Food & Cooking Recipes Dinner Recipes Summer Dinner Ideas 24 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 24 Shrimp Cobb With Cilantro-Lime Dressing Bryan Gardner Chicken or turkey is what you’re used to seeing on a Cobb salad, but we swap in quick-seared shrimp for this recipe. The salad has all of the other usual suspects, like bacon, tomatoes, avocado, and hard-boiled egg. View Recipe 02 of 24 Winter Cobb Salad Con Poulos Make our All-Purpose Baked Tofu for dinner and use leftovers to make this hearty salad for lunch the next day. Use crisped up mushrooms in lieu of bacon and shredded lacinato kale in place of ordinary lettuce. View Recipe 03 of 24 Thai Zucchini-Coconut Soup Dana Gallagher This vegan soup is just the thing to cool you off, and it requires hardly any hands-on cooking. Sliced shallots, fresh ginger, and garlic are responsible for the bulk of the flavor, and canned coconut milk is what makes the soup silky and smooth. View Recipe 04 of 24 Soba Salad With Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Marcus Nilsson This cold noodle salad is a delicious vegetarian meal that will entice meat eaters too. Bite-sized pieces of grilled eggplant and tomatoes are tossed with buckwheat soba noodles, scallions, soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, and fresh cilantro. Quick and easy! View Recipe 05 of 24 Chilled Avocado-Cucumber Soup With Crostini Con Poulos Avocado adds a pleasant creaminess to this chilled cucumber soup. Scallions and fresh jalapeño chiles are blended with the other vegetables to add a fiery kick. We like to serve it with tartine ingredients on the side so you can build your own sandwiches—try blanched asparagus, jammy eggs, and thin slices of good-quality ham in addition to crisp crostini. View Recipe 06 of 24 Pressed Picnic Sandwich Bryan Gardner The only cooking you’ll need to do for this recipe is grilling the bell peppers. The cut-sides of the ciabatta are spread with olive tapenade and goat cheese. From there, you can pile on the roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, prosciutto, salami, and vinaigrette. View Recipe 07 of 24 Avocado-and-Sprout Club Sandwiches NGOC MINH NGO All things creamy and crunchy can be found on these open-faced vegetarian sandwiches. Spread the whole-grain toasts with softened goat cheese, then choose from an assortment of toppings, such as sliced cucumbers, carrots, and radishes, avocado, or alfalfa sprouts. View Recipe 08 of 24 Tuna Nicoise Sandwich We go crazy for a classic Nicoise salad, so we always jump at the opportunity to turn it into a sandwich. Layer tinned tuna, thinly sliced cucumbers and red onions, fresh basil, hard-cooked eggs, and olive tapenade over a round country loaf like you would do with a Muffuletta sandwich, then slice and serve. View Recipe 09 of 24 Scandinavian Shrimp-and-Cucumber Sandwich Ren Fuller These Scandi-inspired sandwiches are both nutritious and filling, perfect for a quick cold dinner. Bonus: you can poach the shrimp and boil the eggs ahead of time, so all you have to do the night of is build the sandwiches. View Recipe 10 of 24 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 11 of 24 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 12 of 24 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 13 of 24 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 14 of 24 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 15 of 24 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 16 of 24 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 17 of 24 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 18 of 24 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 19 of 24 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 20 of 24 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 21 of 24 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 22 of 24 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 23 of 24 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 24 of 24 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 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit