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41 No-Cook Summer Dishes for When You Absolutely Cannot Turn On the Oven

10 July 2025 at 07:26

I love my kitchen, I really do. But lately, I’ve been searching for every excuse under the sun to get outside. Whether it’s taking a long walk home from work, bringing my weekend reading to the park, or slipping outside for lunch, I’m making the most of our very warm, sunny weather. But some days are just too hot to think, too hot to move, and certainly too hot to cook. For those sticky, sweaty, sweltering days, make one of these no-cook summer dishes. That means that you don’t have to turn on the stove or oven to enjoy a seasonally inspired meal for lunch or dinner. I want dishes I can toss together sans stove or oven, like crispy salads, cool soups, and crunchy sandwiches. And, thankfully, summer’s bounty is ready to provide. After dinner, cool off with a frozen treat like our no-churn ice creams or dairy-free sorbets. We're in the dog days of summer, when all you want to do is sit by the A/C with a pint of ice cream. Here, I’ve gathered 30 of our freshest no-cook dishes. Now, go outside and enjoy the day!


Our best no-cookΒ recipes

1. Corn, Shrimp & Avocado Salad With Chipotle-Pepita Dressing

When you’re sick of the heat and don’t feel like cooking, this no-cook salad will save the day. Pro tip: Purchase fresh, precooked shrimp so that you don’t have to turn on the stove.

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Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

Β© Julia Gartland

23 Easy Ways to Upgrade Boxed Mac & Cheese for Last-Minute Dinners

19 May 2025 at 19:55

Let me get one thing straight: I have loved boxed macaroni and cheese for as long as I can remember. From the bright orange Kraft mac and cheese dinners my dad "cooked" when my mom was out of town, to the countless microwaveable single-serve Easy Mac cups I consumed in college, and fancied-up shells and white cheddar from Annie's that now fill my pantry, this gloriously convenient invention has always been a part of my life.

And while you can often catch me whipping up a batch of the stuff in its purest form (including last night, when I had zero desire to prepare a full dinner), there are times when I like to experiment with different combinations of ingredients. Some are based off my cravings (spicy, bright and herby, or totally carbo-loaded), and other times they're based off whatever leftovers are in my fridge. Sure, adding extra ingredients can take away a bit of the simplicity, but incorporating them is easy and rarely takes more than a few minutesβ€”in fact, you can usually finish the prep while the pasta water boils. Most importantly, they pay off big time in terms of flavor.

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Spicy pork party in Namhae

A lot of people in my late father's hometown of Namhae, South Korea remembered him well. I got them together and made spicy pork and a few side dishes for lunch.

Seaside lunch in my father’s hometown

I headed to Namhae, my father's hometown and where I had spent a lot of time when I was young. I was visited by my old friend Ms. Im for a seaside fresh fish lunch.

Cooking for my aunt in Yeosu

My Auntie in Yeosu taught me so many things about cooking and has been my role model for many years. She's always been there for me and my family so when I visited Yeosu I wanted to make her a special meal using local seafood.

My Hometown Yeosu

After being away for years I revisited my hometown of Yeosu in South Korea. So much of what I love and remember is still there, including some of my family's favorite restaurants. And of course the traditional markets are all still there too!

A Hanwoo beef BBQ feast with my old friend

This video is part two in my Real Korean Cooking Stories, a series of videos I filmed after finishing my first cookbook in 2015 when I traveled to Korea. This episode shows my visit to my friend Ji-hyun’s home, where we made a Hanwoo beef lunch together and enjoyed a wonderful time with her mom. […]
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