15 No-Cook, High-Protein Dinners for Summer

It’s an unfortunate truth that dinner still has to happen on sweltering summer nights, when turning on the stove is a hard no. So let these 15 recipes, each with more than 10 grams of protein per serving, come to the rescue. They all come together quickly: Every single one can be thrown together in 35 minutes or less, and many in under 15. And they welcome adaptation, so, if there’s a bowl of plums sitting on the counter, cucumbers coming in faster than you can eat them or a little bit of goat cheese you’d like to use up, toss it in. However you build it, you’ll land on something substantial and delicious without having to touch the stove.

Ashley Lonsdale’s salad dressing, which combines walnuts, feta and cilantro, is spooned over vibrant tomatoes and silky avocados for a summer salad that tastes like something you’d get at a nice restaurant. Double the dressing and save leftovers to serve over grain bowls, grilled chicken or whatever else you’d like.

Recipe: Tomato-Avocado Salad With Creamy Feta Dressing

One reader called Lidey Heuck’s salad “10 recipes in one” because so much in it is ripe for swapping, and it still works beautifully. It’s easy summer fare with a light, elegant dressing of Champagne vinegar, honey and mustard that ties everything together.

Recipe: Chicken, Cucumber and Nectarine Salad

Sweet, juicy cantaloupe is a sweet complement to milky mozzarella and salty prosciutto layered over peppery arugula in Ali Slagle’s spectacular salad. It makes a wonderful light dinner, but you can also serve it alongside grilled chicken or tuna if you want something more substantial.

Recipe: Prosciutto and Melon Salad

The lively dressing of garlic, chile, lime juice and mayo is the key to turning canned tuna into Kristina Felix’s five-star tostadas. As one reader put it, it’s “like ceviche without the work and without the wait.”

Recipe: Spicy Tuna and Avocado Tostadas

A peanutty dressing punches up cabbage, cucumbers and shredded rotisserie chicken in Ali Slagle’s salad. For a vegan variation, swap in frozen edamame for the chicken. Or, toss the whole mixture with cold soba or rice noodles if you have them on hand.

Recipe: Chicken Salad Slaw With Peanuts and Nori

Sheela Prakash’s tuna salad skips the typical mayo in favor of Greek yogurt and store-bought or homemade pesto. Serve it atop cucumber-tomato salad or stuffed into a whole-grain pita with crunchy veggies.

Recipe: Pesto Tuna Salad

When you want something hearty, Hetty Lui McKinnon’s corn and black bean salad delivers. It calls for fresh corn, but frozen and canned are great backup options. Corn chips bring crunch, avocado adds richness and cumin-lime dressing lends zip to every bite.

Recipe: Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad With Corn Chips

Ashley Lonsdale’s salad is a toss of sweet plums, spicy serrano and creamy mozzarella. Serve it as your main dish on a lazy night or alongside something grilled, like shrimp or salmon.

Recipe: Plum and Mozzarella Salad With Serrano-Lime Dressing

This white bean, tuna and kale salad from Ali Slagle is more of a blueprint for an effortless and filling meal than a fixed recipe. Swap in spinach or arugula for kale, try sardines instead of tuna, and opt for chickpeas over white beans. The combination holds up — and is reliably delicious — no matter which way you go.

Recipe: White Bean, Tuna and Kale Salad

Store-bought kimchi is the trick behind this bold, tangy salad from Hetty Lui McKinnon, which is spooned over silken tofu. Make extra to serve with scrambled eggs in the morning.

Recipe: Kimchi-Pickled Zucchini and Tomatoes

Classic potato salad vibes, but with protein and fiber: That’s the idea behind Lidey Heuck’s smart salad, which swaps in canned chickpeas for potatoes and high-protein Greek yogurt for mayo. Add it to a pile of greens, stuff it into a pita or wrap, or pair it with steak if you’re firing up the grill.

Recipe: Chickpea Salad With Fresh Herbs and Scallions

Cool cucumber, crisp cabbage and shredded rotisserie chicken are tossed in a creamy cashew butter dressing, instead of a traditional mayo-based one, in Andy Baraghani’s popular dish. For a vegan variation, swap the chicken for a couple cans of chickpeas.

Recipe: Spicy and Creamy Cashew Chicken Salad

Sardines and white beans, straight from the pantry, pack the protein in Ali Slagle’s five-star Greek salad. If you’re not a sardine lover, canned tuna would work just as well. And if you need a little something more, serve it with whole grain pita or pita chips.

Recipe: Greek Salad With Sardines and Beans

This salad delivers the flaky, smoky healthy-fat payoff of grilled salmon, but no grill required. Sheela Prakash builds it around store-bought hot smoked salmon fillets, and pairs them with crisp cucumber, tangy quick-pickled onion and couscous that fluffs up right in the bowl. Microwave the couscous, or swap in store-bought instant couscous or frozen precooked quinoa.

Recipe: Hot Smoked Salmon Couscous Salad

Colu Henry loads white beans into this Caprese, which soak up all the flavor of the tomatoes and mozzarella, while adding enough heft to make it a main course. Pack it for a picnic or potluck, and although it has plenty of protein as it is, you can toss in a can of tuna for even more. A big hunk of bread or focaccia on the side would be a nice touch.

Recipe: White Bean Caprese Salad

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