10 Impressive Dinners That Are Easy To Make

Tender Swiss chard, creamy ricotta, crisp bacon, and lemon zest combine with spaghetti to create a dish that is brimming with fresh yet familiar flavors. Simplicity is the name of the game. Everything is easy to find and nothing is wasted. The same pot is used to cook the pasta and chard, and the bacon fat is left in the pan to flavor the pasta. As if we'd ever toss that out. Get the recipe at Food52.

This simple soup is hearty enough to be main course material. A finishing swirl of zaatar oil (zaatar is a Mediterranean seasoning typically containing sesame seeds, thyme, oregano, and salt) and a sprinkling of crumbled feta elevate its sophistication without complication. Get the recipe at Food52.

This comforting clam and sausage mix combines both sweet and dry white wine for a powerhouse of flavor. Just chop the aromatics, sauté everything together, steam the clams, and it's time to eat. Get the recipe at Food52.

You won't meet a speedier baked pasta, nor one that's as good. The recipe as written is genius, but even more genius is the fact that the technique can be reapplied in countless ways. You don't need to go out and buy five different hunks of cheese. Feel free to work with whatever you've got in the fridge. Get the recipe at Food52.

This is a pitch-perfect take on a classic dish, thanks to a mouth-tingling spice mixture, buoyant green olives, and preserved lemons.. The chicken is browned in oil and then coated in the spice base before simmering gently in chicken stock until tender. Adding the lemons and olives towards the end helps retain their integrity. Get the recipe at Food52.

This complex, creamy white chili (with black beans, hence, tuxedo) comes together quickly from pantry staples you likely have on hand, yet tastes like anything but. Your family and friends will think you put in work in the kitchen. Get the recipe on Food52.

Chopped sushi-grade tuna is mixed with fresh ginger and scallions, molded into patties, and pan-fried. Then it's topped with cucumber, sprouts, and a zippy pickled ginger and wasabi-infused mayonnaise. Brioche rolls match the delicate nature of the tuna, and their richness is a nice complement to the clean, fresh flavors. Get the recipe at Food52.

These steaks come out of the pan wrapped in a browned and salty crust. If you aren't adventurous enough for the sage gravy, a squeeze of lemon will work well (think veal Milanese). Get the recipe at Food52.

Perfect for entertaining, you can assemble these individual gratins ahead of time, top with Parmesan breadcrumbs, and pop them into the oven when you're ready to eat. A shrimp base means it will only take 15 minutes for the whole gratin to cook through. Get the recipe at Food52.

The food processor does double duty for the herbed chickpea mixture and the garlic-scented tzatziki, saving you from both fine-chopping and washing extra dishes. The falafel patties are easily formed and well-behaved in the frying pan. One bite into a pita stuffed with freshly crisped falafel, doused in perfect tzatziki and hit with a few shakes of hot sauce, and ordering take-out will seem like too much trouble. Get the recipe at Food52.