42 Easy, No-Cook Meals to Make a No-Sweat Lunch or Dinner (2024)

Some days, you're just not in the mood to cook. Other days, like in the heat of summer, the last thing you want to do is light up a burner. It's exactly those days that inspired us to compile a list of refreshingly easy, no-cook meals that are perfect for lunch or dinner.

These meals are super simple to put together, often using rotisserie chicken, pre-cooked shrimp, fresh produce, or meatless proteins to make them hearty and satisfying. Read on for dozens of no-cook meals to add to your menu plan, and then look over our collection of no-bake desserts.

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Nicoise-Inspired Summer Salad

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With a mix of pre-cooked fish, fresh produce, and canned chickpeas, this colorful take on the classic French salad is a breeze to assemble. Buy or use pre-cooked hard-boiled eggs to make this easy recipe an even easier, no-cook one.

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Fancy Tomato Sandwiches

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This recipe highlights the summer's bounty of fresh tomatoes as the star in a stylishly chic sandwich. A little arugula gives it a peppery bite, while store-bought fried onions provide a surprising crunch.

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Summer Tacos With Scallion-Peanut Relish

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Quick pickles and a fresh, spicy, peanut relish dress up shredded rotisserie chicken to create this flavorful dish. While warm tortillas are best, you can skip this step if you're a sticker for a no-heat-required meal.

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Japanese-Style Shrimp Salad

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A soy sauce-and-sesame oil dressing freshens up this tasty Asian-inspired salad. It coats fresh produce and pre-cooked shrimp to create a light, healthy, filling meal.

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Chickpea-Tuna Salad

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Standard tuna salad gets an upgrade in this vinegar-based (not mayo-centric) recipe. It marinades canned chickpeas in oil and vinegar, which are joined by tuna, radicchio, red onion, kalamata olives, and capers. The result is an easy lunch or light dinner you'll want to revisit every week.

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Nectarine-and-Burrata Salad

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Quick-pickling the onions technically requires 30 seconds of microwaving, but it's worth it for this fresh, healthy, no-cook salad. Try this delightful combination of creamy cheese and sweet nectarines as directed, or switch it up with peaches, cherries, apricots, or a combo of what's best from the farmers market.

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Tangy Shrimp Salad With Summer Vegetables

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With an easy recipe swap of pre-cooked shrimp (instead of raw), you can skip steps 1 and 2 to pull together a no-cook meal in minutes. Chopped jalapeño adds a bit of heat, while fresh produce gives this salad a vibrant taste and color.

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Herby Chicken Salad Tartines

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This recipe uses rotisserie chicken (or any leftover cooked chicken) to create an elegant tartine: essentially a fancy French term for an open-faced sandwich. The chicken salad has a mayo-based dressing and almonds for a nice crunch. Thinly sliced radishes and an herby topping—fresh tarragon and chives—contribute to make this sandwich magnifique!

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Green Gazpacho With Grapes, Honeydew, and Cucumber

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While this green gazpacho is served with toast, you can easily skip that step if you're looking for a recipe that requires absolutely no cooking. To make the vibrant, chilled soup, all you need is a blender to whirl ciabatta bread (yes, bread in the blender!), cucumber, melon, grapes, scallions, and salt with lime juice and vinegar-soaked bread.

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Crispy Chicken-and-Cheddar Sandwich With Pickle Dijon

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If you have an extra-crispy chicken cutlet leftover from last night's dinner, this is the meal for you! Throw that chicken between two baguette halves, add romaine leaves, grated Cheddar, and a spread of pickle relish, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise for a tasty sandwich.

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Acai Coconut Smoothie Bowl

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Here's a breakfast smoothie bowl with the nutritional heft to work for lunch or dinner, too. The smoothie part blends frozen, pureed acaí with bananas, blueberries, and coconut water (or coconut milk for added richness). Topped with more fruit, coconut flakes, and your favorite granola, it's like eating dessert for dinner.

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Ginger-Lime Melon Salad

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You won't find any lettuce, croutons, or meat here, yet this light, no-cook fruit salad is packed with flavor. It features wedges of fresh watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe boosted with lime zest and grated fresh ginger.

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Spicy Street Corn Salad

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This fresh take on the classic Mexican street food elote features a hint of spice and makes a perfect no-cook dinner. A little chopping and mixing are all that's required to assemble this hearty salad.

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Coconut-Marinated Shrimp With Cucumber and Jicama

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This super-easy, no-cook, shrimp meal is the perfect take-along for a picnic or get-together. Infused with coconut, lime, and cilantro flavors, you can serve this dish as-is for a low-carb meal, atop rice noodles for more substance, or as a crostini topping.

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Crab Rolls

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Crisp radishes, celery, and apples provide a satisfying crunch that contrasts with the creamy mayo in this classic sandwich recipe. Using already-cooked crabmeat keeps this easy sandwich recipe heat-free.

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Baby Kale and Chicken Caesar Salad

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This recipe calls for making your own croutons, but reach for a box of store-bought and this recipe qualifies for the no-cook list. Whip up a dressing based on mayo (instead of egg yolks), toss with thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, rotisserie chicken, and kale, top with croutons, and dinner (or lunch) is served!

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Zucchini and Bean Salad With Bulgur

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Nutritious bulgur makes a hearty base for this delicious meatless salad. While you'll need a bit of boiled water for the bulgur, the rest of this meal only requires assembly. Alternatively, stick to your no-bake guns and swap out the bulgur for any leftover cooked grain.

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Spring Green Salad

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Clear out your produce drawer with this healthy salad, which boasts a base of romaine lettuce hearts with chopped cucumber, snap peas, and edamame. Add chives and mint, plus pistachios for crunch, and you have a practically perfect monochromatic salad.

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Tex-Mex Gazpacho

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Put your fresh tomatoes to good use with this chilled soup, which also calls for Kirby cucumbers, a red bell pepper, a poblano pepper, and a red onion. Fresh lime juice and olive oil add depth of flavor, a dollop of sour cream delivers creaminess, and a sprinkling of roasted pepitas lends texture.

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Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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If you're looking for an easy vegetarian meal, this sandwich qualifies. It combines canned chickpeas with chopped celery, a shallot, mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, and Dijon mustard to create a meat-free take on chicken salad. We promise you won't miss the real thing!

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Pickled Tuna-Salad Sandwiches

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Elevate your standard tuna sandwich recipe with pickle relish and fresh, flat-leaf parsley. If you have a spare hard-boiled egg from meal prep or don't mind cooking one thing, we promise that adding the chopped egg to the sandwich is worth it.

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Summer Squash With Scallions, Chile, and Parsley

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If you've never eaten a raw squash salad before, you're in for a treat. Tossing the rounds with salt softens them, allowing them to absorb every bit of flavor. Vinegar adds just the right amount of acidity, and a chopped almond dressing ties the whole dish together.

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Peach and Arugula Salad With Burrata

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Fresh peaches are a favorite among summer fruits, and they truly shine when paired with creamy burrata. This recipe also calls for prosciutto, peppery arugula, and a zingy herb dressing made with olive oil, basil, and chives that's likely to become a lunch favorite.

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Sliced-Tomato Salad With Dill Pickle Relish Vinaigrette

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Reach for some relish and turn it into a tangy dressing with the help of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and smoked paprika. The recipe drizzles it over thick slabs of heirloom tomatoes and crisp cucumbers. To make this salad a meal, add dollops of burrata, torn mozzarella, or shavings of Parmesan and serve with crusty bread.

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Avocado Toast

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To no one's surprise, this brunch staple also makes a great lunch or light dinner. Kick things up a notch by topping your toast with just about whatever you have in the fridge. We're partial to smoked salmon, crumbled cheese, and sliced tomato, but there are plenty other avocado toast ideas to choose from!

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Chicken and Dill Souvlaki

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Think of this as a refreshing taco with a Greek accent. The recipe mixes rotisserie chicken with slices of cucumbers and onions in a bright lemony olive oil dressing. Served atop flatbread or pita, it's finished with a dollop of creamy yogurt (Greek-style, of course).

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Tropical Fruit Salad

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This delicious salad mixes papaya, pineapple, mango, and kiwi with a touch of sugar and lime juice. A pinch of salt softens the fruit, helping release its juices and concentrate its flavor. The fruit rests on a bed of creamy coconut yogurt crowned with a sprinkle of flaked coconut.

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French Ham and Cheese Sandwich

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The classic ham and cheese sandwich gets a French upgrade with Dijon mustard, Gruyère cheese, and a cornichon (pickle) spread. This quick sandwich goes great with a side salad for a balanced no-cook meal.

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Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps

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Using store-bought rotisserie chicken makes this a no-cook recipe that's quick to put together. A peanut-coconut-flavored sauce helps bring these lettuce wraps together.

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Brussels Sprouts Salad

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Here's a delicious-yet-unorthodox salad that combines Brussels sprouts and radicchio with pecans and dried cranberries. This no-cook salad is a make-ahead dish, too. Refrigerate it for up to 2 days, and then simply add cheese and dressing when you're ready to serve.

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Every-Citrus Salad With Almonds and Manchego

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With two types of oranges and grapefruit, this juicy salad makes for a refreshingly light meal. Add pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for a heartier dish, or eat as-is for a quick lunch. Either way, there's no cooking required.

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Salmorejo with Prosciutto and Hard-Boiled Egg

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Similar to gazpacho, this cold soup is perfect for a light lunch or dinner. It whirls tomatoes and bread in the blender and then chills it. At serving time, top each bowl with prosciutto and grated hard-boiled eggs.

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Avocado, Banana, and Cocoa Smoothie

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Breakfast smoothies aren't just for breakfast. There's no reason you can't whirl one up on a hot summer evening, or any time you want a quick, nourishing meal that doesn't involve a stovetop, oven, or takeout menu. When you serve this for dinner—featuring a bona fide superfood, tropical fruits, and a bit of chocolate and vanilla—dessert's already included!

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Smoked Salmon Flatbread

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This 10-minute, single-serving recipe qualifies as no-cook, unless you consider warming up naan in a toaster or microwave "cooking". And don't skip that step because the warm naan softens the cream cheese mixture that's schmeared all over it. To finish, top with arugula, salty capers, smoked salmon, and thinly sliced red onion.

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Zesty Chicken Salad

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If you start with 4 pounds of rotisserie (or otherwise cooked) chicken, this recipe becomes a no-cook wonder. Its "zesty" qualifier is earned by its mayo-based dressing punched up by dill pickles, shallots, lemon juice, and fresh tarragon. Make it a meal by serving atop crisp salad greens or between slices of crusty bread.

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Coffee-Tahini Smoothie

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In a hurry? Sip your dinner, evening coffee, and dessert all in one creamy drink. Oat milk and coffee form the base with add-ins of avocado, banana, and tahini for smooth richness. Cocoa powder, cinnamon, and maple syrup round out the flavor profile for a balanced, nutritious meal.

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Pesto Egg Salad Toasts

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If you start with hard-boiled eggs and don't consider toasting as "cooking," this is a no-cook recipe. With that out of the way, it's this recipe's homemade pesto that elevates an ordinary egg salad sand to stupendous no-cook supper status.

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Vanilla-Cinnamon Chia Pudding

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It looks like breakfast and tastes like dessert, but this recipe's superfood main ingredient makes it a good lunch or dinner choice, too. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting 2 hours while the chia seeds soak in vanilla almond milk. With that out of the way, you're just 5 minutes from enjoying this cinnamony-sweet treat.

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Miso Caesar Salad

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This Caesar keeps what you love about the iconic salad—a dressing with garlic, anchovy, and Worcestershire coating crisp romaine leaves topped with Parmesan and croutons—but adds a few twists. The dressing swaps raw eggs with mayo, and miso paste instead of mustard and Parm, resulting in that flavor you know and love, but better! Top with leftover chicken or cooked shrimp and you have dinner.

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Loaded Tuna Salad Tartines

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Canned tuna is a valuable weapon to have in your no-cook-meal arsenal, and this recipe uses it to craft not-your-ordinary tuna salad sandwiches. A no-mayo, oil-based dressing for the tuna is elevated by shallots, celery, cornichons (pickles), capers, and herbs, while avocado slices lend these tartines a creamy texture and nutritional gravitas.

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Cantaloupe and Cucumber Salad

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Sweet and savory, easy and cheesy, fruity and fun; This recipe has everything you want in a light, refreshing, no-cook meal. It dresses its summer-fruit-and-veg stars in a white wine vinaigrette tossed with feta and mint leaves. The addition of chopped buttery Castelvetranos—the caviar of the olive world—provides a surprising twist.

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PB&J Overnight Oats

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Breakfast for dinner works for no-cook recipes, too. Turn this one upside-down by prepping it in the morning to enjoy for dinner. That leaves all day for the oats and chia seeds to soak in almond milk, yogurt, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.

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