All the Ingredients and Ideas You'll Need for Easy, No-Cook Meals That Are Ready in Minutes

Summer: It's all fun and games until dinner time rolls around and you're tasked with that one dreaded question. Is it too hot to turn on the oven? Enter no-cook meals. Sometimes we're all tempted to break out a tub of hummus and some pita chips and call it a meal. But even something as simple as hummus can be upgraded with other no-cook, store-bought components to create a supper worthy of the season.

Here, we share the grocery items you should keep stocked in the pantry and fridge for light, no-cook meals this summer—and how to use these simple ingredients to make satisfying meals for every occasion, be it a potluck, picnic, or weeknight family dinner. After all, planning a menu and cooking requires strategy and practice, but so does not cooking!

Ingredients to Keep on Hand

Whether you assemble a dish or set out a grazing board of store-bought ingredients for folks to graze on, dinner in the summer should be quick and simple. And if you're going to pull off a no-cook dinner, you want to be as prepared as possible. Here are a few store-bought items to consider keeping in your refrigerator and pantry—add them to your grocery cart the next time you shop. 

In the Refrigerator

• Cooked meats (rotisserie chicken, bacon)
• Cooked seafood (shrimp, lobster, crabmeat, smoked salmon and/or trout)
• Cheeses (aged gouda, taleggio, triple-creme brie, goat cheese, feta, sharp cheddar, Danish blue, ricotta, mozzarella or burrata, Parmesan)
• Cured and deli meats (jamon serrano, mortadella, salami, prosciutto, bresaola, smoked turkey, bistro ham)
• Pre-made sauces (cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, peanut sauce, pesto, chimichurri)
• Dips and spreads (hummus, babaganoush, tzatziki, yogurt, labneh)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Salad greens and lettuce
• Slaw mix
• Fresh seasonal vegetables (Persian cucumbers, heirloom and cherry tomatoes, green beans, sweet bell peppers, snap peas, radishes, zucchini, avocado)
• Fresh seasonal fruits (melon, berries, stone fruit, lemons)
• Fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, dill)

In the Pantry

• Canned beans (chickpeas, cannellini beans, butter or lima beans)
• Tinned fish (smoked mackerel, mussels, sardines, oil-packed tuna and/or salmon)
• Pre-cooked grains (rice, quinoa, barley, etc.)
• Condiments (mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, hot sauce, chili paste)
• Pickles (pickled onions, peperoncini, cornichons)
• Jarred prepared vegetables (marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, giardiniera, olives, tapenade)
• Dried herbs and spices (dried oregano, Old Bay seasoning, tajin, toasted sesame seeds)
• Bread and crackers (sandwich bread, ciabatta, wafer crackers, potato chips, spring roll wrappers)
• Jams and chutneys (fig jam, onion jam, mango chutney)
• Dried fruit and nuts (dried apricots, cherries, golden raisins, almonds, cashews, walnuts)
  

Easy Ideas for No-Cook Meals

With summer in full swing, no-cook meals will help you get dinner on the table quickly and without leaving you sweating. Here are a few starter ideas that make good use of everything from protein to canned goods to fresh seasonal produce.

Key Ingredient: Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chicken is a true saving grace when it comes to no-cook meals.

• Chicken salad: Apart from being the main dish alongside store-bought sides, rotisserie chicken can be shredded with forks and tossed with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and a squeeze of lemon juice to make a quick chicken salad. Keep it simple or flavor the salad with your favorite hot sauce and slaw mix for a hearty Buffalo variation. Skip the mayo altogether for a lighter take—add some cider vinegar, sliced cornichons or peperoncini, and fresh dill and pile it onto sandwich bread. 
• Green salads: Rotisserie chicken can also add protein to classic salads. Buy your favorite Caesar salad dressing (or make your own with equal parts hummus, lemon juice, and olive oil, plus a little mustard and Worcestershire sauce) and add to romaine, grated Parmesan, and cherry tomatoes along with the chicken. Cobb salad is another super filling option that's perfect for lunch or dinner. Rotisserie chicken, bacon bits, sliced hard-boiled eggs, avocado, tomatoes, and crumbled blue cheese can be tossed with romaine lettuce and your favorite ranch-style dressing. 
• Lettuce wraps: Laura Manzano, a food stylist and recipe writer, loves lettuce wraps because they're an interactive dinner. "Wrap it in a lettuce leaf, and suddenly random bits of anything feel way more fun than eating with a fork and knife," she says. Rotisserie chicken and any combination of fresh vegetables and herbs can be piled into tall stacks of butter or iceberg lettuce leaves. Choose whatever flavor profile you like as you build. Drizzle with sesame oil, hoisin sauce, and chili crisp for an Asian flair, or serve with some tzatziki and feta. (Manzano likes to add deli meats like smoked turkey or ham, a squirt of mustard, and crushed potato chips for a real deli-counter sandwich feel.)

Key Ingredient: Deli and Cured Meats

Those same deli meats and cured meats, like jamon serrano, mortadella, salami, prosciutto, and bresaola are ideal for hearty sandwiches that can be made ahead and served cold or at room temperature.

