Beat the Heat with 85 Easy Summer Recipes: From Lobster Rolls to Peach-Glazed Meatballs

Home cooks juggling summer schedules now have a wealth of minimal-prep lunch and lazy-day recipes at their fingertips. Food Drink Life's roundup of 19 summer lunch dishes (from conch fritters to lobster rolls) and Cook What You Love's 21 pass-around outdoor recipes (including Southern Tomato Pie and Grilled Radishes) ensure no plate goes unfinished.

• A 5-ingredient Crock-Pot Peach-Glazed Meatballs recipe offers a dump-and-go dinner dream.
• Frankie Celenza's new cookbook delivers baked fish tacos and a key lime icebox cake under 20 minutes of hands-on time.

Complementing these are 9 farmer's-market salads featuring in-season fruits and 15 global quick-dinner ideas ready in under 30 minutes—making summer cooking as carefree as the season itself.

As temperatures rise, home cooks are turning to no-bake treats and fruit-forward desserts to stay cool.

Cooking editors at the Arizona Republic rolled out five simple, make-ahead recipes—from a creamy no-bake cheesecake to a pineapple-topped upside-down cake—alongside nostalgic banana pudding and a no-churn ice cream you can customize with seasonal fruit. Meanwhile, a separate roundup of 27 chilled and no-bake sweets highlights yogurt-ripple cheesecakes, avocado popsicles and sugar-free eggnog popsicles designed for scorching afternoons.

Retailers are joining the trend: Aldi's summer lineup includes cocoa-waffle Ice Cream Roses, classic Bomb Pops and root-beer float popsicles, turning grocery aisles into a frozen dessert playground. Each collection underscores quick prep, seasonal berries and freezer-friendly ease for hot-day entertaining.

Comfort food is coming full circle. A wave of recipe roundups is bringing 23 boomer-era casseroles back to dinner tables—from Cheesy Cabbage Casserole with Cracker Topping to Maple-Dijon Instant Pot Pot Roast—alongside 19 Southern grandma classics like Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Bacon and Chicken Hash Brown Casserole. Beyond casseroles, home cooks are rediscovering personal heirlooms: a two-ingredient butter bean biscuit sandwich from rural Alabama and Jacques Pépin's wartime Eggs Jeannette. Even desserts get the nostalgia treatment, with 28 once-overlooked sweets—Basil Peach Cobbler, Sweet Noodle Kugel and Raspberry Ricotta Cheesecake—finding new life in modern kitchens.

With bare fridges and busy schedules, two new cooking guides offer home cooks a blueprint for convenience without sacrificing flavor. A roundup of "15 Pantry-Friendly Recipes" turns canned salmon into burgers, tinned tuna into quesadillas, and simple grains and spices into vibrant sides like cilantro lime rice and tiger sauce, all ready in about 30 minutes or less.

Meanwhile, the Cook Smart campaign by Good Food experts lays out 10 compelling reasons to batch-cook:

• Save time with big-batch stews and slow-cooker dinners


• Cut costs through bulk purchasing and precise shopping lists


• Reduce waste by freezing soups and using up fresh produce


• Stay healthy with ready-to-reheat homemade meals

Together, these collections champion sustainability, budget-friendliness and minimal kitchen stress.

Cooking and food publishers have rolled out two major recipe roundups, offering hosts more than 50 tested dishes designed to keep guests reaching back for more. The first list spotlights 25 party bites, from Air Fryer Fried Pickles and Bang Bang Shrimp to Kwek Kwek and Mochiko Chicken, all chosen for their crisp coatings, handheld convenience and global appeal.

A second collection of 31 small-plate crowd-pleasers sets the tone early at gatherings with dishes such as Thai Turkey Meatballs, Gochujang Noodles and Mini Blueberry Pies. Key trends include air-fryer techniques for lighter crunch, bold international sauces and portable formats that sustain conversation around the table.