thinking about doing it. Here’s the deal: we’re all a little terrified of the explosive diarrhea outbreak going around the country right now. To clarify… I have not gotten it, nor do I want to (lol.) But you guys know I’m a certified salad lover. I’m alllll about salads, and if there’s no vegetable at dinner, I’m serving a side salad of arugula. Honestly, that’s usually my go-to source of greens.

So I figured, let’s get a little creative. I dug into my archives to pull my favorite recipes so you can do the same thing I’m doing. Here’s the important part: we need to cook our vegetables right now. Cooking them through is what actually kills the parasite, which genuinely pains me, because summer is supposed to be all about raw, easy, cold salads. I literally have a salad roundup sitting in my drafts right now and I’m terrified of every recipe in it. So I’m changing my tune and pulling from the archives instead — my newsletter and my website.

A few of these were previously paywalled Substack posts, and I’ve made them free for you — just subscribe to my newsletter and they’re all yours. The rest are already live on the site. They’re all free, so I hope you love them.

I didn’t want this roundup to just be meat, or just be pasta — because sure, we could all go eat pasta and pizza right now, but I don’t think we’re going to feel very good for weeks if that’s the plan, and who knows how long this is going to last. So I rounded up a mix: pastas, proteins, and some fully cooked veggie-forward options that you can mix and match however you want. Every single one of these leans on cooked vegetables, cooked herbs, or fully cooked everything so you can eat well without the anxiety spiral every time you open the fridge.

One more note before we dive in: if a recipe calls for fresh herbs, cook them into the dish or skip them and lean on dried instead. A quick rinse won’t get rid of this particular parasite — only heat reliably kills it — so don’t count on washing alone. I’d rather you be overly cautious right now than sorry.

1

Spicy Rigatoni Vodka

The best pasta ever because we deserve to live a little!!!

Check out this recipe

2

Pistachio Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata and Lemon

This is such an easy summer dish, and it’s cooked through and through. You can even hide some cooked spinach in the pesto for extra veggie flare — just make sure to cook the spinach first. Do not use it raw right now.

Check out this recipe

3

Ravioli with Corn Purée and Chives

the BEST pasta for sumer.

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4

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Yogurt and Charred Vegetables

No parasite is surviving the amount of charring happening on these vegetables. The chicken gets coated in a little balsamic for that beautiful caramelized effect. An absolute staple for summer and one of my most popular newsletter dinners.

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5

Skillet Lasagna with Zucchini, Eggplant, Summer Squash, and Ground Chicken

Zucchini, eggplant, and summer squash all get cooked down into the sauce with ground chicken, so it’s a full meal in one skillet. Great for meal prepping ahead of the week too.

6

Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Asparagus

I actually made this one on the Today Show and it came out great. It’s one of the easiest, most foolproof recipes I’ve ever made, and I think you’re going to love it just as much cooking it at home.

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7

Slow Cooker Eggplant and Lentil Ragu Pasta with Burrata

This is how I’ve been using my slow cooker all summer. Total set-it-and-forget-it. Use this ragu on my ground chicken cutlet for a chicken parm, or toss it with protein pasta and top with burrata. Wash fresh basil thoroughly, and skip any herbs you’ve grown or foraged yourself right now.

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8

Lemon Shrimp Orzotto (with Feta and Dill)

I’m obsessed with this one-pan meal. The dill is cooked into the dish, so just skip using raw dill as a garnish. Lemon, feta, dill, and protein all in one pot. Add roasted zucchini or asparagus, or extra cheese, to round it out even more.

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9

One-Pot Caramelized Ratatouille Pasta with Stracciatella

Every vegetable in the sauce gets caramelized down until jammy and rich, which makes this an easy, cooked-through option if you want a vegetable-forward pasta night.

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10

Cream of Corn & Tomato Orzotto with Cajun Shrimp

Such a delicious and easy one pan summer dinner!

11

Zucchini, Corn and Boursin Stuffed Shells

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12

Shrimp Scampi Inspired Baked Ziti

We have a carb (pasta,) a veggie (peas) and a protein (shrimp) all baked together for an easy dinner!

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13

One-Pot Salmon in Tarragon Mustard Cream Sauce and Asparagus

This is a one-pan meal I made in my multi cooker — completely foolproof. I use wild Alaskan salmon, but you can use whatever salmon you have. A little rich, but I love it for summer, winter, any season.

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14

Easy Moo Shu Chicken

This one is so underrated. Ten out of ten, and it’s genuinely the only way I think you should be eating a bagged coleslaw or cabbage mix at the moment, because everything gets cooked together with the chicken on high heat in a wok. You cannot go wrong here.

Check out this recipe

15

Elote Shrimp Chipotle Tacos with Lime Crema

The corn gets charred and cooked, so there’s no risk here at all, and it’s finished with a delicious crema. SKIP the cilantro to avoid any issues! This is such a good one for taco night.

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16

Oven-Baked Crispy Chicken Parmesan (Made with Ground Chicken)

All of my ground chicken cutlet recipes are great right now, as long as you skip any raw salad on top. This chicken parm version is one I’m obsessed with — serve it with some grilled or roasted zucchini on the side because, well, yummy.

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17

Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breast

A great meal-prep option — the broccoli is fully steamed or blanched before it goes into the filling, so this one’s an easy, cooked-through choice for batching ahead.

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18

High-Protein Spinach Artichoke Chicken Flatbread

Everything here gets baked — the spinach, the artichokes, the chicken, all melted together into a crispy, cheesy flatbread. A cozy option that still feels lighter.

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19

One Pan Pearled Couscous with Balsamic Turkey Meatballs

A fully cooked, family-size meal that comes together in one pan. Great for feeding a family without much fuss.

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20

Another fully roasted, cooked-through option if you want something a little more special for dinner.

Juicy roasted lamb meatballs, seasoned with oregano, cumin, and garlic, are served over bright, lemony orzo with caramelized eggplant and zucchini. Finished with crumbled feta, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil, this Mediterranean-inspired sheet pan dinner is satisfying and ready in about 40 minutes.

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21

Sheet Pan Pesto Shrimp and Gnocchi with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata

An easy, elegant, 30 minute sheet pan meal that is perfect for spring or summer!

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22

Crazy Feta Root Vegetable Salad

Roasted beets, roasted carrots, and roasted jalapeño piled onto a whipped feta base with hot honey and crushed pistachios. Everything on the plate is cooked except the feta and honey, so this is a safe way to still get that salad-like freshness.

23

Crispy Summer Squash with Lemony Ricotta, Chili Oil & Basil

The squash is fully cooked and crisped up, making this a great side to pair with any of the mains above.

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24

Grilled Hummus and Pita Veggie Flatbread

Zucchini, summer squash, and eggplant all get grilled before they go on the flatbread, so this is another fully cooked option that still feels like a fresh, summery bite.

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25

Smashed Shrimp Rolls (Easy, Butter-poached Shrimp Rolls)

It’s fully poached in butter, and cyclospora is a produce-and-water parasite, not a shrimp one — so this one’s an easy yes. Skip fresh herbs here or use dried; a rinse won’t reliably remove the parasite, and you won’t miss a thing. A finely diced shallot or dried tarragon, plus lots of lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, and dried chives, does the job. The dried herbs rehydrate once mixed into the salad, so there’s no issue there.

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26

Grilled Pork Chops with Mustard Peach Sauce and Grilled Veggies

Something different and fun for a healthy summer dinner!!!

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