• Pressed picnic sandwiches: These are always a crowd-pleaser. Layer the meats, mozzarella, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and tender greens like arugula onto split ciabatta. A thick layer of tapenade or giardiniera on the cut-sides of the bread adds a salty bite. Smoked turkey, bacon, taleggio, and sliced tomatoes are great between slices of toasted sandwich bread. Tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto, and pesto are a classic.

Play around with whatever meats you see at the store, and remember that a handful of potato chips adds crunch to any of these sandwiches. 

Key Ingredient: Seafood

Whether you opt for a sandwich or spring rolls, there are several ways to enjoy store-bought shrimp, lobster, and crabmeat.

• Lobster BLT platter: A BLT platter is a great no-cook way to impress guests, especially our lobster version. Set out all of the ingredients and let folks build their own sandwiches. For a slightly more economical option, replace the lobster with smoked salmon or trout.
• Crab or lobster rolls: Both lobster and crabmeat can be used to make another summer classic–lobster or crab rolls. Toss the seafood with tartar sauce and a few dashes of Old Bay seasoning, then pile into warm rolls. 
• Shrimp spring rolls: Pre-cooked shrimp can get the lobster roll treatment, but they're also great for dipping into cocktail sauce. They can also be tucked into spring roll wrappers with lots of crisp veggies for a refreshing, yet filling dinner. Pair the rolls with store-bought peanut sauce. 

Key Ingredient: Hard-Boiled Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs are a versatile ingredient to have handy.

• Egg salad: This is the obvious choice. A scoop on a piece of toast or on top of salad greens is a satisfying lunch.
• Avocado toast topping: Slice eggs thin and arrange them on top of avocado toast. Alternately, drizzle the top with pesto or chili oil. 
• Lazy deviled eggs: Make a "lazy man's deviled egg" by simply smearing them with a bit of mustard and topping with smoked salmon, trout, or sardines.

Key Ingredient: Canned Goods

Turn to canned fish or beans if you need a no-cook meal fast—you can even pair them together for a protein-packed dish.

• Tuna or salmon salad: Oil-packed tuna or salmon work similarly. Add mayo, red wine vinegar, celery, and red onion to make a creamy salad, or omit the mayo altogether. A can of cannellini beans or chickpeas is a great way to add even more protein. 
• Bean salad: Canned beans of all varieties can be combined to make bean salads. They are ridiculously easy to put together and can be a great way to use up bountiful vegetables. Ingredients like pickled onions and peperoncini are perfect for adding a briney bite to these salads. 

Key Ingredient: Cheese

If you're a cheese lover, you'll appreciate these creative cheese-based meals—some of which walk the line between savory and sweet.

• Cheese bowls: These are the new cheese boards. Spread generous spoonfuls of whipped feta, labneh (okay, not technically cheese, but we'll let it slide), ricotta, or cottage cheese into bowls and top with anything you like—slaw mix + tartar sauce + avocado, raw snap peas and radishes + pickled onions + prosciutto, asparagus + hard-boiled egg + sesame seeds, cherry tomatoes + marinated olives + hot honey. The possibilities are endless. 
• Cheese board meal: If you're not quite ready to let go of the cheese board, create a mini cheese tasting (wine included, obviously) by adding some of your favorites to a platter. There's only one rule—add variety. We like to include something nutty like aged gouda, something creamy like brie, something sharp like cheddar, and something a little funky like Danish blue. Make it a meal in and of itself by adding your favorite cured meats, crusty bread, olives, dried fruit, and nuts. Sweet jam mellows out sharp cheeses and savory or spicy chutney brightens both mild and fatty cheeses. Make sure you have bread or crackers on hand to build out your cheese plates. And charcuterie boards aren't just for pork products. Tinned fish like mussels, mackerel, and sardines are equally delicious with all the same fixings. 
• Fruit and cheese: Manzano loves to shop for fresh, seasonal fruit at the market and find a complementary cheese to eat it with. Try pairing juicy peaches or watermelon with briney sheep's milk feta. Sharp cheddar plays on the sweet flavors of honeydew melon and ripe raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. (No one is going to turn down thin slices of prosciutto or bresaola with any of these.)

Key Ingredient: Dips and Spreads

Dips like store-bought hummus and babaganoush are a fun way to add even more options to a charcuterie board—but they can also be a meal on their own. Both have plenty of plant-based protein (but you can add even more by topping with hard-boiled eggs or marinated chickpeas).

• Upgraded hummus: Hummus in particular is ripe for variations—it can be brightened up with a drizzle of pesto or chimichurri and served with a big pile of marinated cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. You can buy something like this at the deli counter or quickly put them together yourself by tossing with dried oregano, vinegar, and olive oil, then letting them hang out in the fridge for a day or two. 
• Upgraded yogurt or labneh: Cool, tangy spreads like yogurt or labneh work the same way. These two in particular are begging for a drizzle of something hot and spicy. Rachel Perlmutter, a culinary producer in New York City, reaches for spicy condiments like tajin, hot honey, and chili crisp for this exact reason. They provide an instant upgrade for these spreads.

Pair these upgraded store-bought dips with seasonal vegetables—we love mini cucumbers, raw green beans, mini bell peppers, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes. They're all great to serve raw for these dips, whether you're eating them on their own or with cheese and charcuterie.