Admittedly, even experienced hobby chefs prefer to spend time outdoors in summer rather than in the kitchen. When the weather gets warm and temperatures rise, cold dishes offer a practical alternativeelaborate warm delicacies. Most of them can be prepared quickly and easily without cooking and are in no way inferior in taste to warm dishes. Whether to take with you to the office, as a snack for the children or as a quick alternative to finger food for guests: we offer you recipes for cold dishes that are guaranteed to earn you compliments.
Cold dishes without cooking: summer recipes that refresh
Are you looking for recipes for cold dishes without cooking? We offer you several ideas forrefreshing summer soups. They are ready quickly, taste delicious and are ideal for hot days. Most will take you no more than half an hour to make and are extremely filling. Surprise your family and guests with these recipes that are simply the perfect hot meal.
Cold dishes without cooking: Gazpacho soup with watermelon
We start with a true classic from Spain: Gazpacho soup. It is traditionally made from raw vegetables and served chilled. Vary the flavor by adding watermelon to the soup. A salad with surimi, the popular crab sticks, completes the dish and adds a Mediterranean touch.
Ingredients for 8 servings, 277 calories per serving:
- 5 medium-sized ripe romaine tomatoes
- 500 g watermelon, peeled, seeded and roughly diced
- 2 small cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp sherry vinegar (alternatively red wine vinegar)
- 1 slice of white bread, without crust
- 250 ml water, cold
- 2 medium-sized cucumbers (approx. 300 g), peeled and roughly diced
- 1 pinch of sugar
- Salt
- 8 tbsp olive oil
For the surimi salad:
- 250 g surimi crab sticks
- 1 red pepper
- 4 The Tarragon prize
- 4 pinches of parsley
- 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- 3 TL Crème fraîche
- Salt and pepper
Preparation: Soak the white bread in cold water. Then add the tomatoes, the cucumbers (up to 50 g), the garlic cloves, the watermelon, the bread, the olive oil, the sugar and the salt in portions to the blender and puree until fine. Dilute with cold water while stirring constantly and refrigerate overnight.
Mix the ingredients for the surimi salad in a deep bowl and also chill.
The next day, garnish the soup with the rest of the cucumber and serve cold.
Cold dishes for hot days: Persian soup with yogurt
This Persian soup is slightly spicy and refreshingwith yogurtperfect for lunch on hot summer days. Serve them cold.
Ingredients for 6 servings, 148 calories per serving
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup dried rose petals
- 400 ml Greek yogurt
- 200 ml ice water with ice cubes
- 1 handful of raisins
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely diced
- 1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dill, finely chopped
- Chives, finely chopped
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Sumac, an oriental spice
Preparation: The rose petals have a white part that has a bitter taste. Suppliers of edible rose petals usually remove it before drying. However, if you make the flowers yourself, you should remove this white base before preparing the soup.
Then put the rose petals in a sieve, wash them under running water and pat dry on kitchen paper. In a large bowl, add the yogurt and ice water, stir together and then add the raisins, cucumbers, mint, dill, chives, walnuts and rose petals. Mix everything slowly and season with salt and pepper. Chill for an hour and sprinkle with sumac before serving.
Cold dishes for lunch: filling corn soup for the office
They are looking fordelicious recipe ideasfor hot days and don't know what to take with you to work? Then the next recipe is just right for you. We'll explain to you how to prepare a creamy corn soup. Filling and figure-friendly at the same time: the perfect cold dish for lunch.
Ingredients for 6 servings, 175 calories per serving:
- 4 ears of corn, cooked (alternatively: 1 can of corn)
- 1 handful of onion, finely chopped
- Thyme, fresh
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 3 cups of water,
- 1 handful of avocado, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup radishes, diced
- 1 cup coriander, finely chopped
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 pinch of ground pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil of your choice
Preparation: You can prepare this soup by putting all the ingredients in the blender and pureeing them finely. You can also cook the soup:
Scrape the corn kernels from the cobs, put the onion in a deep pot, drizzle with the olive oil, season with the thyme, salt and sauté for a minute. Add the water, corn kernels and garlic and simmer over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, discard the thyme, puree the soup until fine and chill. After four hours, take it out of the fridge, add the avocado and season with the lime juice, pepper and coriander.
Cold dishes for work: Italian-style pasta
Pasta is a real all-rounder and is suitable both as a main course and as a side dish for cold main courses. We now offer you two delicious recipes for cold dishes for work. Treat yourself to Italian-style pasta. Here are the necessary ingredients:
6 servings, 519 calories per serving
- 500g pasta
- 5 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 small romaine tomatoes, diced
- 150 g mozzarella, chopped small
- 1/4 cup basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
- Pepper, freshly ground
- Pecorino cheese
Place the pasta in a deep pot and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drain the water and drizzle the pasta with the olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients and stir in.
Cold dishes for the office: pasta with pineapple and ham
Pineapple gives the next cold dish an exotic touch and makes us dream of exotic countries and distant journeys. The necessary ingredients at a glance:
8 servings, 376 calories per serving
- 500g pasta
- 340 g canned pineapple slices, drained weight
- red pepper, diced
- 150 g cooked ham, chopped into small pieces
- 1 young onion, chopped small
For the sauce:
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 60 ml sour cream
- 1 TL Dijon Mustard
- 1 TL Honig
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Pfeffer
Preparation: Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions, drain and place in a bowl. Add the pineapple slices, peppers, cooked ham and onion and stir everything well. Serve with the sauce.
Filling, delicious and summery refreshing: Here is a recipe for summer salad with pasta, prosciutto and melon. Here are the necessary ingredients:
- 500 g Gemelli Pasta
- 3 tsp olive oil,
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 TL Honig
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 small net melon
- 1/2 small muskmelon, peeled and seeded
- 1/2 small cantaloupe, peeled and seeded
- 12 mini mozzarella (mozzarella balls)
- 3 slices prosciutto ham, chopped small
- 1/4 cup basil, fresh, chopped
Preparation: Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions, drain and allow to cool. Meanwhile, add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well. Using a ball cutter, cut out a total of 24 balls from the cantaloupe and muskmelon and chill. After an hour, mix the cold pasta with the sauce, the melon balls and the prosciutto ham and garnish with the basil. Chill for an hour and then serve.
Cold dishes for children: long grain rice with chicken and berries
Children love colorful plates! With the next recipe for salad with chicken and berries, eating fun is guaranteed. The taste of the cold dish is also very popular with the little ones and it is guaranteed that nothing will be left on their plates. Here are the necessary ingredients at a glance:
4 servings, 318 calories per serving
- 300 g chicken breast fillet
- 200 g long grain rice
- 4 cups lukewarm water
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 50 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 handful of strawberries
- 1/2 handful of blueberries
- 1/2 handful of raspberries
- 2 oranges, peeled
- 3 tbsp almonds, roasted
- 2 Handfuls of baby spinach
Preparation: Rinse the chicken breast fillet, grill for 5-6 minutes on each side and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper and let cool. Rinse the rice thoroughly and drain. Put the olive oil in a deep pot and heat it, add the rice and fry briefly. Then pour the water into the pot and simmer the rice over medium heat for 30 minutes. Then remove the rice from the pot, place it on a platter and let it cool at room temperature. In the meantime, rinse the fruit and baby spinach under running water and then place them in a deep bowl. Sprinkle with the apple cider vinegar, salt and season with pepper. Add the rice and mix everything well. Then add the chicken breast fillet on top.
Cold dishes for on the go: Wraps with chicken breast fillet, black grapes and romaine lettuce
There are many recipes for cold dishes on the go. The wraps with chicken breast fillet and romaine lettuce, for example, are among the absolute classic finger food recipes. We present you an idea for black grape wraps that are perfect for lunch. Here are the necessary ingredients:
Serves 4, 857 calories per serving
- Juice of one lemon
- 400 ml grape juice, white
- 300g seedless black grapes, halved
- 300 g chicken breast fillet
- 200 ml Mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper, ground
- 1 stick of celery, chopped into small pieces
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 32 romaine lettuce leaves
- 1 bunch of chives (if desired)
Place the lemon juice, grape juice and olive oil in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Salt, season with pepper and put in a freezer bag. Wash the chicken breast fillet, pat dry on kitchen paper and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then add it to the marinade, close the freezer bag and chill overnight. The next day, put the chicken breast fillet in a baking tray and cook at 180 degrees Celsius with a fan for about 30 minutes. Then take the fillet out of the oven and let it cool. In the meantime, mix the remaining ingredients in a deep bowl and then garnish with the fillet. Divide the lettuce among the romaine lettuce leaves and wrap the leaves. If desired, tie the wraps together with chive stalks.
Cold dishes for parties: endive wraps with smoked salmon
Crunchy, tasty and conveniently portioned: these are our suggestions for cold dishes for parties. Surprise your guests with a delicious endive salad with smoked salmon. Here are the necessary ingredients at a glance:
Ingredients for 10 mini wraps:
- 400 g smoked salmon
- 4 heads of endive
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1/2 cup dill, chopped
- 50 ml tbsp cooking oil
- 10 lemon slices
- Juice of half a lemon
- 400 g cream cheese
Preparation: Separate the endive leaves from each other, wash them, pat them dry and place them on the work surface. Portion the smoked salmon and distribute it on the endive leaves. Place the dill, shallots, lemon juice and cooking oil in a small bowl and mix. Add the cream cheese and mix all the ingredients until smooth. First place a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on each endive leaf and then garnish with lemon slices.
Cold dishes for guests: Mediterranean appetizer with tuna and quinoa
Filling, delicious and ready in a flash: the next idea for a cold dish with tuna brings a Mediterranean touch to the table. You need the following ingredients:
- 185g – can of tuna, drained
- 250 g Quinoa
- 2 red peppers, cut into strips
- Cucumber, sliced
- Balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 onion, chopped small
- Parsley
- Sea salt and pepper
Preparation: Wash the quinoa. Pour water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water and then add the quinoa. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Then drain the water, rinse the quinoa with cold water and put it in a fine sieve. Drain the quinoa for 10 minutes. Place all remaining ingredients in a large bowl, mix well and let cool for 30 minutes. Then distribute the quinoa on the plates and garnish with the salad. Our tip: Keep the ingredients cold overnight so that you don't have to cool the dish additionally in the morning.
