It’s finally starting to feel like summer here, so I was looking back on some easy recipes that won’t heat up the whole house on a warm evening. Here are seven of my favorite Cool Summer Recipes for Hot Summer Nights!
It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your… oven-heavy recipes! And while you’re at it, take a little time to check out these seven easy dinner options. None of these heats up the whole house on a warm summer’s day, but each offers a hearty homemade dinner for your family. Hope you enjoy all of these as much as my own family does.
Cool Summer Recipes for Hot Summer Nights
Savory & satisfying, my Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls are so refreshing — the only component you actually have to cook up here is the rice, which you can do on the stove top, in your Instant Pot, in your rice cooker, or however you please. Change things around to taste with different veggie toppings or sauces of choice, but any way you throw them together, they’re amazingly delicious.
An oldie but a goodie, this Vegetarian Lemon Chickpea Wraps recipe from way back in 2018 still shows up regularly on our Meatless Mondays to this day. I mean: Just 15 minutes, garlicky delicious, and no actual cooking required? Sign me up, right?! Take the base recipe and try it in different wraps, change up the lettuce for spinach, add some sweet bell pepper… it’s endlessly customizable.
Here’s another older, yet still darn tasty, dinner option. To create this Simple Summer Salad with Chicken & Blueberries, you just need to grill the chicken briefly, or cook it up in a skillet for a few minutes per side. So fresh and so summery, it’s a feast for the eyes as well — and takes full advantage of fresh seasonal summer blueberries.
Are we still doing salads? Oh, why not: This cooling, yet filling option is so satisfying — yet also low carb, gluten free, and pretty quick to throw together! Chopped Chicken Avocado Tomato Cucumber Salad is an easy veggie packed dinner idea that’s hearty, not heavy, on a hot summer night.
You know what? Let’s take our next salad in a different direction with an Easy Asian Chopped Salad Kit Stir Fry. Just 30 minutes total, and it cooks up quickly on the stove top to give you a warm meal without heating up the whole house.
While we’re talking minimal stove top time for maximum results, Chicken with Chunky Mango Tomato Salsa has your back! The easy, fruity salsa makes for a nice change of pace, and pairs beautifully with some quick-cooked skillet chicken tenders. A little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and a lot fresh & delicious on a summer weeknight.
Liking the idea of some quick-cooked skillet chicken with cool refreshing salsa? Here’s another option: Chicken Tenders with Artichoke Avocado Salsa pairs a cool & confident salsa with some beautifully seasoned chicken tenders — and the complementary flavors & textures will keep your family coming back for more.
What summer meals keep you going?
Sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, pasta salad, burgers, stir fry… what are some of your own summertime dinner go-tos? Please comment here, or come on over to the Mashup Mom Facebook page — where we’ve been talking about cheap & easy family summer dinners for the past couple of days.