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35 Quick & Easy No-Cook Recipes For When It's Too Hot To Function

It's time for your oven to take a vacation.

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crunchy mandarin orangechicken salad
PHOTO: BRYAN GARDNER; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

No matter the time of year, sometimes you just simply do not want to cook. Lucky for you, there's plenty of clever ways to avoid turning on your oven or stove-top, full-stop. And we're not just talking salads either! These easy, no-cook meals (like bowls chilled soups, sandwiches, and salads) come together in a flash and are chill in more ways than one, making them perfect for busy weeknights, lazy weekends, or a night when it's way too hot to turn on the oven.

Just because it's dinner time does not mean a hot meal should always be the main event. As we've found, a cold dinner is not only refreshing, but can turn into something extraordinary very easily. For a truly legendary no-cook, chilled dinner, focus on highlighting what's in season or what's looking good at the market. Dishes like gazpacho with burrata, salmon ceviche, and crab-stuffed avocados feature good-quality ingredients that just need a bit of prep to make into a no-cook dream of a dinner.

Still want some roasted, caramelized flavor only the oven can provide? You can still skip out on the oven (and get that home-cooked flavor) by doing our ultimate dinner cheat code: Picking up a grocery store rotisserie chicken. Grab one at the top of the week and you'll be on your way to skipping to the good part all week long to make our Chinese chicken salad, Tuscan chicken wrap, and bruschetta-stuffed avocados.

Want to keep the oven off and stay in the no-cooking zone? Try our best no-bake desserts next!

1

Chopped Sandwich

black forest ham, genoa salami, hot soppressata, and provolone cheese, chopped with classic italian sandwich veggies and pesto mayo on a toasted ciabatta roll
PHOTO: BRYAN GARDNER; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

Imagine not having to unhinge your jaw like a snake to enjoy your favorite Italian deli hero. This chopped sandwich is here to turn that dream into a reality. Turns out, running a knife through your sandwich ingredients before piling them into a roll makes the whole ordeal of crushing a big hoagie a lot easier to manage. Not to mention—completely even dressing coverage.

Get the Chopped Sandwich recipe.

2

Avocado Chicken Salad

chicken avocado salad
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: BARRETT WASHBURNE

We love this salad served on top of greens as much as we love it between two slices of sourdough bread. If you can't find a good ripe mango, pineapple would be delicious as well!

Get the Avocado Chicken Salad recipe.

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3

Turkey Lavash Wrap

wrap filled with turkey, spinach, avocado, red peppers, and a goat cheese spread
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

This particular wrap is loaded with bright flavors and satisfying ingredients, making it hearty enough to keep you full at lunch time or as an easy, chill dinner. Filled with a zingy arugula-dill salad, sliced turkey, roasted red peppers, and crunchy cucumbers, and sealed with a creamy goat cheese spread, it's exactly the kind of colorful lunch we crave to brighten up our weekdays.

Get the Turkey Lavash Wrap recipe.

4

Gazpacho

tomato gazpacho in a bowl topped with chopped cucumbers, basil, sliced cherry tomatoes, and an olive oil drizzle
PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: BARRETT WASHBURNE

When late summer rolls around and the tomatoes turn juicy and sweet, we can't get enough of them. When we're not busy scarfing them down in Caprese salad form, we love them in this classic summer soup. Our version also uses red bell peppers and cucumbers to really up that summer cornucopia flavor too.

Get the Gazpacho recipe.

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5

Antipasto Chickpea Salad

antipasto chickpea salad
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: ERIKA JOYCE

This versatile chickpea salad is a great side dish (hello, potlucks!) but can easily be a full meal on its own! Adding a spoonful of Dijon mustard to your red wine vinaigrette makes it creamier in both taste and body—consider it your secret weapon in making a classic dressing just that much better.

Get the Antipasto Chickpea Salad recipe.

6

Chinese Chicken Salad

crunchy mandarin orangechicken salad
PHOTO: BRYAN GARDNER; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

This recipe was semi-inspired by the Chinese Chicken Salad at The Cheesecake Factory, where they use wonton strips and crispy rice noodles. Instead, we sub in a block of dried ramen—broken up, the crunchy, wavy noodles act as croutons just as well. Feel free to sub the almonds for cashews or peanuts too!

Get the Chinese Chicken Salad recipe.

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7

Salmon Ceviche

salmon ceviche with corn chips
Erik Bernstein

For this rather unorthodox ceviche, we borrowed techniques and ingredients from all over the world, from Japan to Mexico. Fun fact: Before Japanese immigration, Peruvians were marinating their ceviche for hours. The Japanese immigrants taught Peruvians to appreciate fish in a more "lightly cooked" form, via marination that takes minutes (if not seconds) to complete. This flavorful, magical marinade is all Peruvian, though there may be an ingredient that surprises you: ginger!

Get the Salmon Ceviche recipe.

8

Caprese Salad

sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil on a plate drizzled with olive oil
PHOTO: JOSEPH DE LEO; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

Caprese salad is one of the best ways to show off those juicy in-season farmer's market tomatoes or your own backyard harvest. Hailing from the island of Capri and mirroring the colors of the Italian flag, this simple salad is the perfect way to start any late-summer meal.

Get the Caprese Salad recipe.

