It’s HOT here in the Pacific NW today – and it’s about to get even hotter. (We’re literally going to break all-time high temp. records.) And when summer brings the heat, making dinner often requires us to get a little bit creative. (Because let’s get real – who wants to turn their oven on when it’s 100 degrees outside?! Not me!)
When I first started thinking about this post, my mind jumped to all my counter-top appliances. But, because not everyone has an Instant Pot, slow cooker, and an air fryer, I wanted to create a list of dinner ideas that DO NOT require a special appliance. Everything on my list can be made with just your cooktop.
Here’s to beating the heat and still enjoying a good meal. Happy summer everyone!
Salads:
- Taco Salad
- Cobb or Chef Salad (I love adding lunch meats and hard boiled eggs to up the protein.)
- BLT Salad (Add cooked chicken to make this dish heartier!)
- Pasta Salad (Use tortellini to add interest and make the dish more filling.)
Sandwiches:
- Deli Subs (This is one of our go-to meals. Your local grocery store should have some great deli meat options!)
- Meatball subs
- Grilled Cheese (Or grilled ham and cheese!)
- Breakfast Sandwich (Fried egg, breakfast meat of choice, and cheese of choice!)
- BLT
- Peanut Butter and….(Jelly, Fluff, Nutella, Banana, etc!) Who says they’re just for kids?
- Wraps (Like a sandwich, but throw it in a tortilla and it becomes something new!)
Breakfast for Dinner:
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- Eggs, Breakfast Meat of Choice, and Toast
- French Toast
Other Ideas:
- Tacos
- Quesadillas (Anytime I add meat to a quesadilla, my easy to please family LOVES it and thinks I’m fancy.)
- Hot Dogs/Chili Dogs (You have to boil them, but it still tastes pretty good!)
- Nachos
- Burgers (I’ve made burgers on my pancake griddle and they turn out great!)
- Stir-Fry/Yakisoba/Fried Rice
- Spaghetti (or basically any pasta other than Lasagna/Baked Ziti)
- Sloppy Joes
My Go-To Hot Weather Sides
I am a HUGE supporter of giving yourself a break and letting yourself make EASY sides at all times, but especially when it’s hot. While I never think you “need” to make something fancy, you certainly don’t need to put yourself out when it’s boiling outside. Therefore, I give you my easy-peasy summer sides….
- Salads of ANY type (Make what floats YOUR boat.)
- Fruit (Cut-up seasonal fruit is a huge staple on our summer dinner table. SO easy and so delicious!)
- Veggies (You can’t beat fresh corn and green beans in the summer, but a plate of carrot sticks and cut peppers is perfect as well.)
- Chips (Yep, right out of the bag.)
- Cottage cheese (not everyone’s cup of tea, but we like it)
- Applesauce
- Baked Beans
- Jello (Again, not for everyone- but we love it.)