15 Light Summer Meals to Keep on Repeat

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

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

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

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)

Olive oil-packed tuna belly and peak season tomatoes are the keys to this no-fuss, no-cook salad.

Chinese-Style Layered Omelette

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)

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

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)

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)

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

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

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.