Vicky Wasik
Chili, mashed potatoes, and stews are to comforting winter meals as salads, sandwiches, and simple pastas are to light summer ones. This is a time when we want our food to feel breezy and refreshing, and also require less cook-time (or none at all!). We’ve put together a list of 15 light summer meal recipes you’re sure to have on repeat all summer long.
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Sasha Marx
This white bean and tuna salad is the perfect protein-packed light meal for when you don’t want to do any cooking.
Peruvian Tiradito With Aji Amarillo and Lime
Vicky Wasik
Sashimi-style slices of fish are dressed in a chile-citrus sauce for this breezy, refreshing meal.
Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomatoes and XO Sauce
Vicky Wasik
This easy pasta dish is further proof that all you need to elevate a quick weeknight dinner is the right condiment.
Ensalada de Tomate con Ventresca de Atún (Spanish-Style Tomato and Ventresca Tuna Salad)
Sasha Marx
Olive oil-packed tuna belly and peak season tomatoes are the keys to this no-fuss, no-cook salad.
Chinese-Style Layered Omelette
Vicky Wasik
With just eggs, salt, scallions, and soy sauce, you can make a luxurious weeknight meal in about 15 minutes.
Tortilla Española (Spanish Egg and Potato Omelette)
Vicky Wasik
This classic Spanish omelette is made of egg, potato, and onion cooked in olive oil. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Mayo-Free Mediterranean Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Vicky Wasik
Loaded with Mediterranean flavors, including plenty of fresh olive oil, capers, olives, fennel, celery, and a splash of lemon, this tuna salad sandwich is sure to be a hit.
Pasta With Swordfish, Tomato, and Eggplant (Rigatoni Con Pesce Spada)
Vicky Wasik
Rigatoni with swordfish, tomatoes, and eggplant is an easy, breezy Sicilian summertime classic.
Classic Tomato Sandwich
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
A Southern tomato sandwich is all about showing off the peak-of-season summer tomatoes.
The Best BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Use the best tomatoes. Put away the fancy bread. And most importantly: Don’t mess with it.
Classic Panzanella Salad (Tuscan-Style Tomato and Bread Salad)
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Dried bread and salted ripe tomatoes make this the best bread salad of the summer.
Andalusian Gazpacho
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Keys to making a better gazpacho: ripe tomatoes, salt, and a freeze-thaw step.
The Best Caesar Salad
Diana Chistruga
The crowd-pleasing salad of crisp romaine leaves, crunchy croutons, and a little or a lot of anchovy can easily be altered to your liking.
Summer Tomato Tonnato
Vicky Wasik
This simple no-cook salad combines peak summer tomatoes and Italian tonnato (tuna sauce).
Caprese Salad
Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
The only trick here is to use high-quality, in-season ingredients… and not adding balsamic.