15 Impressive Dinners That Look Like You Spent Hours In The Kitchen (But You Totally Didn't)

Posted 17 minutes ago

What's better than an impressive dish? An impressive dish that's actually super easy to make. We recently asked the Tasty Community to share their favorite "wow" recipes that are secretly low-effort. Here's what they had to say:

Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity. 

1. "Chicken, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic, bell peppers, black pepper, a hint of vinegar, olive oil, and salt to taste. Put it all in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes, and you have an awesome dish!"

—Owais Amien, Facebook

2. "Salmon in the air fryer. Spray it with olive oil and coat it with lemon juice, honey mustard, and panko. Cook at 400ºF for 10 minutes."

—Roxanne Blake, Facebook

3. "Duchess Meghan Markle's pasta dish. My new favorite and go-to. Yummy and delicious each and every time."

—Belinda G. Smith, Facebook

4. "Thai chicken peanut soup. Lots of ingredients, but super simple to put together. I always get tons of compliments on it."

—Cassie Ann, Facebook

5. "Asparagus with balsamic strawberries and goat cheese. Cook one pound of asparagus in boiling water for two minutes, or until crisp-tender. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add one cup of roughly chopped strawberries and a 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic, cooking for five minutes. Stir in three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and cook for three more minutes. Stir in salt. Arrange the asparagus on a platter and top with the strawberry mixture. Sprinkle with three tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese and black pepper to taste."

—Drew Thomason, Facebook

6. "Mulligatawny soup."

—Scott Hannigan, Facebook

7. "Shepherd's pie. I cook all the stuff the night before and put it together the next evening for dinner."

8. "Back in the early '70s, when I was a newlywed, I made cheesecake using the Jell-O mix. Our friends thought I was a gourmet chef; they loved my cheesecake so much."

—Debi Bacchus, Facebook

9. "Kielbasa sausages with sweet chili sauce and pineapple chunks, served with white jasmine rice and beans."

—Frame Theory NH, Facebook

10. "Homemade donuts using Pillsbury Grands. Shape them into a donut, put melted butter on top, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips, or sprinkles. Bake at 350ºF until cooked through. For the littles to decorate theirs, I put the butter on top and give them two small cups with toppings and a spoon. My son and I made these when he was a little guy."

—Melinda Sullivan, Facebook

11. "Broccoli cheese soup. My grandfather taught me how to make it. I don't know if it's something special, but everyone loves it."

—Cynthia Ewald, Facebook

12. "Salmon Wellington."

—Janelle Spangler Flora, Facebook

13. "Stovetop meatloaf — just mix your meatloaf and instead of putting it in the oven, make patties out of the mixture and fry them on the stovetop. It gives it a different taste, but I prefer it."

—Zoann Simpkins Price, Facebook

14. "Cake box cookies. There are plenty of recipes online that adjust the instructions a smidge, but they come out great if you want a soft, fluffy cookie."

—Valerie Pequeno, Facebook

15. "Beef and mushroom stroganoff."

—John Beck, Facebook

What's your favorite impressive "low-effort" recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

For more secretly easy recipes that impress, download the free Tasty app and search "easy" — no subscription required.

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