10 No-Cook Meals To Make When It's Way Too Hot To Turn On The Stove

In the dead of summer, when temperatures are at all-time highs and the air conditioning can't seem to blast-cool the house fast enough, the last thing you want to do is turn on any appliance that will make your home even hotter. The oven is out, naturally, but sometimes, you may not even want to use the stove. It's those times when you need a good old-fashioned, no-cook meal. These cooling summer staples are ideal for the hottest days of the year (but can honestly be enjoyed year-round). And because no actual cooking is required, these recipes are relatively easy and accessible even to those who may not consider themselves brilliant home cooks.

Whether you're craving something light and refreshing or prefer a heartier, more filling salad, we've got you covered. So, get out your cutting board, grab some fresh veggies, and whip up these simple but extra delicious recipes that'll keep you fed all heat wave long.

There's nothing more appealing than a colorful, crunchy salad in the summer, and this Summer Turnip Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing absolutely fits the bill. It packs a ton of veggies into every serving, from tomatoes and cucumbers to red onion and parsley. The star of the show, though, is the turnip. This crunchy root veggie not only adds some savory earthiness and crunch to the dish, but it also makes it heartier in the process. Its succulent snap will have your mouth watering for more as soon as you take that first bite.

Recipe: Summer Turnip Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing

Apple and tuna may not seem like the most typical ingredients to pair together in a salad, but hear us out. This is a combo that really works, especially when combined with chopped celery and red onion, mayonnaise, and plenty of mustard. Most of these ingredients lean toward the savory end of the spectrum, while apples add a pop of sweetness and acidity that really finishes off the salad nicely. And the best part? If you use canned tuna, you don't have to turn on any heat source at all to make this filling meal.

Recipe: Simple Apple Tuna Salad

When a lot of people think of asparagus, their first instinct might be to roast it. As much as we love roasted asparagus, though, this green vegetable might taste even better when it's prepared in a fresher fashion. This recipe calls for blanching the asparagus, but you can totally skip this step — especially if you prefer to taste a bit more of the signature funk that asparagus is known for. You'll want to include plenty of other chopped vegetables as well, including radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and whatever else you have in the fridge for the most colorful salad possible.

Recipe: Chopped Asparagus Salad

Sometimes, a creamy tuna salad absolutely hits the spot, but when you're looking for something that tastes fresher and includes more vegetables, this Mexican-Inspired Tuna Salad is perfect. You can use canned tuna, which means that no cooking is required — all you really have to do is chop up all your vegetables, make your dressing, and combine it all in a bowl. This salad is big and refreshing enough to serve as a main course, although you could also prepare it as a side dish.

Recipe: Mexican-Inspired Tuna Salad

Sardines are the darlings of no-cook recipes, so it shouldn't surprise you that this recipe for Sardine Tartine with Sweet and Sour Onions is one of our absolute favorites. Admittedly, you will have to turn on the stove for a couple of minutes to make your onion marinade (although you could skip this part if you just want to eat your onions raw). Then, your toasted bread is spread with crème fraîche and adorned with the sardine fillets. Add on those marinated onions along with pine nuts and lemon juice, or keep it simple with whatever fresh and fragrant vegetables and herbs you have on hand.

Recipe: Sardine Tartine with Sweet and Sour Onions

Head to the grocery store to grab yourself some canned beans so you can make this recipe for Jalapeño-Lime Three Bean Salad. Cooking three different types of beans from scratch is bound to heat up your kitchen, which is why canned is absolutely the way to go for this recipe. Chop up the jalapeños, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and avocado to add some freshness, and you have a fridge-friendly salad that you can snack on for days (or eat all in one sitting, if you have a salad-loving family).

Recipe: Jalapeño-Lime Three Bean Salad

Just because a recipe is relatively basic doesn't mean it has to be boring, which is exactly what this Simple Yet Refined Tuna Sandwich happens to prove. It calls for canned tuna along with mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and lots of herbs. It's those herbs that really give the tuna salad its intensity of flavor, yet still keep it super refreshing. Serve the tuna salad on some good-quality sourdough bread for the hot weather sandwich of your dreams. You may never look at a tuna salad sandwich the same way again.

Recipe: Simple Yet Refined Tuna Sandwich

It may seem difficult to capture the texture of lobster in a vegan dish, but hearts of palm, which you can generally find in the canned vegetable section of your local grocery store, actually do replicate it quite well. All you have to do is take them out of the can, rinse them, and chop them up, and they become the base for your "lobster" roll. This quick, no-cook meal takes only about 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to chill in the fridge before it's ready to be served on bread.

Recipe: Vegan Hearts of Palm Lobster Roll

Who said you had to put tuna salad on bread? This recipe takes a classic and makes it even lighter by using lettuce in place of the bread. This is another recipe that calls for tuna, so there's no cooking required when you use the canned variety. Just combine it in a bowl with celery, red onion, capers, and plenty of pickle relish — along with mayo and mustard, of course — and you have the filling for your wraps. These Tuna Lettuce Wraps work as a light dinner or lunch when you don't want anything to weigh you down.

Recipe: Tuna Lettuce Wraps

Watermelon and feta are a match made in heaven, so it should come as no surprise that they join forces so successfully in these Watermelon and Feta Tea Sandwiches. A layer of cucumber gives them extra snap and freshness, and mint further adds a cooling effect. This is an especially light recipe, but the feta gives it some heft as well as saltiness, creating a counterpart to the watery texture of the watermelon. This is a delicious remix of a classic watermelon salad that may be even prettier than the original.

Recipe: Watermelon and Feta Tea Sandwiches