15 No-Cook Dinners to Keep You Cool

wdc tv news staff

10 hours ago

You might be tempted to eat an entire cucumber for dinner during a heat wave. Instead, consider one of these satisfying no-cook recipes that are packed with cooling herbs, crunchy veggies, and oven-saving shortcuts like rotisserie chicken and canned tuna. End your meal with a no-bake dessert, and save your favorites to MyRecipes so you can make them throughout the summer.

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Chopped Salad with Peanut Honey Dressing

Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

F&W associate food editor Andee Gosnell gussies up shredded rotisserie chicken and cabbage with plenty of herbs and an umami-packed peanut butter dressing.

Ceviche

Julia Hartbeck

Legendary chef Rick Bayless “cooks” fresh, mild fish in a citrusy marinade for this classic ceviche, rounded out with tomatoes, onion, green chiles, olives, cilantro and avocado.

Gazpacho

Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Topped with a vibrant salsa fresca, this chilled blender soup from Mary-Frances Heck is bursting with sweet, fruity flavor from beefsteak tomatoes and bell peppers.

Lao Laab Gai

Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

You don’t need to turn on your oven to make this vibrant, spicy Thai chicken salad from chef Thip Athakhanh, thanks to precooked chicken.

Marinated Feta Turkey Sandwich

Victor Protasio / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by PRISCILLA MONTIEL

F&W culinary director-at-large Justin Chapple adds excitement to a plain turkey sandwich with slabs of feta cheese that are marinated in extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, and spices.

White Bean and Tuna Salad with Shaved Squash

Victor Protasio / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by PRISCILLA MONTIEL

Creamy cannellini beans, large flakes of tuna, and ribbons of zucchini and summer squash absorb the flavors of a lemon-and-thyme marinade in this Justin Chapple creation.

Cold Cucumber Soup with Yogurt and Dill

Cara Cormack

All you need is a blender for this tangy, velvety cucumber soup from Andrew Zimmern, which gets a three-herb punch from dill, tarragon and parsley.

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

A semi-aged goat cheese and toasted sunflower seeds add umami and crunch to every bite of this cooling watermelon cucumber salad from 2022 F&W Best New Chef Damarr Brown.

Emeril’s Muffuletta

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

For a hearty no-cook dinner, look to the meat case. This iconic New Orleans sandwich from Emeril Lagasse is stacked with three cold cuts, fresh mozzarella, Provolone, and a briny olive salad.

Potato Chip Chopped Caesar Salad

Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Renu Dhar / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Sour-cream-and-onion chips replace the usual croutons for this irresistible mashup of two beloved salads from F&W recipe developer Renu Dhar.

Italian Tuna Salad

Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman

Chandra Ram upgrades a jar of oil-packed tuna with sun-dried tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, and a lemony honey mustard dressing.

Tomato Sandwichwith Basil-Garlic Aïoli

Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Sally McKay

Peak-season tomatoes don’t require much to shine, but pillowy bread slices and a three-ingredient mayonnaise turn them into a special summer dinner.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Christine Keely / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer

This lovely dinner salad from chef Ivan Conill comes together quickly with sweet sugar snap peas, rotisserie chicken, whole-milk ricotta, toasted almonds, and a zippy vinaigrette.

Mixed Fruit Pico

Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This refreshing salsa from Ann Taylor Pittman combines sweet and savory elements like tomatoes, onions, and tropical fruit. Spiced with chile-lime seasoning, it’s an ideal companion to sturdy cassava or plantain chips.

Aperol Spritz Popsicles

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

They might not qualify as dinner, but these boozy popsicles from F&W special projects editor Lucy Simon are the ultimate sweet treat for sweltering evenings.

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