Food & Cooking Recipes Dinner Recipes Summer Dinner Ideas 26 Cold Dinner Recipes for Quick Weeknight Meals These no-cook and make-ahead recipes are best served cold. By Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living. Editorial Guidelines Published on July 7, 2023 Close Photo: Bryan Gardner The kids may be out of school, but somehow summer always seems to be the busiest season of the year. Even if you’re willing to turn on the oven (we’d argue it should be used sparingly during the hottest months of the year), everyone needs a few meals that can be made ahead and enjoyed later in their back pocket. Perhaps most importantly, these recipes need to be quick and simple. To achieve that, we utilize ingredients like peak-season produce, tinned fish, and cooked grains to make cool, refreshing weeknight meals a cinch to pull together. These recipes include everything from no-cook pasta sauces and sushi rolls (for pescatarians and vegetarians alike) to hearty protein-packed salads and super summery chilled soups. And while eggs might not be your first thought for dinner, we’ve included a handful of frittatas that are perfect for a room-temperature feast (they make good cold leftovers too). No-Bake Summer Lasagna 01 of 26 Blistered Green-Bean and Corn Frittata Sidney Bensimon Late summer vegetables add even more nutrition to this protein-packed egg dish. A mix of fresh parsley and plump cherry tomatoes served on the side adds an extra burst of color and flavor. View Recipe 02 of 26 Pasta with No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce Marcus Nilsson Toss perfectly ripe tomatoes with classic puttanesca flavors like olives, capers, and garlic, then let the flavors meld while you quickly cook a box of pasta. Finish this no-cook pasta with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese–say when! View Recipe 03 of 26 Mexican Seafood Salad Sidney Bensimon This main-dish salad is packed with buttery, plump shrimp, perfectly cooked snapper, and peak-season corn and tomatoes. Make it up to one day ahead and dinner will be on the table in seconds. Finish the dish with corn nuts for even more corn flavor and crunch. View Recipe 04 of 26 Chicken Salad with Pineapple-Lime Dressing Not your typical chicken salad, this one piles shredded chicken breast onto a bed of spinach and watercress. Honey and pineapple sweeten the zesty lime dressing that’s drizzled over the top. View Recipe 05 of 26 Crab Rolls Bryan Gardner This fun spin on lobster rolls is a special treat and couldn’t be easier to make. Simply toss pieces of lump crabmeat in a lemon and Old Bay-seasoned mayonnaise dressing. Pile them into toasted buns and serve with your favorite potato chips. View Recipe 06 of 26 Baked Salmon Sushi Joanna Garcia Making sushi is a fun way to get everyone involved in dinner. Cook the rice and salmon ahead of time, then the only thing left to do is assemble. Bonus: this recipe is a great way to introduce sushi to kids who don’t yet love the idea of raw fish. View Recipe 07 of 26 Avocado Sushi Joanna Garcia Fresh vegetables are the name of the game in these vegetarian sushi rolls. Nori sheets are layered with ginger-flavored rice (that you cook ahead and chill), cucumbers, carrots, and avocado. Sesame seeds add even more healthy fats. View Recipe 08 of 26 Poached-Chicken Cups with Ginger-Scallion Oil Armando Rafael This tender poached chicken is flavored lightly with Asian-inspired ingredients like ginger and scallion. Chill the chicken breasts until you’re ready to assemble the salad, then toss shreds with a similarly flavored scallion sauce. Serve the chicken and more vegetables in crisp lettuce cups. View Recipe 09 of 26 Ginger-Chicken Slaw Courtesy of Johnny Fogg Coleslaw is the ultimate make-ahead dish, and this one is made dinner-worthy by the addition of shredded chicken breast. Roast the chicken ahead of time or use leftover or rotisserie chicken. The garlic-ginger-lime dressing makes this dish next-level delicious. View Recipe 10 of 26 Poached Shrimp with Honeydew, Radishes, Jicama, and Scallions Yunhee Kim If you want dinner to feel like a spa day, look no further than this reicpe. Large shrimp are poached in their shells to keep them plump and tender. They can be cooked a day ahead and tossed with sweet honeydew, crisp jicama and radishes, and thinly sliced scallions just before serving. View Recipe 11 of 26 Stuffed BLT Salad Christopher Testani Ripe summer tomatoes are the stars of the show here, but the salad inside is special too. Salty bits of bacon and shredded lettuce are piled inside the tomato cavities for a modern spin on the classic BLT. View Recipe 12 