21 Light Summer Meals to Keep on Repeat

Stay cool with these salads, sandwiches, and pastas.

Published July 11, 2025

Overhead view of Bibim Guksu — Serious Eats / Matt Hunziker

As much as the charred, smoky flavors of the grill call to me in the summer, I'm all about balance. Light, bright, and easy summer recipes—I keep these in my back pocket whenever I'm hosting or sharing a meal with friends. Whether it's blitzing gazpacho or stacking the ultimate herby tuna salad sandwich, these 21 recipes are a great way to cool off and minimize time in the kitchen—they're light, easy, and can be kept on repeat all summer long.

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White Bean and Tuna Salad

Sasha Marx

This white bean and tuna salad is the perfect protein-packed meal for when you don't want to do any cooking.

White Bean and Tuna Salad
Classic Tomato Sandwich

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

A Southern sandwich is all about showing off the peak-of-season summer tomatoes.

Classic Tomato Sandwich
Chinese Cold Noodle Salad with Sesame Dressing

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

These saucy and slighty nutty noodles are as slurpable as they are cooling.

Chinese Cold Noodle Salad with Sesame Dressing
Peruvian Tiradito With Aji Amarillo and Lime

Vicky Wasik

Sashimi-style slices of fish are dressed in a chile-citrus sauce for this breezy, refreshing bite.

Peruvian Tiradito With Aji Amarillo and Lime

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Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomatoes and XO Sauce

Vicky Wasik

This easy pasta dish is further proof that all you need to elevate a quick weeknight dinner is the right condiment.

Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomatoes and XO Sauce
Ensalada de Tomate con Ventresca de Atún (Spanish-Style Tomato and Ventresca Tuna Salad)

Sasha Marx

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

Ensalada de Tomate con Ventresca de Atún (Spanish-Style Tomato and Ventresca Tuna Salad)
Tortilla Española (Spanish Egg and Potato Omelette)

Vicky Wasik

This classic Spanish omelette is made of egg, potato, and onion cooked in olive oil. It doesn't get much better than that!

Tortilla Española (Spanish Egg and Potato Omelette)
Mayo-Free Mediterranean Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Vicky Wasik

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.

Mayo-Free Mediterranean Tuna Salad Sandwiches

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Pasta With Swordfish, Tomato, and Eggplant (Rigatoni Con Pesce Spada)

Vicky Wasik

Rigatoni with swordfish, tomatoes, and eggplant is an easy, breezy Sicilian summertime classic.

Pasta With Swordfish, Tomato, and Eggplant (Rigatoni Con Pesce Spada)
The Best BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Use the best tomatoes. Put away the fancy bread. And most importantly: Don't mess with it.

The Best BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich
Classic Panzanella Salad (Tuscan-Style Tomato and Bread Salad)

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

Dried bread and salted ripe tomatoes make this the best bread salad of the summer.

Classic Panzanella Salad (Tuscan-Style Tomato and Bread Salad)
Andalusian Gazpacho

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

Keys to making a better gazpacho: ripe tomatoes, salt, and a freeze-thaw step.

Andalusian Gazpacho

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The Best Caesar Salad

Diana Chistruga

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.

The Best Caesar Salad
Summer Tomato Tonnato

Vicky Wasik

This simple no-cook salad combines peak summer tomatoes and Italian tonnato (tuna sauce).

Summer Tomato Tonnato
Caprese Salad

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

The only trick here is to use high-quality, in-season ingredients (and not adding balsamic).

Caprese Salad
Sashimi de Atún (Mexican Tuna Sashimi With Soy-Lime Dressing)

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Mexico's spin on Japanese tuna sashimi has traditional elements like soy sauce and raw fish, but adds Mexican flavor with lime juice, serrano chiles, cilantro, tostadas, and avocado.

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Chinese Eggplant Salad Recipe

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Plump eggplant slices soak up all the bright, tangy, and slightly spicy flavors of an “all-purpose” Chinese-style vinaigrette for a refreshing, envious appetizer.

Chinese Eggplant Salad
Som Tam Thai (Central Thai-Style Green Papaya Salad)

Vicky Wasik

This fiery salad packs flavor and heat with a savory, sour, and sweet dressing. Just be sure to keep your mortar and pestle handy.

Som Tam Thai (Central Thai-Style Green Papaya Salad)
Bibim Guksu (Korean Cold Mixed Noodles)

Serious Eats / Matt Hunziker

Chewy noodles get dressed in a nutty and herbaceous gochujang-based sauce, with added sweetness thanks to Asian pear and honey. The result is a slick and slurpable summer meal.

Bibim Guksu (Korean Cold Mixed Noodles)
Ackee and Saltfish

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Jamaica's national dish pairs ackee, the subtly flavored flesh of a red-skinned savory fruit, with the bold flavors of saltfish for a refreshing meal any time of the day.

Ackee and Saltfish

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Egg Salad Sandwich

Serious Eats / Eric Kleinberg

Mixing crushed eggs with fresh mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a handful of crisp scallions and celery brings out the brightness in this classic sandwich.

The Best Egg Salad Sandwich

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