A wise person once said, “The best meals are the ones I don’t have to cook myself.”
Okay, that person was more lazy than wise, but we’re lying to ourselves if that simple fact isn’t true. Sometimes, food you don’t have to cook is the absolute best— and no, we’re not just referring to take-out.
Below, check out our favorite no-cook meals.
Cold Cut Salad. If you think salads are basic, wake up your imagination! From fruits to veggies, to caesar dressing to buffalo ranch, your heaping serving of salad is as flavorful as your mind allows. Cold cuts and cheeses are great companions to veggies of all kinds.
Greek-Style Yogurt and Deli Meat Stuffed Peppers. Yes, that’s a leap from salad— but it’s no less complicated and can be a nice substitution for a sandwich. Grab big bell peppers, slice them in half and spoon out the seeds. Then, spread a thin layer of yogurt on the inside of the pepper before adding your choice of meat and cheese (any type will do, as there is no rulebook for this sort of thing, is there?). Add a little more yogurt, cheese and spices or herbs on top to finish it off. As a bonus, you can add as many smaller veggies as you can fit for more eye-popping flavor combinations.
Lunch Kebabs. If those two words alone don’t inspire you to rummage through your fridge and see what you can spear onto a pointy stick, here’s some inspiration: lunch meat (your choice), veggie (preferably the tangy, flavorful kind, like an olive or pepper), crusty bread(like a piece of sourdough), and cheese (your choice).
There’s no denying the ultimate no-cook meal: pâté. Pâté is delicious, and adventurous yet simpleespecially when combined with a nearly limitless amount of sides. Got cucumbers? You’ve got something to smear pâté over. Hamburger buns, but no patties? Who needs them when you’ve got pâté! Something crunchy like crackers? Bring it over and get to munching.
