What To Make When It's Too Hot To Cook

😎 The dog days of summer are here & that means NOT turning on your oven! These easy 15 recipes with seasonal ingredients are lighter yet still focus on protein & flavor! No oven required. 🙌🏻

Recipe Tips & Notes For Warm Weather ‘Cooking’ (and still want protein)

Tips to make these recipes even easier, quicker, and cooking-free - with the exception of boiling pasta or quinoa for some of them:

• Any recipe that calls for chicken, feel free to use leftover chicken you’ve already made or use rotisserie chicken to keep it really easy and oven-free.

• You can also make a slow cooker whole chicken or air fryer chicken which both work in your favor to keep your house cooler since those two appliances don’t put off much heat.

• Because many warm weather recipes are salads of some sort and possibly vegetarian, it’s easy to incorporate extra protein by tossing in leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, garbanzo beans or black beans depending on the recipe, perhaps some diced hard-boiled eggs. It’ll depend on the recipe and what sounds good to you of course.

• All vegetables are mix-and-match based on what you may have on hand or a surplus of, and personal preference. So if you love tomatoes or have garden fresh zucchini coming out of your ears, add til your heart’s content!

• Most all of these keep well and are make-ahead friendly so you can make them meal prep style and enjoy in the upcoming days.

No-Oven Recipes For Warm Weather & Ready In Under 30 Minutes

Summer Ravioli Salad 🥗🍅 has crisp-tender zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and chickpeas over spinach with cheesy ravioli and a dijon vinaigrette! A HEALTHY summer pasta salad that takes advantage of fresh produce! Use your favorite kind of ravioli.

🌽🍅🥗 My go-to warm weather meal, this Garden Fresh Summer Quinoa Salad is loaded with everything fresh, light, and healthy! Great for parties, potlucks, and lunchboxes (because there’s no mayo), it’s easy, flavorful, and great to serve as a side dish or main course!

Mandarin Orange Chicken Pasta Salad 🍊 EASY, ready in 30 minutes, and packed with Asian-inspired flavors! Juicy sesame chicken, pasta, and lots of healthy vegetables! Feel free to mix and match based on what you have on hand.

Garden Fresh Tortellini Pasta Salad 🍅🥒 Juicy tomatoes, cucumbers and corn with creamy avocado, basil and parmesan tossed in lemon vinaigrette with cheese tortellini! Healthy, easy, ready in 15 minutes!

This EASY 15-minute Avocado Mango Shrimp Salad 🥑🥭🍍🍤 with tropical fruit, avocado, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and plump JUICY shrimp will become a new FAVORITE! Healthy and light with an assortment of wonderful flavors in every bite that’s perfect for a snack, quick lunch, or casual summer dinner!

Lemon, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Almond Quinoa Salad 🍅 is fast, easy, and fresh! Bright flavors and loads of texture! This clean-eating salad keeps you full and satisfied! Healthy never tasted so good! No mayo and great for outdoor events or lunch boxes! Add leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken to boost the protein.

Shrimp Ceviche 🍤🥑🍋‍🟩 This is the EASIEST way to make traditional shrimp ceviche and it tastes the BEST! Ready in 30 minutes, great as an appetizer, side, or as a healthy main course that everyone LOVES!

Italian Chicken Pasta Salad 🇮🇹🍅🥒 Easy, ready in 20 minutes, and healthy! Bursting with fresh flavors from juicy tomatoes, cucumber, basil, parmesan, and tender chicken tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette!

Quinoa, Cherry, and Goat Cheese Salad 🍒🌿 tastes like a salad you’d get at a from Whole Foods or a trendy restaurant! Healthy, EASY, and loaded with juicy cherries, tangy goat cheese, snap peas, mint, and more! The PERFECT light yet satisfying salad with so many great flavors!

Lime Cilantro Shrimp and Black Bean Salad 🍤🥑 features tender juicy shrimp, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and more coated in a lime sauce that’s a FIESTA in your mouth!! An EASY and HEALTHY Mexican-inspired salad that’s ready in 10 minutes!

Tomato and Mozzarella Pesto Pasta Salad 🌿🧀🍅 Tender pasta, cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella are coated in Parmesan cheese and DELICIOUS pesto sauce! EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and great for easy meals with planned leftovers or for parties because it feeds a crowd!

Cucumber Watermelon Salad 🥗🍉🥒 An EASY salad with watermelon, cucumber, arugula, goat cheese, candied nuts, and drizzled with a homemade balsamic glaze! A PERFECT summer salad for those days when it’s too hot to cook!

Southwest Chicken Cobb Salad 🥗🧀🍅🌽 A Southwestern spin on traditional Cobb salad complete with tender chicken (use rotisserie to save time and not cook), crispy bacon, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, black beans, corn, and avocado over a bed of Romaine lettuce!

Shrimp Stuffed Avocados 🍤🍅🥑 If you like ceviche, you’re going to LOVE these EASY avocados stuffed with a mixture of shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, red onions, and more – plus some hot sauce for a touch of heat! There’s a time-saving shortcut so these are ready in 15 minutes with no fuss!

❤️🤍💚 My EASY Fresh Caprese Quinoa Salad is packed with fresh Italian flavors. You can mix and match the ingredients to use up any fresh produce you have on hand, making it great for summer potlucks, barbecues, and meal prep!