Five no-cook dinners to serve during busy weeks – according to a food editor

Usually at this time of year, I’m starting to think about warming autumnal meals, perhaps involving soups and squash. But a lot of these cosy dishes can be time intensive, and with the back-to-school/back-to-work routine of September, it can be a tricky time to dedicate to slow cooking. So, however your start of the month is looking, plan in some simple no-cook meals to make those mid-week evenings easier, and give you more time to unwind. Here are five ideas for easy and impressive refreshing meals to bridge the gap between our sweltering summer and the incoming autumn months. Shorts Mackerel and lentil salad bowl with speedy carrot slaw ‘You can serve this up in individual bowls, or arrange on a platter if there are a few of you’ (Photo: triocean/Getty Images) The hero ingredients here are a tin of cooked green lentils and a packet of smoked mackerel fillets. I’d split each between two, but you may be able to stretch them further. Start with the lentils. Drain and add a quarter of a red onion, quarter cucumber, half a red pepper, all diced, and a handful of halved cherry tomatoes. Add a handful of any herbs you have such as basil or parsley. Mix well and dress with oil, a splash of vinegar, the juice of half a lemon and plenty of salt and pepper. You can serve this up in individual bowls, or arrange on a platter if there are a few of you. Put the mackerel on top of the lentils and add the carrot slaw, made by grating your carrots, at least half a carrot each, adding a few chopped walnuts and dressing in more lemon juice and salt. Chicken, avocado, black bean and corn tacos ‘If you want the instant, no-cook version, buy cooked chicken, either pre-cooked breasts or pick up a rotisserie chicken if that’s available near you’ (Photo: Alexandra Grablewski) This is a fun one for the back to school crew as you can lay it all out in a few minutes and everyone can help themselves to their favourite bits. It may be corn season but if you want the instant, no-cook version, you’ll have to open a can. Likewise, buy cooked chicken, either pre-cooked breasts or pick up a rotisserie chicken if that’s available near you. You’ll also need a jar (or tin) of black beans, a few ripe avocados, coriander, red onion and some corn or plain wheat tortillas. Roughly shred the chicken and slice the avocado and put both onto a serving plate. Drain both the corn and beans and decant into bowls. Mix the corn with a small handful of chopped coriander and a quarter diced red onion and season well with salt and pepper. Serve with chilli flakes or sauce. Tortillas are much improved if warmed slightly in a pan. Finish your tacos with a dollop of soured cream or crumbled sheep’s cheese. Three-cheese chopped salad ‘The idea behind a chopped salad is that everything is roughly chopped into similar-sized cubes or chunks’ (Photographer: ivanmateev/Getty Images) Don’t ditch the idea of a salad if you want a filling dinner. With a chopped salad you can introduce as many non-veg ingredients as you fancy, from cheese and grains to meat or fish. The idea behind a chopped salad is that everything is roughly chopped into similar-sized cubes or chunks. While it will all, inevitably, be mixed together, it looks great if you lay it out in rows on a large platter. This way, as with the tacos, diners can choose more of their favourites. Think about colour and texture as well as taste when choosing your components. I would always include cucumber and tomato and some kind of bean or pulse like lentils or chickpeas to bulk it out and add much-needed fibre. For this extra cheesy chopped salad, I use equal volumes of cucumber, cherry tomatoes and yellow or orange pepper and/or courgette. I put out my three cheeses in strips next to a complementary legume. For example, I’m laying out cubes of blue cheese next to puy lentils (from a pre-cooked packet), feta alongside chickpeas, cannellini beans with a hard cheese like Cheddar or Comte, with the rows of veg in between. Serve dressings and bread on the side. Cold noodles and hot smoked salmon ‘If you don’t eat salmon, this works well with other fish, smoked or tinned, or silken tofu’ (Photo: pedphoto36pm/Getty Images) This is a great choice if you want to prep ahead of time and add the salmon and dressing when you’re ready to eat. Choose your favourite pre-cooked noodles. Asian grocery shops carry a wide range and supermarkets usually have egg or rice noodles of a few thicknesses. Follow packet instructions but you’ll need to sit them in some water to loosen them up. For two, finely slice half a cucumber, a wedge of white cabbage and two spring onions and toss with the noodles. Make a dressing of equal parts soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, 2-3tbsps each. Add the juice of half a lime and a minced garlic clove. Whisk. When it’s time to eat, portion the noodles into bowls and mix with the dressing. Top with the hot smoked salmon, a drizzle of sesame oil, sesame seeds and chopped spring onion. If you don’t eat salmon, this works well with other fish, smoked or tinned, or silken tofu. Peach, tomato and burrata ‘It’s an easy salad that takes minutes to prepare but has special powers’ (Photo: Getty Images/Westend61) As summer draws to a close, I’m reminded of all the seasonal food that I’m going to miss and try to eat as much of it as possible. Peach and tomato salad is emblematic of this feeling. Often I’ll buy peaches and wait an entire week for them to ripen, at which point it is clear they must be eaten that day. Meanwhile, the tomatoes, bought ripe, might be on the verge of soft the day after I get them home. This somewhat fraught, time-specific alchemy makes this salad all the more special. To feed two, use two peaches, one huge heirloom tomato or two decent ones, and one burrata or mozzarella. Slice the peaches and cut the tomatoes into fat wedges. Dress with lots of good quality extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, sea salt and torn basil. Eat with your favourite bread. It’s an easy salad that takes minutes to prepare but has special powers. Done well, it will transport you back to your favourite holiday, even if you’re facing down a sweaty commute the next morning.