31 Cool And Easy Summer Dinners You Can Make Without Turning On The Oven
Summer is great and all, but on those sweltering 90°-degree nights it's just too hot to turn on the stovetop or oven. So I rounded up a bunch of little or no-cook recipes to beat the heat.
1.Rotisserie Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups
Grab some leftover baked chicken or a rotisserie chicken and whip up this creamy salad that tastes great in lettuce cups or on your favorite bread.
2.Heirloom Tomato Toast
Heirloom tomatoes are in season, so you should be eating them every chance you get in every form, including these ripe and juicy open-faced toasts. Spice them up further with ricotta or goat cheese, a balsamic drizzle, or a pinch of sea salt.
Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Toast
3.Sprouted Thai Veggie Wraps with Peanut Butter Sauce
Grab whatever veggies are in your fridge and toss them into a wrap. Just don't go easy on the creamy-meets-tangy Thai-inspired sauce made with peanut butter and soy sauce.
4.Cilantro Lime Crab Tacos
Canned crab meat makes for a seriously sophisticated taco filling. It gets a kick from chili powder, cilantro, lime juice, tomato, and onion. Whip up a simple sauce of honey, sour cream, and cilantro for the finishing touch.
Recipe: Cilantro Lime Crab Tacos
5.Hawaiian Poke Bowl With Spicy Aioli
If you're not a fan of raw fish, use smoked salmon, frozen pre-cooked shrimp, beets, watermelon, canned tuna, or even rotisserie chicken. The options are endless.
6.Mediterranean Tuna Salad
Say goodbye to boring tuna salad. This version is loaded with marinated artichokes, feta, parsley, tomato, capers, olives, and all your favorite Mediterranean flavors.
Recipe: Mediterranean Tuna Salad
7.Shrimp Louie Salad
Make some hardboiled eggs in advance or grab a bag of store-bought boiled eggs. Then the only cooking required is five minutes of sautéing shrimp.
Recipe: Shrimp Louie Salad
8.Whipped Ricotta Toast with Lemon Thyme Honey
You don't need a ton of ingredients to whip up a seriously satisfying meal. Here, it really comes down to fresh bread, creamy ricotta, salty prosciutto, juicy grapefruit, and a little honey drizzle.
9.Greek Chickpea Salad
This protein-packed no-cook meal will keep you full and satisfied long after lunch time.
Recipe: Greek Chickpea Salad
10.Salmon and Hummus Buddha Bowl
Even if you're not a huge smoked salmon fan, try starting with hummus at the base of your buddha bowl and load it up with whatever protein and veggies you have on hand.
Recipe: Salmon and Hummus Buddha Bowl
11.Shredded Chicken Tacos With Cilantro Lime Slaw
Leftover chicken turns into a tangy and fresh taco filling you'll want to sink your teeth into. Top 'em with whatever Mexican-inspired ingredients are in your fridge or cupboard.
12.Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
You can use pretty much any leftovers like turkey, chicken, pulled pork, or shrimp for these Vietnamese-inspired sandwiches. You could even try it with your favorite deli meat.
Recipe: Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
13.Crab Salad Stuffed Avocados
Pre-cooked crab meat, tomato, pepper, onion, olive oil, lime, and cilantro make a seriously delicious salad, perfect for serving in an avocado bowl, on cucumber slices, or on any old salad or sandwich.
Recipe: Crab Salad Stuffed Avocados
14.Lemon Dill Tuna Pasta Salad
The only cooking necessary is boiling some noodles on the stove top. Mix the cooked pasta with canned tuna, veggies, and a blend of lemon juice, dill, and mayo.
Recipe: Lemon Dill Tuna Pasta Salad
15.Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Grab some pre-cooked shrimp and your half way to this seriously refreshing summer salad. Pro tip: Serve it with tortilla chips ceviche style.
16.Burrata Salad With Prosciutto and Nectarines
I mean, is there anything you'd rather eat on a hot summer night? This quintessential combination of salty, creamy, savory, and sweet flavors is hard to beat.
17.Microwave Cauliflower Fried Rice
Every now and then, you need a single-serve, microwave meal you can whip up in minutes.
Recipe: Microwave Cauliflower Fried Rice
18.Orzo Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
Get creative and swap the orzo for any kind of pasta, grain, or (if you're really not in the mood to boil water) microwaveable rice.
Recipe: Orzo Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
19.Horiatiki (Greek Salad)
You won't find any lettuce in this traditional Greek salad. Just chunks of vine-ripe tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, and onions below a pillow of tangy feta cheese.
Recipe: Horiatiki (Greek Salad)
20.California Salad Pizza With Avocado
Start with your favorite pre-cooked pizza dough, or just microwave some flatbread or a slice of naan. Salad has never tasted this satisfying.
21.Vegan Sushi Spring Rolls
This recipe happens to be totally vegan, but you can always add some protein like tofu or shrimp.
Recipe: Vegan Sushi Spring Rolls
22.Peanut Noodles With Chicken
Leftover chicken (or really whatever protein you've got) gets tossed with cooked pasta and lots of veggies in a decadent peanut sauce. Serve it chilled with scallions and sesame seeds.
Recipe: Peanut Noodles With Chicken
23.Shrimp and Crab Seafood Rolls
It's officially seafood season. Celebrate in style. If you start with pre-cooked shrimp and lump crab meat, there's no cooking involved whatsoever.
Recipe: Shrimp and Crab Seafood Rolls
24.Antipasto Salad
How do you turn a salad into an exciting main dish? Pile it high with salami, prosciutto, provolone, marinated veggies, and toss it in Italian dressing.
Recipe: Antipasto Salad
25.Spicy Shrimp Sushi Stacks With Mango Salsa
These sushi-inspired rice stacks are easy to make at home, and you can customize them with your favorite ingredients. If you use microwaveable rice, you don't even have to turn on the stove.
26.Watermelon Arugula Salad
If you want to turn this into a more filling meal, add anything from avocado and hummus to smoked salmon and cucumber.
Recipe: Watermelon Arugula Salad
27.10-Minute Blender Gazpacho Soup
Soup season can be all year long thanks to this chilled gazpacho, which comes together right in the blender.
Recipe: 10-Minute Blender Gazpacho Soup
28.Caprese Sandwich With Basil Pesto
There's something about tomato, basil, and mozzarella that just screams summer time.
29.Farmhouse Egg Salad
Boiling eggs is the only cooking required, and you can do that days in advance. Then you've got fluffy, decadent egg salad on demand.
Recipe: Farmhouse Egg Salad
30.Mediterranean White Bean and Tuna Salad Toasts
Raise your hand if you're a fan of fancy open-faced toast.
31.Italian Pinwheel Sandwiches
Flour tortillas are stuffed with ham, salami, pepperoni, Provolone, cream cheese, veggies, and Italian dressing for a classic sandwich that never gets old.
Recipe: Italian Pinwheel Sandwiches
