36 No-Oven Summer Dinners That Won’t Turn Your Kitchen Into a Sauna

Although I love summer, cooking with my shirt stuck to my back at 400 degrees isn’t the best. When you want to make dinner feel special, consider these. No oven preheating. No oven involved but some use the stovetop, grill, or kettle. Also, if you are serving a group, these can be easily supplemented with a salad, a loaf of bread, or a bowl of fruit, and everyone will feel satisfied.

1) Caprese Salad

On that first night of summer where the heat is stifling, I know what will take place. I buy tomatoes like I’m getting ready for some big occasion only to remember, I’m just going to be entertaining myself. Caprese is also super simple: slice a few ingredients and sprinkle some salt and oil and you’re done.

That olive oil you’ve saved for a special occasion? Go ahead and use it. You’re special too. If you want to be a little more rustic, you can take some old bread and tear it into pieces and put it right on the plate to soak up the leftover tomato juices.

2) Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Using rotisserie chicken to make summer dinners. Not dressing up to go to work is a guaranteed way to save money and time, and honestly, I won’t regret it. I refer to dressing as an attitude statement. However, when it comes to warm chicken with cold greens and a dressing made of lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper it becomes an attitude statement.

I also like to make a point of adding something crispy like sliced cucumbers, radishes, or croutons so that it feels more like a real meal, instead of a punishment. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, keep the chicken bones to make stock, but it’s summer, so who really wants to do that?

3) Shrimp Cocktail Dinner

I find it endearing, in a “martini glass at 6pm” sort of way. If the shrimp smells very fishy, wash it and put it in the fridge straight away. Most of the work is actually in a very good sauce (ketchup + horseradish + lemon + hot sauce). Surprisingly, paired with sliced avocado and some crackers, it is very satisfying.

4) Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

At first sight, it might seem like this is the kind of meal that some reasonable person, like an aunt, would appreciate. Until, of course, you arrive at the conclusion that it is actually quite nice. Make tuna salad. It’s your typical combination of salad ingredients made into a creamy salad dressing, (insert your favorite here: mayo, yogurt, olive oil, mustard, chopped pickles, no rules). Scoop it into big tomatoes and let the juices blend a little. You could also pair it with some potato chips if you’re feeling particularly hungry, the crunch will enhance your experience.

5) Gazpacho Dinner

I will admit that I used to think gazpacho was simply cold salsa in a bowl (which isn’t the best description). Then I tried a silky summer version that was amazing. It was a combination of pureed tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar, then chilled to the right temperature. Bread is required here; you will need something to dip and swipe.

6) Greek Salad

Among the ingredients in the salad, chickpeas seem to be the ingredient that tames the boldness of the salad, which consists mainly of salty feta, olives, and pungent onions.

I love this dressing: olive oil and red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and a bit of sugar to coax the shy tomatoes. I also recommend letting the cucumbers sit for about 10 minutes so they can soak up the flavors of the dressing. If you have pita, warm it up in a dry pan for 30 seconds and congratulate yourself on being so clever.

7) Fish Toast

While I don’t have strong feelings regarding this dinner, I’d still want it reasonably good. After toasting the bread, rub it with a halved garlic clove, then top with a good portion of sardines (or tuna), a few slices of tomato, and a liberal amount of pepper. A squeeze of lemon is a nice touch. If you don’t like sardines, there’s no need to eat them. Some people “react” differently, and by “react”, I mean “get mad”.

8) Breakfast for Dinner

Breakfast for dinner can be both fun and elevated. Set the table with all of the bagel toppings – cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onion, cucumber – and let guests create their own bagel combinations. The work for the host is minimal and because of how simple it seems, no one complains. To balance the richness of the toppings, I like to add a big handful of arugula drizzled with lemon.

9) Watermelon Feta Salad

It may sound odd, but the combination is something you will not appreciate until you have had it. After you try it once, you may just find yourself craving it over and over again. The room temp mint gives an odd cold sensation. The combination of sweet and salty with the mint makes for quite the experience.

With prosciutto, it becomes a dinner item on a whole other level, and without it, it is just a glorious side. If your watermelon is tasting a little bland, add a sprinkle of flaky salt. This will assist significantly.

10) Corn Avocado Salad

Nothing quite compares to fresh summer corn as it has full of sweet crunchiness. Wipe it straight from the cob, and mix it with some avocado, tomatoes, lime, cilantro, and if you want something spicy to make it a bit hotter. When I first made this, I thought it would be too raw. Hell, I ended up eating half the bowl while standing there. It goes well with tortilla chips or anything that’s been grilled.

11) Pesto Pasta Salad

The oven can be left off. You can even have this for lunch and dinner. Sure, you can boil pasta, but that’s the only effort needed. To allow for absorption, mix the hot pasta with the pesto, and then stir in the tomatoes and mozzarella. This will help to temper the pasta. If it’s freezing in the fridge, you may want to add a little more olive oil. If fresh basil is really expensive or looks a bit brown, you can buy pesto. Just add lemon for some brightness.