of 26 Sardinian Tomato Salad Christopher Testani Transport yourself to the Italian coast with this no-cook dinner salad of tinned tuna, heirloom tomatoes, sliced fennel, and green olives. Slices of rustic bread are perfect for sopping up the combination of tomato juices and orange vinaigrette. View Recipe 13 of 26 Tomato, Scallion, and Cheddar Frittata This versatile frittata is made using grape tomatoes, scallions, and cheddar cheese, but you can use any of your favorite vegetables, alliums, and cheeses. It can be served warm or at room temperature and would be even better with a sprinkle of fresh herbs on top. View Recipe 14 of 26 Summer Waldorf with Yogurt-Tarragon Dressing Bryan Gardner Fresh seasonal produce is one of the best ways to make salads shine. Ripe plums add a sweet bite to a salad of gently poached chicken breast, fennel, almonds, and butter lettuce. Cook the chicken ahead or use leftover or rotisserie chicken to keep the kitchen (and the cook) cool. View Recipe 15 of 26 Salmon Niçoise with Caper Dressing Bryan Gardner Sautéed salmon fillets replace the tuna in this seasonal take on salade Niçoise. Sweet summer corn joins the more traditional potatoes, green beans, and olives. The fish can be cooked ahead and chilled or cooked at the last minute. The other components should be prepared ahead of time. View Recipe 16 of 26 Southwestern Cobb Salad Everyone’s favorite salad gets a Southwestern spin with the addition of poblano peppers, black beans, and cilantro. The pepper mixture, bacon, chicken, and hard-boiled eggs can all be made ahead and tossed to order. View Recipe 17 of 26 Greek Quinoa Salad Bryan Gardner Greek salad gets heft and protein from the addition of nutty quinoa. Other cooked grains like farro, barley, or brown rice would also work well in this recipe. A generous amount of parsley and mint add a fresh finish. View Recipe 18 of 26 Spanish Gazpacho Dana Gallagher You'll feel like you're in Spain when you enjoy a bowl of this quick no-cook tomato soup. It's made in the blender and served cold. The garnishes are everything, add hearty additions like hard-boiled eggs, sardines, tuna, or sliced cured ham. View Recipe 19 of 26 Beet Gazpacho with Shrimp Bryan Gardner This recipe gives new meaning to no-cook meals. Pre-cooked shrimp are floated on top of big bowls of hearty gazpacho made with store-bought pre-cooked beets. Simple additions like garlic and red wine vinegar complement the fresh, earthy flavors of the beets and tomatoes. View Recipe 20 of 26 Grilled Pork and Noodle Salad with Basil, Cilantro, and Mint Katie Quinn Davies Fire up the grill and cook off a spicy sambal-marinated pork tenderloin. Paper-thin slices get tangled between a cold salad of vermicelli noodles, crunchy vegetables, and handfuls of fresh herbs. View Recipe 21 of 26 Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes Jake Stangel In the traditional baigan chokah, eggplant is combined with flavors like chile and lime. This version incorporates fresh tomatoes, and can be refrigerated for up to two days. Serve the mixture straight from the fridge with flatbread or over bowls of rice. View Recipe 22 of 26 Shrimp Summer Rolls Nicole Franzen Cook off some shrimp and vermicelli noodles ahead of time and you’re halfway to these refreshing summer rolls. Roll all of the ingredients up burrito-style and serve with chili paste and peanut sauce for dipping. View Recipe 23 of 26 Pasta Salad with Chickpeas, Green Beans, and Basil Ren Fuller Pasta salad welcomes thoughts of potlucks and picnics, but canned chickpeas and green beans make this one hearty enough for a make-ahead dinner. A final sprinkle of cheese makes it the ultimate crowd-pleaser. View Recipe 24 of 26 Tuna Macaroni Salad Mike Krautter Two classics (tuna salad and macaroni salad) join forces for this hearty recipe. A cool buttermilk dressing soaks into the fish and pasta as it sits, making it even more flavorful. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally for eight hours. View Recipe 25 of 26 Corn Soup with Tomato-Bacon Toasts Armando Rafael Grilled cheese and soup are a dynamic duo, even in the summer. Open-face tomato and bacon sandwiches are easy to assemble and serve alongside this chilled corn soup that is cooked in the leftover bacon grease. View Recipe 26 of 26 Tomato Gazpacho with Chicken Soup is the simplest meal to make in the summer, especially a no-cook soup like this gazpacho. All you need is a blender and you can let ripe tomatoes do their thing in this bright soup. Add protein by topping each portion with cold leftover shredded chicken. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit