Too Hot to Cook? 5 Cooler Ways to Cook Summer Dinners

We all know the feeling of opening the oven and immediately being hit with a blast of overwhelming hot air. Now imagine that feeling when it’s already 90+ degrees outside. As we head into the dog days of August, extremely warm temperatures are still on the horizon. If you’re on the hunt for no-cook summer dinner recipes, look no further. We’ve got great dinner ideas for the summer heat that won’t require you to crank up the oven or sweat over the grill.

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

These light and flavorful shrimp tacos are a good recipe for hot days. They feature mango, cilantro, lime, and Sriracha. And the only cooking they require is sautéing the shrimp on your cooktop. The only heat involved is the Sriracha you add!

Pub Grub Sandwiches

Sandwiches are great dinner ideas for the summer heat. These Pub Grub sandwiches are incredibly filling and include unique flavors like onion sandwich rolls, horseradish-dijon mayo, Havarti cheese, and pepperoncini peppers.

Skillet Ziti with Ground Pork

When you think about making a ziti dinner, you probably envision baking it in a hot oven. But, ziti can actually be a good recipe for hot days. Skillet ziti gives you the same classic taste, but with less prep and no oven necessary. By cooking pasta and browning ground pork on your cooktop, you can get dinner on the table in about 20  minutes.

Classic Fried Rice

Craving Chinese take-out? Prepare your own right from home in just 15 minutes! You can make this dish more robust by adding leftover grilled chicken or pork from your Summer BBQs. Chinese Fried Rice also makes for a great vegetarian option if you leave out the chicken broth, and instead substitute healthy vegetable stock.

Convenient Chopped Salad 

Summer and salads go hand-in-hand! This convenient chopped salad is overflowing with summer’s freshest produce, including leafy greens, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and avocados. The recipe calls for grilled chicken, which breaks the no-cook rules, but you can always use rotisserie chicken or packaged, pre-grilled chicken strips in this hot summer meal.

No-Cook Summer Dinners On The Go

What are the ultimate no-cook summer dinner recipes? That’s easy. They’re the dinners that are taken care of for you! When you’re short on time and the summer heat has you dragging, swing by Stauffers Fresh Food Stores and find multiple dinner ideas for hot days.

• Brick Oven Pizza: Choose from cheese, meat, veggie, Margherita, BBQ chicken, bacon cheeseburger, and cheesesteak pizzas.
• Sushi: Fresh sushi is hand-rolled every day at our stores using high-quality ingredients. Even more tempting? Each Wednesday and Friday we offer eight roll varieties for just $5.
• Subs: Sized for individuals or meant to share, subs are a great grab-and-go meal for your entire family. Add fruit or a deli salad on the side and dinner is completely taken care of!
• Fried & Rotisserie Chicken: Winner, winner, chicken dinner!  Pick up Stauffers Signature rotisserie chicken or fried chicken. You can also pick up sides like potatoes and cooked vegetables for a complete meal.

Shop our Rohrerstown or Lititz Fresh Food Stores this summer to create easy and cool dinner ideas to beat the summer heat.