These 7 No-Cook Dinners Are Perfect For The Late Summer Heat

It’s Still Too Hot Right Now, So Make These No-Cook Dinners This Week

By Markey Battle

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We get it, it’s the dog days of summer and sometimes it’s too hot to even think about turning on your oven. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean you can’t still make some amazing dinners! Here are our favorite no-cook dinners (oven not required).

Chickpea Salad

Thanks to The Herbeevore for this recipe!

no cook dinners

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas
1 Tbsp of mayo
1 tsp of sweet relish
½ tsp of yellow mustard

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or against the side of the bowl with a fork.

2. Add the mayo, sweet relish, and mustard to the mashed chickpeas. Stir well to combine all the ingredients. Add salt and pepper if desired.

3. Serve on bread, lettuce wraps, or with crackers!

Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl

Thanks to Jessica Gavin for this recipe!

no cook dinners salmon poke bowl

Ingredients

Sockeye Salmon:

1 pound of sockeye salmon (cut into ¾-inch cubes)
¼ cup of soy sauce
1 tsp of rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of sriracha or chili paste
1 tsp of sesame oil

Pickled Cucumbers:

2 6-inch persian cucumbers (thinly sliced)
½ cup of rice wine vinegar
½ cup of water
⅓ cup of honey
1 tsp of kosher salt
½ tsp of red chili flakes (dried)

Sriracha Sauce:

2 Tbsp of sriracha
2 Tbsp of plain Greek yogurt or light mayonnaise

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine the diced salmon, soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha, and sesame oil. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Combine the vinegar, water, honey, salt, and chili flakes in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Once the mixture begins to boil, turn off the heat and add the cucumber slices and stir.

4. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, then transfer the cucumber to a container. Cover and refrigerate until it’s ready to use.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of sriracha and 2 tablespoons of yogurt or mayonnaise.

6. To serve, add any additional desired ingredients to the bowl (rice or salad) for the base. Top with ½ cup of salmon poke, pickled cucumbers, and other toppings. Drizzle with sriracha sauce and serve!

Olive Tapenade and Hummus Stuffed Pita

Thanks to Naturally Ella for this recipe!

no cook dinners

Ingredients

Tapenade:

1 clove of garlic
3 cups of olives (mix of black and green)
1 red pepper (roasted until blistered)
1 Tbsp of olive oil
¼ tsp of sea salt
¼ tsp of black pepper
2 Tbsp of lemon juice

Pita:

4 cups of baby arugula
2 whole wheat pita with pockets
6-8 Tbsp of classic hummus

Directions

1. Pulse the garlic in a food processor until minced. Add olives, roasted red pepper, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. Pulse until the olives are in small pieces.

2. Measure out 6 tablespoons of tapenade and save the rest for another use (pizza or grilled cheese).

3. In a bowl, toss the arugula with 6 tablespoons of tapenade until well combined.

4. Slice the pita in half and carefully open the pocket. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of hummus along one side and stuff with ¼ of the arugula mixture. Repeat with the remaining 3 pita.

Dilled Seafood Salad Sandwiches

Thanks to Taste Of Home for this recipe!

no cook dinners

Ingredients

8 ounces of imitation crab meat (flake-style)
2.3 cups of mayonnaise
1 can of sliced ripe olives (drained)
1 celery rib (chopped)
2 green onions (chopped)
1 Tbsp of snipped fresh dill
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
¾ tsp of salt
½ tsp of sugar
½ tsp of garlic powder
½ tsp of lemon-pepper seasoning
4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the first 11 ingredients, breaking the crab into bite-sized pieces.

2. Serve on buns!

Italian-Style Veggie Wraps

Thanks to Taste of Home for this recipe!

no cook dinners

Ingredients

1 small zucchini (chopped)
1 cup of cubed provolone cheese
1 cup of cubed hard salami
1 cup of chopped fresh broccoli
1 medium tomato (seeded and chopped)
12 pimiento-stuffed olives (chopped)
12 pitted ripe olives (chopped)
4 green onions (chopped)
¼ cup of prepared zesty Italian salad dressing
3 Tbsp of hot pepper sandwich relish or chopped pickled hot cherry peppers
1 Tbsp of prepared Catalina salad dressing
6 romaine leaves
6 whole wheat tortillas

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients.

2. To serve, place a romaine leaf on each tortilla and top with the filling. Fold up the bottom and sides of the tortilla. Secure with a toothpick if desired.

Cobb Salad Sub

Thanks to Better Homes & Gardens for this recipe!

no cook dinners

Ingredients

3 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 tsp of Dijon-style mustard
½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp of salt
2 cups of cooked chicken or turkey
1 avocado (halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped)
⅔ cups of chopped roma tomatoes (2 medium)
4 slices of bacon (crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled)
1 French bread loaf
2 cups of chopped butterhead (bibb or Boston) lettuce leaves
¼ cup of crumbled blue cheese
1 hard-cooked eggs (chopped)

Directions

1. For the dressing, in a small bowl which together the oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and salt.

2. In a medium bowl combine the chicken, avocado, tomatoes, and bacon. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Toss and coat.

3. Cut a wedge in the top of the bread about 1 inch from the edges. Use your hands to pull out some of the inside of the loaf, leaving about a ¾ – inch shell. Layer in the lettuce, chicken mixture, cheese, and eggs. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing carefully with a long serrated knife. Or, wrap and chill for up to 2 hours.

Smoked Salmon Flatbread

Thanks to Better Homes & Gardens for this recipe!

salmon flatbread

Ingredients

1 8-ounce tub of cream cheese spread with chive and onion
6 multigrain flatbread or Greek pita flatbread
3 cups of torn lettuce
8 ounces of hot smoked salmon, broken into pieces
8 small radishes (thinly sliced)
2 Tbsp of capers (rinsed and drained)
Ground black pepper

Directions

1. Divide the cream cheese evenly among six multigrain flatbread rounds, spreading it on one side of each flatbread. Top with torn lettuce and add the salmon, radishes, and capers to each flatbread. Sprinkle with pepper. Fold in half and serve!