34 Refreshing Summer Lunch Ideas
No soggy sandwiches or limp lettuce here!
JENNIFER CAUSEY
Summer lunches don't have to rely on the same old standbys. Now's the time to seek out some fresh summer lunch ideas, packed with the best summer flavors straight from your garden, local farm stand, or grocery store.
Check out these ideas to help you break out of your lunch rut, whether you're packing lunches for the office, summer camp, a picnic—or just enjoying on a hot summer day. (Bonus: Many of the recipes require little or no cooking, to help keep you cool.)
Related: What Vegetables Are In Season Right Now?
Summer Sandwiches for Lunch
Sandwiches are a time-honored lunch idea. But if you're a little tired of your PB&J or turkey on rye, try one of these tasty sandwich lunch ideas that are packed with bold summer flavors.
Fancy Tomato Sandwiches
This summer-perfect sandwich makes summer tomatoes the star of the show—and adds the big flavors of cheddar or gruyere cheese, peppery arugula, and crispy onions to accompany them.
Speedy Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches
This super-flavorful version of the Vietnamese sandwich is a great way to use pork tenderloin leftovers (or quickly cook up a tenderloin—it's ready in 20 minutes!).
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
This plant-based variation on the classic tuna salad is a perfect pack-along option for a summer camp lunch.
Related: 31 Easy Vegan Recipes to Start a Plant-Based Diet
Tuna Nicoise Baguette
Pretend you're along the coast of France (even if you're just in the work lunchroom) with this hearty, yet summery sandwich. The ingredients for France's beloved Nicoise salad are stuffed into a crusty baguette for a satisfying summer lunch.
Tomato, Bacon, and Garlic Mayo Sandwich
A tasty garlic-mayo spread elevates a standard BLT for a perfect picnic lunch.
Muffaletta-Style Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Fred Hardy
Love grilled cheese? You'll love this variation, which adds ham and a flavor punch from olive salad.
Chicken-Pesto Flatbread Sandwiches
Pesto is the flavor of the summer—and this sandwich pocket is filled with it.
Crab Rolls
Lobsters aren't the only seafood worthy of a salad sandwich. Peppery radish and celery add crunch to a quick-and-easy lunch idea.
Venezuelan Arepas
Getty Images
This Venezuelan staple comes together quickly, and with just three ingredients: precooked cornmeal, oil, salt, and water. You can stuff arepas with whatever you like, though traditional varieties are filled with perico (scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes), reina pepiada (chicken avocado salad) or even ham and cheese.
Related: 30 Picnic Recipes (and 6 Complete Menus) for a Perfect Outdoor Feast
Summer Salads
Honestly, if you aren't eating salads for most of your summer lunches, you're missing out. These fresh salad recipes feature some unexpected (and delicious) flavor combinations that'll ensure you put them on repeat all summer long.
Smashed Cucumber Salad With Spicy Feta and Olives
Combine all the best parts of a Greek salad with this combo of cool cucumbers, spicy feta, and kalamata olives.
Related: 47 Hearty, Satisfying Lunch Ideas to Try
End-of-Summer Salad
This easy summer lunch salad makes you almost glad for the end of summer, by highlighting that incredible end-of-season produce like corn, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and basil.
Japanese-Style Shrimp Salad
Use thawed, frozen cooked shrimp to make this no-cook summer lunch idea in just 15 minutes.
Chickpea-Tuna Salad
This Mediterranean-style salad is packed with protein, thanks to the combo of chickpeas and tuna.
Nectarine and Burrata Salad
Who says you need a lot of veggies in a summer salad? Here, sweet-tart nectarines are paired with creamy burrata, crunchy marcona almonds, pickled onions, and fresh mint for a perfectly balanced lunch.
Nicoise-Inspired Summer Salad
Anchovies and smoked trout fill in for tuna in a fresh take on the Nicoise salad.
Chicken Tortilla Crunch Salad
This Mexican-style salad has plenty of crunch from bell pepper, napa cabbage, and crushed tortilla chips.
Summer Squash With Scallions, Chile, and Parsley
Slice the squash thinly and salt it, and you don't even have to cook it for this tasty summer salad.
Spicy Street Corn Salad
Deconstruct the flavors of Mexican street corn for this salad, which features cotija cheese and corn.
Sliced-Tomato Salad With Dill Pickle Relish Vinaigrette
Dill pickle relish is the unexpected hero for this summer salad, adding a kick to the salad's dressing.
Summer Pasta Ideas
While pasta salads are a summer barbecue staple (and often even tastier the second day!), pairing warm pasta with summer veggies makes for a light and delicious summer lunch idea.
Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta
Bell peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes are the stars of this pasta dish.
Related: Get the Recipe
Lemony Pasta Salad With Cucumber
Looking for a pasta salad that'll take the heat? This one features lemon vinaigrette and cucumbers for a fresh summer lunch idea.
Pasta With Zucchini and Goat Cheese
If your zucchini crop went bonkers, try this creamy pasta dish to use up some of your bounty.
Spaghetti Pasta Salad With Avocado-Basil Dressing
Avocado and basil combine for a flavorful dressing for this summery pasta salad dish.
Tortellini Basil Salad
A summer-perfect pasta salad combo—basil and cheesy tortellini—is mixed with watercress, asparagus, and shallots for a picnic-worthy side.
Orzo Tomato Salad
Roasting the cherry tomatoes gives this pasta salad a deeper, sweeter flavor.
Summer Soup Recipes
Soup doesn't always feel like a summertime dish, but these easy-to-make cold soups are perfect for summer.
Tex-Mex Gazpacho
Add a little extra spice to the standard gazpacho (and a pumpkin seed garnish) for a cool summer lunch idea that's ready in minutes.
Summery Corn Soup
This sweet corn soup has miso as an unexpected ingredient to give it a little umami.
Salmorejo with Prosciutto and Hard-Boiled Egg
Prosciutto and hard-boiled eggs lend a little heartiness to a Spanish-style cold soup.
Green Gazpacho With Grapes, Honeydew, and Cucumber
Gazpacho can be green, too—and this one features a few sweet and unexpected additions, thanks to grapes and honeydew.
Summer Grain Bowl Lunches
Grain bowls are a perfect make-ahead lunch. Prep the grains and slice ingredients on the weekend, and just assemble each day for a hearty, healthy summer lunch.
Chicken and Avocado Rice Bowl
Prep the chicken and rice in advance and you can have this lunch ready in just a few minutes.
Toasted Israeli Couscous With Corn and Herbs
Make full use of your herb garden in this summery grain bowl, with basil, dill, and chives lending their flavor to a combo of corn and couscous.
Rice Bowl With Chipotle Black Beans
Spicy black beans add heat to a veggie-packed summer lunch.
Zucchini and Beans With Bulgur
Use that summertime staple, zucchini, in this hearty grain bowl lunch.
Watermelon Poke Bowls
Yep, watermelon makes an ideal substitute for raw tuna in the classic Hawaiian dish, thanks to a soy-sauce marinade.
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