17 20-Minute Cold Dinners for a Hot Day By Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Wimberly is EatingWell's Editorial Fellow. As a food and mental health blogger, Camryn explores how food and cooking can help improve mental health and also be an avenue to connect with one's culture and heritage. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 11, 2024 Close The summer heat is still going strong, so add these cold dinners to your menu to help cool down! These refreshing dishes are quick and easy to prepare, taking 20 minutes or less to make. Options like our Raw Vegan Zoodles with Romesco or our Chickpea & Quinoa Grain Bowl are the perfect dinners on a hot summer day! Love any of these recipes? Tap "Save" to add them to MyRecipes, your new, free recipe box for EatingWell. 01 of 17 Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwaveable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights. View Recipe Save 02 of 17 Raw Vegan Zoodles with Romesco Trying out a raw vegan diet or just looking for an easy no-cook recipe? This spiralized zucchini noodle dinner with red pepper sauce is refreshing, satisfying and oh-so-delicious! Plus, it couldn't be easier to make. Just whir up the 5-ingredient sauce in your food processor or blender, toss and serve! View Recipe Save 03 of 17 Chickpea & Quinoa Grain Bowl Robby Lozano It seems grain bowls have as many variations as there are stars in the sky, and there is no wrong way to build one! But we prefer to keep things classic and simple with hummus, quinoa, avocado and loads of veggies! View Recipe Save 04 of 17 Meal-Prep Curried Chicken Bowls Curry doesn't have to take hours to prepare. With the help of our sheet-pan meal-prep chicken (see associated recipe) and some cooked whole grains, you can make these meal-prep bowls in just a few minutes! Keep them in the fridge for an easy dinner on a busy weeknight or for healthy grab-and-go lunches throughout the week. View Recipe Save 05 of 17 Quinoa Avocado Salad Protein-packed quinoa pairs with creamy avocado in this refreshing grain salad. It's the perfect make-ahead side dish to bring on a picnic or take to a potluck. Or pack it for lunch or enjoy it as a light dinner. View Recipe Save 06 of 17 Roasted Veggie & Hummus Pita Pockets These satisfying and tasty pita-pocket sandwiches are packed with roasted veggies and greens. A spread of hummus adds creaminess and keeps everything from falling out. View Recipe Save 07 of 17 Loaded Chicken-Quinoa Salad Turn simple precooked ingredients into a delicious one-dish meal, high in fiber and with plenty of protein to keep you feeling satisfied. View Recipe Save 08 of 17 Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils—just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad. View Recipe Save 09 of 17 Chickpea & Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Photographer: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Quinoa and chickpeas pack this vegetarian grain bowl with plenty of plant-based protein. Whip up a batch of these flavorful grain bowls and store them in lidded containers to stash in the fridge for easy, healthy grab-and-go lunches all week long. View Recipe Save 10 of 17 Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner. View Recipe Save 11 of 17 Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables. View Recipe Save 12 of 17 Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers. View Recipe Save 13 of 17 Salmon & Avocado Poke Bowl Poke (pronounced poh-kay), the bite-size marinated fish salad famous in Hawaii, is so popular that it's sold by the pound in supermarkets. Now it has crossed the Pacific to become the meal-in-a-bowl du jour, served in eateries from Los Angeles to New York. But it's easy to make at home with this quick recipe. Sriracha and Chinese-style mustard add a touch of heat to the classic poke seasoning of soy sauce and sesame oil. Serving it over a brown rice salad makes it a meal. View Recipe Save 14 of 17 Chickpea & Veggie Grain Bowl This high-fiber vegetarian grain bowl is packed with colorful veggies and plant-based protein to keep you feeling energized and satisfied. View Recipe Save 15 of 17 Vegetarian Italian Hoagies Traditional Italian subs feature meat, but this delightfully easy sandwich packs a punch with artichoke hearts, red onion and zesty peperoncini instead. We love it for dinner as well as lunch. If you're packing the hoagies to take along, keep the ingredients separate and assemble right before eating to avoid soggy bread. Serve with tomato and cucumber salad. View Recipe Save 16 of 17 Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours. View Recipe Save 17 of 17 Salmon Salad Sandwich Salmon salad served on tangy pumpernickel bread makes for an easy dinner—a double batch will give you lunch the next day. View Recipe Save Explore more: Cooking Methods Quick & Easy Quick & Easy Dinners 20-Minute Dinner Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit