Summer’s best moments are often unscripted: an impromptu picnic in the park, a long afternoon at the pool that turns into an even longer afternoon, a last-minute dinner with friends at dusk. And in between all these magic moments are the ordinary days, crammed full of summer activities. It’s a season for sharing and savoring. But… it might not always feel like a season for cooking. Amid all the busyness, we crave a chance to catch our breath with low-key days at home.
So, this summer Le Creuset is inviting you to lean into a low-cook, no-cook approach. We’ve created a few simple recipes that deliver loads of flavor without a lot of effort, along with our best ideas for tasty bites you can throw together in no time for any occasion or moment you might meet this summer.
The Moment: We’ve Got Something to Celebrate
A new job, the end of swim lessons, your dahlias started blooming—in summer, there are a million reasons to celebrate. For a festive supper without much fuss, channel your effort into a delicious yet easy make-ahead slaw. Once you’ve got that set, all you need to do is pick up the best fried chicken you can find, along with a few bottles of bubbles. Long a sommelier favorite, sparkling wine and fried chicken are a classic pairing, with the crisp acidity and effervescence cutting right through the rich, salty chicken in the most satisfying way. Serve the fried chicken on the convenient Platter Lid and pour the bubbles just before it’s time to dig in so you can kick off the celebration with a proper toast.
Shop: Rectangular Dish with Platter Lid
The Moment: We Want to Dazzle Our Friends without Doing Much
Weeks ago, you put a dinner party on the calendar, but now the moment has arrived and you’re feeling too tired to execute a multi-course affair. Fancy, fresh and fantastically easy, our Baked Halibut with Chimichurri and Citrus Vinaigrette shines in this scenario. Prep and cooking are minimal, but the one-two flavor punch of citrus and herby chimichurri balancing the mild, sweet halibut is not. Best of all, the recipe scales to your level of free time and effort: buy a good quality chimichurri from the store or make your own with fresh garden herbs if you’re feeling flush with time. When the fish is ready to serve, be sure to bring the Le Creuset Fish Baker tableside for a truly impressive presentation.
Get the Recipe: Baked Halibut with Chimichurri and Citrus Vinaigrette
The Moment: We’re Hungry, but It’s Too Hot to Turn on the Oven
The summer heat is so nice until it isn’t. We’ve all been there, especially those of us who live in the South. Next time the temps shoot up, take the effort down by arranging a beautiful hummus and fresh veggies platter. Drizzle a high-quality, store-bought hummus with your best extra-virgin olive oil and finish it with whatever spice blend you desire. Arrange the season’s best veggies around the hummus for dipping. If you have an extra ten minutes to spare, give the veggies a quick sear first to bring out their full summer sweetness. Add a Mini Cocotte of olives and your favorite flatbread to the Serving Platter—dinner is ready.
Get the Recipe: Mezze Platter with Hummus and Smashed Cucumbers
The Moment: We’re Going on a Picnic
Perfect for a picnic or potluck or even a last minute supper, this simple pasta salad has a secret: store-bought ingredients. Breeze through the grocery and pick up everything you’d normally pile on your favorite antipasto platter. Then, after quickly boiling some pasta, bring all those flavors to the Soup Pot and pack the resulting salty, savory, refreshing Antipasto Pasta Salad along anywhere you need to feed a crowd. Better yet? The flavors meld and grow more complex with time, making this pasta salad the leftovers everyone will fight over the next day. Plus, once you learn the template, you can iterate on the pasta salad all summer long, varying the ingredients and dressings for a one-pot, family-style meal in a flash.
Get the Recipe: Antipasto Pasta Salad
The Moment: We’re Ready to Eat Well and Feel Good
Fuel your body for an active summer without sacrificing a bit of flavor with our delicious Sheet Pan Salmon with Roasted Fennel and Oranges. Fresh fennel and orange slices roast alongside salmon for maximum flavor with minimum fuss making this the ideal summer recipe. The vibrant dish comes together on one Sheet Pan with very little active cooking time, making it a great option for a casual get-together with close friends. While everything roasts in the oven, catch up with your friends while making the herb yogurt sauce. Everyone will leave the table feeling nourished.
Get the Recipe: Sheet Pan Salmon with Roasted Fennel and Oranges
The Moment: We’re Craving a Sweet Finish
One thing’s for sure about summer: its abundance of glorious fruit makes pulling together a quick dessert easier than ever. But for a true low-cook approach, we lean on ready-made biscuit dough to turn out an effortless summer cobbler. The formula is impossibly easy: preheat the oven; slice up whatever peak season fruit is ripe on your counter (we love a mix of plums and berries); toss with a little sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt; and finally, top with store-bought biscuit dough. You can have this shortcut cobbler in the oven before anyone at the table has even stacked the dinner plates. When golden brown and bubbling at the sides, the cobbler is ready to enjoy—with vanilla ice cream, of course.
Shop: Signature Skillet
