No-Cook Dinner Party Dishes For Those Sweltering Summer Evenings

When it's too hot to cook, throwing a dinner party is totally unappealing: If you're lucky enough to have a grill, you'll end up sweating over it for several hours; if you don't have a grill, you'll need to turn on the oven and push the temperature in your apartment to more than 100 degrees. But neither of these options need to apply — a much better idea is to throw a dinner party without cooking anything at all. You don't even need to boil a pot of water.

This hearty, filling salad uses high-quality canned products to your advantage to make a dish with light, fresh, and well-balanced flavors.

For the Butter Bean, Tuna, and Celery Salad recipe, click here.

This classic Italian salad is always incredibly popular, especially when served in the height of a hot summer.

For the Caprese Salad recipe, click here.

Summer's beautiful strawberries should feature at every summer dinner party. Make them even more decadent by stuffing them with a super creamy cheesecake filling.

For the Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries recipe, click here.

Ceviche is a flavor-packed, refreshing dish, where the raw fish is lightly cured in a lime juice and mezcal agua.

For the Ceviche de Aguja With Ginger and Mezcal recipe, click here.

Using peanut butter and Rice Krispies to makes this pie's crust, and filling it with store-bought ice cream, means you can make a decadent dessert without baking anything.

For the Four-Ingredient Ice Cream Pie recipe, click here.

A classic Spanish gazpacho, made with beautifully ripe heirloom tomatoes, is the ultimate refreshing, cooling dinner party appetizer.

For the Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho recipe, click here.

A simple tartine of smashed avocado and finely chopped herbs make elegant dinner party hors d'oeuvres.

For the Herbed Avocado Tartine recipe, click here.

Use leftover roast chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken to make this simple zucchini ribbon salad.

For the Marinated Zucchini Chicken Salad With Marcona Almonds recipe, click here.

Cookie butter is not just for kids: Transform it into a simple ice cream and top it with chopped nuts and fresh berries for an incredibly easy dessert.

For the No-Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream recipe, click here.

This sweet and fruity dessert really is the quickest, easiest way to end your dinner party: Don't think twice about serving something so simple.

For the Pineapple With Smashed Mint recipe, click here.

This classic, retro salad is a popular summer dinner party dish for a reason: The combination of seafood, creamy avocado, and bitter grapefruit come together to create a flavor-packed dinner.

For the Spicy Crab and Avocado Salad recipe, click here.

For those totally unbearably hot days, help your guests cool down and chill out by serving this delicious, sweet-and-salty watermelon salad.

For the Watermelon With Mint and Feta recipe, click here.

Transform your zucchini into zoodles and toss them with a light and salty almond pesto for a satisfying, beautiful, and light summer dinner.

For the Zucchini Pasta With Almond Pesto recipe, click here.