30 Easy recipes that don’t require an oven to make. You can make these dinner recipes on the stove top, in the Slow Cooker, on the grill or even the Air Fryer or Instant Pot but not in the oven.
Once the heat of the summer settles in, we definitely do not wish to use our oven and heat up the kitchen. My recipes which don’t require an oven are all delicious meals and you are sure to find a few favorites to hang onto.
Dinner Recipes That Don’t Require An Oven
You will find all of the recipes divided between headings of:
- Crockpot Recipes
- Stovetop Recipes
- Air Fryer, Instant Pot or Other Cool Appliances
- Grilling Recipes
- Soups and Salads
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Crockpot Recipes
Let’s begin with Crockpot Recipes because I love using the Slow Cooker any time of the year but especially in the summer. Here are 7 Crockpot recipes that don’t require an oven.
Zesty Italian Crockpot Leg Quarters Recipe is a simple 2 ingredient chicken recipe. I have fit 2 leg quarters into my large Crockpot. This entree is ready in about 3 to 4 hours.
is ready in about 2-3 hours on low or 4-6 on high. Only five ingredients and the leftovers are good the next day, if you have any leftovers.
Easy Crock Pot Pork Butt Pulled Pork can be made with only two ingredients unless you insist on adding salt and pepper. The BBQ sauce you choose to add at the end will have plenty of seasoning though. Want to get two meals from one? Make BBQ sandwiches on day one. A great way to use the leftover pulled pork is to make BBQ Macaroni and Cheese. Simply whip up some macaroni and cheese then stir in the leftover pulled pork. A quick and easy meal ready in under 30 minutes.
There is some preparation time involved in this delicious Crockpot Three Cheese Stuffed Manicotti dish but it is worth the effort. Another meal where the leftovers are yummy too! Pick up some deli bread to go with it so you don’t need to turn the oven on for bread either.
Crockpot Broccoli and Sausage Macaroni Casserole is a delectable Crockpot casserole loaded with flavors. The best part, it’s ready in about 2 hours in the slow cooker! The kids don’t mind eating broccoli when it’s slathered with cheese.
These 3 Ingredient BBQ Meatballs are one of my all time favorite recipes. They are so easy to toss in the Slow Cooker and come out perfect every time. You can serve these as a meal or an appetizer. My guys love them over a bed of rice for dinner occasionally. Cook extra for leftovers and make Meatball Subs the next day.
Crockpot Ranch Chicken Sliders are another go-to easy recipe with more than one use. Instead of making sliders, you could make wraps. Your choice. Just know how easy this chicken is to infuse with flavor in the Crockpot with Ranch seasoning. Only three ingredients.
11 Stovetop Recipes that don’t require an oven
Our stovetop recipes are made in the skillet or a big pot like a Dutch oven.
Stovetop Grilled Easy Chicken Parmigiana really is so easy you will almost feel guilty about it. I use my stovetop griddle to grill the chicken while the noodles are boiling. Quick and easy meal ready in about 30 minutes.
My husband found this years ago. We tweaked it to suit our taste and it has made a regular rotation in our meal plans ever since. Loaded with with flavor and easy to make.
These Easy Swedish Meatballs, are also good for meatball subs! When I make a batch of these meatballs, I double it and freeze them in separate bags. That way I can use them in spaghetti also.
Homemade Chicken Fajita Wraps with Cilantro-Lime Sauce begin with a recipe for homemade fajita seasoning. We wrap ours in Romaine but you can use tortilla wraps if you like. A nice change for Taco Tuesday.
Italian Sausage and Tortellini Skillet Meal includes some veggies for a complete one dish dinner ready in about 30 minutes.
Stovetop Grilled Cabbage Steaks with Bacon are another meal ready in under 30 minutes. It’s a light meal prepared on the griddle on top of the stove.
Easy Shrimp Tacos Recipe make a nice change from regular Taco’s for Taco Tuesday. Easy recipe using fresh ingredients.
Mexican Three Meat House Special Copycat Recipe. I created this recipe because we always enjoy ordering the House Special at our favorite, or any Mexican restaurant. Why not learn to make it at home!
We make this Low Country Shrimp Boil Recipe on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or outdoors in a big turkey cooker. It depends on how large of a crowd we are feeding at the time. We skip the crawfish but if you want some, go for it! If we have leftover, we make a pot of Shrimp Gumbo with them.
Thin and Crispy Skillet Fried Salmon Patties Easy Recipe. I have been making this recipe for many, many years. It’s a family favorite fried in shallow oil in the skillet. These are good any time of the year.
Broccoli Bow Tie Pasta Dish is even better the next day. This meatless dish is not only pretty but full of flavor and on the lighter side using fresh ingredients
Air Fryer, Instant Pot or Other Cool Appliance
With so many cool kitchen appliances available for home use these days, you need a few more recipes to get more use of them. Most of my Instant Pot recipes include how to make without the Instant Pot.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Wraps Instant Pot® Or Skillet Easy Recipe are a delectable and light sandwich wrap to make in the summer months. You are going to love the flavor combinations in this recipe.
Air Fryer Southern Fried Catfish Nuggets look and taste deep fried without all that grease. These are restaurant quality. Be sure to make our Homemade Cole Slaw as a side dish. If you enjoy Grits and fish, here is our Grits recipe.
is grilled on a Panini maker but use your waffle iron instead if you don’t own a Panini! This sandwich is made even better with a homemade savory peach spread!
Shrimp Fried Rice– we make this meal either in our big electric skillet or on the Blackstone grill outside
Grilling Recipes
Backyard barbeques usually mean dinner guests in the summer. That taste of home cooked side dishes and main entrees grilled to perfection create memories. Fire up the grill and let’s get cooking.
Homemade Mushroom Onion Burgers with melted swiss cheese better than the burger joint because you make it yourself at home. Grilled over an open flame for taste of home cooked goodness.
also known as Foil pack dinner or Hobo dinner. My recipe uses chicken, tomatoes, corn on the cob and mushrooms. These foil pack meals are easy to personalize with your own choice of vegetables. Instructions on how to fold the foil and grill cooking included.
Pimento Cheese Burgers: Low Carb Dinner if you skip the bread. You can certainly make buns optional for those not counting carbs. Our Pimento cheese recipe is made from scratch.
Grilled Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops are even better if you are growing your own herbs. We are always looking for recipes to use our fresh herbs and these pork chops are simple recipe you will enjoy.
. They say the secret is in the sauce. Slather to top of your grilled pork Peach Mango Salsa made with fresh fruit. Sometimes it’s the side dishes that make the entrée even better.
Soups and Salads
Soups and Salads are also good any time of the year. Plus they are a great way to avoid using the oven and create a nice dish when you are short on oven space too.
Southern Cabbage Soup is yet another dish we make any time of the year. Here in the south, this meal is often referred to as Cabbage and Cornbread since we most often make cornbread to go with the cabbage soup.
Creamy Corn Chowder, made with farm fresh corn on the cob and you won’t believe how we use the cob! Home and potatoes make this summer soup a hearty meal.
Broccoli Bacon Salad Easy Recipe With Homemade Dressing. You will want to hang onto this recipe to use again and again. This salad makes a good lunch for work the next day. It’s also an ideal dish to take to a Pot Luck.
Last but certainly not least, Classic Caesar Salad Recipe. Caesar Salad dressing recipe included. See our Series on How To Grow Your Own Lettuce.
There ya have it, 30 recipes that don’t require the oven. Make these any time of the year, if oven space is an issue or especially in the summer when we don’t want to use the oven.
