15 Light Summer Meals to Keep on Repeat
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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
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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
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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
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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)
![20200829-Spanish-Style-Tomato-Tuna-Salad-sasha-marx](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/6A5oDlnjiYXotMhpO6cpf6UYD84=/1500x1125/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__2020__08__20200829-Spanish-Style-Tomato-Tuna-Salad-sasha-marx-d4a5b132978b42289834e134ab3fbf14.jpg)
Olive oil-packed tuna belly and peak season tomatoes are the keys to this no-fuss, no-cook salad.
Chinese-Style Layered Omelette
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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)
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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
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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)
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Rigatoni with swordfish, tomatoes, and eggplant is an easy, breezy Sicilian summertime classic.
Classic Tomato Sandwich
A Southern tomato sandwich is all about showing off the peak-of-season summer tomatoes.
The Best BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich
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)
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Dried bread and salted ripe tomatoes make this the best bread salad of the summer.
Andalusian Gazpacho
Keys to making a better gazpacho: ripe tomatoes, salt, and a freeze-thaw step.
The Best Caesar Salad
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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
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This simple no-cook salad combines peak summer tomatoes and Italian tonnato (tuna sauce).
Caprese Salad
The only trick here is to use high-quality, in-season ingredients… and not adding balsamic.