12) Sesame Noodles

I prepare these noodles. My favorite dinner option is the rinsed noodles with chicken. The whisked mixture of peanut butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil with rice vinegar and honey is sauce I make. For extra crunch top with sliced scallions and cucumbers. You can make the sauce ahead of time (it gets better with time!) Now onto the Couscous Salad.

13) Couscous Salad

Couscous is almost cheating. To prepare the couscous, all you have to do is boil water, cover, and let it steam. After that, you can get fancy and add lemon zest, some herbs, chopped cucumber, and a drizzle of olive oil. If you’d like to make this a little more filling, toss in some chickpeas or a canned tuna. While I was “setting the table” (or actually avoiding my chore), I may have snacked right from the mixing bowl.

14) BLT Sandwich

Finally, the summer ritual of making a BLT just isn’t complete without the bacon. Add a little crunch to your sandwich with some lettuce, a squeeze of lemon on the mayo and dress it up with some tomatoes. I like to put bacon on top to add some extra texture to the sandwich. And who doesn’t love a crunchy, juicy, and salty sandwich? The addition of avocado is pretty great, but I can see why some people would think it’s a little too extra.

15) Steak Salad

Instead of heating your entire house and cooking a steak in your pan, you can just cook the steak as you assemble the rest of the salad. While the steak rests, you can prepare a salad with arugula, some sliced peaches, and a little bit of a sharp cheese (feta or blue cheese will work well) as opposed to your typical sweatshop kitchen meal. The combination of sweet peaches and arugula will elevate your meal to a restaurant quality level.

Cutting the steak is definitely going to be a tragedy as the juices will be running everywhere, so maybe let it rest before you start chasing those juices all over your cutting board (cutting boards are covered in raw meat bacteria so you could replace the word ‘cutting’ with ‘juicing’ and it should still be fine).

16) Chicken Caesar Wraps

While a Caesar salad is nice on its own, the fact that it comes in a nice container makes it feel like an entire meal that you can eat one-handed. It gives the impression that you could finish it while sitting at a table, getting up to refill your glass of water for the fourth time. If you want to avoid meat, use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or chickpeas and, most importantly, a great caesar dressing is essential. You can’t go wrong with it, as long as you put enough lemon and black pepper.

17) Cold Soba Noodles

For a light meal, my first choice is always cold soba. Prepare the noodles according to the instructions, then after you drain them, run cold water over them. For the dipping sauce, you can make a quick one with soy sauce, mirin, and (if you have it) a bit of sesame oil ,but soy sauce and sugar will work too. Feel free to add a cucumber or a soft boiled egg if you want. It’s soft and pleasant, not boring like a linen shirt.

18) Charcuterie Dinner

Certain evenings, I wish for dinner to recreate the vibe of those evenings spent at a friend’s house, grazing over food while talking in the kitchen. Please give us cheese, a protein, something crunchy, something pickled, and a fruit. We will take your word for it that it’s dinner time. The only thing you should remember is that there needs to be a protein, unless you want to be hungry at 9:30.

19) Rice Paper Rolls

Assembling rice paper rolls is actually quite simple and some might even fun. You just have to have cooked shrimp or tofu and some herbs and lettuce, roll it up like a burrito, and you are done. Just keep in mind that the first roll will probably rip, so take it as the chef’s treat. Of course, rice paper rolls are not complete without fried peanut sauce or sweet chilli sauce.

20) Avocado Toast

This is the type of meal I will prepare when I have standards. For this meal, grab some white beans, mash them up, and mix in some olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. After that, spread the mixture onto avocado toast. This meal is certainly not lacking in nourishment and will keep you full for a while. If you have any, add some chili flakes, as the heat will take the meal to another level.

21) Savory Cottage Cheese Bowl

For a long time, I have resisted cottage cheese as it seemed an ingredient for old-fashioned diets. This changed when I tried adding tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil, and a lot of pepper to it. It may sound strange but, on a hot day, it can be refreshing and it provides a lot of protein. It can also be enjoyed with some toast or pita. This can change it from being a light snack to a meal.

22) Hummus Plate

A dinner with hummus is about as basic as it gets. Just take some and scoop it, then drizzle some olive oil, add some paprika and some crunchy vegetables, plus some pita. You can also add a hard-boiled egg or some canned dolmas. The dinner instills a feeling of calm self confidence.

23) Melon Prosciutto Salad

With little to no effort on my part, this is the style I appreciate the most. The brilliant Italian combination of salty and sweet allows for each individual flavor to stand out, enhancing the experience as a whole. Arugula adds a bite, so it doesn’t feel like dessert cosplay. Should you have balsamic, feel free to add a drizzle, just don’t drown it.

