My favorite (mostly) no-cook summer dinners

The last place anyone wants to be on a hot summer night is in the kitchen, let alone over the stove. I think that's why a pretty common question I get asked is for low- to no-cook dinner ideas for the summertime. Here's a quick roundup of some of my favorites from the recipe archives, all of which are either entirely no cook or make ahead, or very minimal/low effort cooking. And as an added bonus, many of them lean towards light and healthy (probably because with cooking tends to come added oils, butter, and heaviness).

Aside from the links below, I also love grilling for dinner in the summer (who doesn't?!). It's quick, low maintenance, and doesn't take place in the kitchen. For nights when we're in a dinner pinch, we love to grill chicken thighs marinated in Chiavetta's, pork chops in olive oil, salt, and pepper, or baby lamb chops with herbs. All of them go great alongside grilled vegetables or an easy arugula salad with balsamic, lemon juice, and olive oil. I could also eat this tabbouleh for dinner every night of the summer.

Chicken, tomato, and mozz melt with pesto

Thai sesame noodles with steak

Lemony & poached avocado toast with feta

Chicken salad with blackberries and corn

Chinese lettuce wraps with ground turkey

Moroccan couscous with chicken

Kale Caesar on naan flatbread

Tricolor salad with gorgonzola

Honey dijon chicken salad with dried cherries

Greek pitas with lamb and tzatziki

Avocado toast with balsamic tomatoes

Asian chopped salad

One-pot farro with tomatoes

Caprese with pesto and burrata

Summer steak salad