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9

Greek Salad Cottage Cheese Bowl

cottage cheese, soft boiled eggs, and a cucumber tomato salad topped with pita chips
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

It wouldn’t be a Mediterranean menu without a Greek salad in some form or another—these cottage cheese bowls fit the bill. Packed with protein, nutrient-rich vegetables, and healthy fats (not to mention a whole lot of flavor), they’re the perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner, or satisfying snack. Just prep your hard-boiled eggs at the top of the week so this can be a no-cook dinner when you're ready.

Get the Greek Salad Cottage Cheese Bowl recipe.

10

Italian Antipasto Brussels Sprouts Salad

brussels sprouts salad with olives, tomatoes, red onions, shaved parmesan, and salami
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

Selfishly, we want to enjoy the flavors of antipasto in as many ways as possible, so we made a showstopping salad inspired by an antipasto platter that is fit for a special occasion. Shredded Brussels sprouts are a great hearty option as the greens in this salad. The mini cabbage-like veggie pairs well with the antipasto mix-ins, and they offer a crisp and crunchy texture.

Get the Italian Antipasto Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe.

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11

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

buffalo chicken wrap
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

This wrap is just as easy to customize as it is to make. Feel free to adjust the spices to add more or less heat, swap out the slaw for lettuce, the blue cheese sauce with ranch dressing, use cauliflower or tofu instead of meat, or try Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise.

Get the Buffalo Chicken Wrap recipe.

12

Crab-Stuffed Avocado

ripe avocado stuffed with chili and cumin spiced lump crab, tomato, mango, and scallion, served with plantain chips
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

If you thought mini crab cakes would make your brunch feel fancy, wait until your guests see these crab-stuffed avocados. Fresh jumbo lump crab gets tossed with tomato, jalapeño, mango, and cilantro, then dressed with a combo of lime and sour cream before being stuffed into a halved avocado and served with plantain chips. Paired with a leafy green salad, this makes the perfect easy no-c0ok lunch or dinner.

Get the Crab-Stuffed Avocado recipe.

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13

Zucchini Salad

zucchini salad
PHOTO: BRYAN GARDNER; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

If you’re looking for a surprisingly low-lift vegetable salad, then raw zucchini is the squash to turn to. Salted zucchini ribbons transform into tender noodles that get dressed with a minty creamy feta vinaigrette and tossed with toasted pignoli nuts. This salad is so good, you can honestly enjoy it as a main; otherwise, it’d behoove you to add it to your summer BBQ roster.

Get the Zucchini Salad recipe.

14

Papaya Salad

green papaya salad with tomatoes and romaine and crushed peanuts
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: LENA ABRAHAM

With origins in Lao cuisine and further popularized through Thai menus in America, Southeast Asian green papaya salad can vary in terms of ingredients as well as spice level. This recipe calls for optional balacan, a type of fermented shrimp paste. Together with acid (usually lime juice) and sweetness (usually palm sugar) and some raw garlic, this very simple dressing forms the foundation of flavor of this incredible, sweet-spicy papaya salad.

Get the Papaya Salad recipe.

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15

CPK Italian Chopped Salad

california pizza kitchen italian chopped salad in a bowl
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: SPENCER RICHARDS

An exuberant jumble of lettuce, chickpeas, chicken (just swap in rotisserie chicken for a true no-cook experience!), salami, tomatoes, and cheese, all tossed in a Italian mustard-herb vinaigrette, this is one salad that might actually tempt us to put down the pizza in favor of the greens.

Get the CPK Italian Chopped Salad recipe.

16

Muffuletta

slice of muffuletta
PHOTO: KATE JORDAN; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

One of the most popular sandwiches to ever come out of New Orleans is the muffuletta. Depending on where you go, you can order a muffuletta hot or cold. It’s a bit of a controversial question, but we think both preparations have their own merits.

Get the Muffuletta recipe.

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17

Chimichurri Chicken Salad

chimichurri chicken salad
Joel Goldberg

We love relying on rotisserie chicken—our favorite supermarket shortcut—for quick and easy meals. This healthy lunch couldn't be more simple to make. Toss shredded chicken with a good amount of parsley (this is inspired by our favorite condiment, chimichurri sauce, after all), garlic, olive oil, and vinegar and serve with toasted bread.

Get the Chimichurri Chicken Salad recipe.

18

Gazpacho With Burrata

gazpacho with burrata
RACHEL VANNI

Creamy burrata on top of a tomato and basil gazpacho is the most refreshing no-cook summer meal we can imagine. Some gazpacho has bread in it for added texture, but for this version, we liked the idea of serving toasted bread alongside to dip into the soup and spread the burrata on.

Get the Gazpacho With Burrata recipe.

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19

Ceviche

shrimp ceviche with tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

While it may seem fancy, ceviche is actually a fairly simple dish at its core. All it involves is tossing raw seafood in lime juice, then letting the acid in the citrus “cook” the fish. Often bulked up with other mix-ins like tomatoes or cucumber, the result is a light and refreshing dish that’s a perfect summertime dinner or pre-dinner app.

Get the Ceviche recipe.

20

Caprese Sandwich

toasted bread layered with mozzarella, tomato slices, basil, arugula, pesto, and balsamic
PHOTO: JOSEPH DE LEO; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Is there anything more summer-perfect than Caprese salad? We think not, so we decided that a Caprese sandwich should be the official sandwich of summer (or any time you get your hands on some perfect tomatoes).

Get the Caprese Sandwich recipe.

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