24) Fish Tacos

Cooking fish takes approximately eight minutes, so based on that, it is a bearable task to do in this weather. After you season the filets, you will want to sear and flake and put them in the warm tortillas with the cabbage and lime. If you mix hot sauce with sour cream or yogurt, you can impress people with a sauce that looks like you put some real thought into it. Be patient, use a fan, and it will pay off.

25) Nicoise Salad

This Niçoise salad is made for those who appreciate visual appeal while eating. You can use canned tuna, boiled potatoes, blanched green beans (or snap peas if you’re feeling spicy), olives, and eggs. Everything can be combined with the mustard vinaigrette. I also think it is really thoughtful of you to clean up as you let people practice stage eating, to me that is the most genuine type of dining.

26) Marinated White Beans

Surprisingly, beans that have soaked up the dressing for a while take on a rich quality. Just combine the canned white beans, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs and halved cherry tomatoes, and let this chill for 15 minutes. It will taste like a deli-quality meal. You can get some bread to use as a scoop, or to create a little green mountain, and that will count as a salad.

27) Thai Cucumber Salad

When prepared properly, cucumbers can be significantly more than just refreshing veggies. With a bit of creativity, they can be used in conjunction with rotisserie chicken to give the impression of a more substantive meal. They can be used with herbs, peanuts, and a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and chili.

28) Antipasto Pasta Salad

After a long day, I enjoy eating something that I don’t have to think too much about. A loud meal, as in one that is salty, tangy, and a little greasy, is great to dig into. To prepare this meal, simply cool the cooked pasta, before mixing it with diced salami, mozzarella, jarred peppers, and olives, along with some vinaigrette.

With this meal made, I can sort of pack up tomorrow’s dinner, as it stores well in the fridge. Arugula should be used to add a nice bite to the dish, but it should only be added as one of the last steps.

29) Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups

Light, refreshing, and still filled with protein is the reason I love having chicken salad lettuce cups in the summertime. These are also great to make with your kids, and you can turn it into a make-your-own-cups evening which gets the whole family involved and is pretty fun.

30) Upgraded Instant Ramen

I will understand if you see ramen as a complete meal. To make it a more enriched dish, you could include soft-boiled egg, scallions, chicken (if you have any leftover) and spinach. After doing this, you should add hot water (or heat it briefly). If it is warm make a broth that is not too hot. The Kitchen can serve the purpose of staying calm.

31) Burrata Peach Salad

The bountiful trees in summer that bear fruit make buying burrata (cheese) seem less absurd. When arriving at the picnic, pop the burrata cheese and let its contents ooze out. The cheese goes well with the added peaches and fresh basil. Don’t be afraid to add a lot of salt. Adding some toasted bread will also make the picnic feel more like a mini vacation.

32) Poke-Style Bowl

This meal will satisfy your desire for a bowl-style dinner, and does so without using raw fish. To make this, start with rice on the base of your bowl. Top that rice with flaked salmon, followed by sliced cucumbers and diced avocado. Finish it off with soy-sesame sauce (store bought) or make your own, which is especially good if you want to use some nori strips. This meal is not only quick to prepare, it also smells nice, and the clean up is easy.

33) Tomato Ricotta Toast

If you have good quality tomatoes, you should definitely be making tomato toast at least once a week. Spread ricotta onto your toast and then lay on the tomatoes. Salt everything and then drizzle with olive oil. If you’re into that, then adding an anchovy is some sort of salting sorcery. If you’re not into that, don’t use one, and skip the lemon zest. The dish will still taste bright and alive.

34) Fried Chicken Picnic Plate

I fully believe that cold fried chicken is great, and I doubt I would ever change my mind. You can get it precooked and also do coleslaw and pickles, making it a really easy meal that requires no heat. One of the main questions when picking out a chicken is whether or not it will stay flavorful when it’s served cold. If you want to feel a tiny bit virtuous, you can throw in some sliced tomatoes marinated in vinegar and seasoned with salt.

35) Nachos de Verano

These nachos are not your typical oven nachos. These nachos are made from fresh ingredients, have an amazing crunch, and come with a side of fun! Add toffee, and then put in black beans, fresh salsa, avocado, and pickled jalapeños. If you’d like, you can add some crumbled Cotija or Feta cheese, and you can pass on melting anything. There’s one rule: eat quickly so the chips don’t get soggy.

36) Fruit and Nut Salad

This is the meal I prepare when I like to pretend that I’m the kind of person with a simple, stress-free life and a clean, organized refrigerator. Combine some greens with fruit, especially berries and peaches, and add some toasted nuts, and a tangy cheese like goat or feta. You don’t need to do much more since the fruit will do a lot of the work. Then you can add a rotisserie chicken or a can of chickpeas to make it so much better. If you have bigger appetites to satisfy, then you are all set.