Easy dinner recipes: Simple ideas with seven ingredients or less

Let’s keep dinner tonight simple, using seven ingredients or less, including ingredients you probably already have on hand, such as salt, pepper and olive oil. Ready?

Tomato soup doesn’t get any more fresh, simple or fast than this recipe from Obika Mozzarella Bar. Essentially nothing more than a chilled purée of fresh tomatoes, this is one dish in which quality of the ingredients makes all the difference.

A touch of fresh-toasted bread crumbs can literally transform a dish, whether sprinkling them over vegetables or gratins -- they even work magic drizzled over desserts. They can elevate a simple pasta dish too, as Food editor Russ Parsons shows in an amazing (and simple) recipe for spaghetti with arugula and garlic bread crumbs.

RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

For a dramatic dish, try salt-roasting. Sounds complicated, but it isn’t. It works like this: Encase an ingredient -- such as fish -- under a layer of moist salt then place in the oven to cook. As the fish bakes in the oven, the salt forms a hard crust, sealing in moisture to gently steam the food. Done right, salt-roasting makes for an incredibly moist, flavorful dish and not at all over-seasoned.

Chef Tom Colicchio shares his recipe for salt-roasted salmon with a drizzle of olive oil, the whole dish -- with all of four ingredients -- coming together in only 20 minutes.

You can find all three recipes below.

For more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at [email protected].

OBIKA’S CHILLED ORGANIC TOMATO SOUP

20 minutes, plus chilling time. Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes

Salt and black pepper

4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

2 to 3 dozen croutons, for garnish

4 to 6 tablespoons stracciatella di burrata or burrata cheese, for garnish

Cut the tomatoes into large pieces. Purée the tomatoes in a blender or in a bowl using a hand blender until smooth and creamy. Strain to remove the seeds, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper (seasoning will vary depending on type and ripeness of the tomatoes). Chill the purée over an ice bath or refrigerate just until cold. Pour into individual bowls, drizzling over a little olive oil and garnishing with fresh basil leaves. Finish each with 5 to 6 croutons and a tablespoon of stracciatella di burrata.

EACH OF 6 SERVINGS

Calories 164

Protein 3 grams

Carbohydrates 6 grams

Fiber 2 grams

Fat 14 grams

Saturated fat 3 grams

Cholesterol 9 mg

Sugar 4 grams

Sodium 21 mg

NOTE: Adapted from Obika Mozzarella Bar and Ristorante.

SPAGHETTI WITH ARUGULA AND GARLIC BREAD CRUMBS

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 clove garlic, split in half lengthwise

Olive oil

Salt

1 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup finely chopped arugula

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Combine the bread crumbs in a small saucepan with the garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir to coat well; there should be only a light trace of oil in the bottom of the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs have darkened and toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a small bowl and set them aside to cool slightly. When cool, discard garlic.

2. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of liberally salted, rapidly boiling water. When it is tender but still slightly chewy, drain it and combine it in a mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the chopped arugula. Add 5 tablespoons toasted bread crumbs and toss to coat well.

3. Divide among 4 to 6 shallow pasta bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste. Serve immediately.

Each of 6 servings: 370 calories; 10 grams protein; 58 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams sugar; 48 mg sodium.

SALT-ROASTED SALMON

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for serving

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet (1¼ to 1½-inch thick) center cut, skin on, cut into 4 equal pieces

8 large eggs, whites only

About 4 cups kosher salt

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the salmon, skin-side down, and cook until the skin begins to crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Using your hands, in a large bowl mix together 2 egg whites for every cup of kosher salt until the concoction looks and feels like wet sand.

3. Spread a bed of the salt mixture onto a sheet pan or roasting pan, lay the fish on top and then mold the salt mixture around the pieces tightly, sealing them up entirely.

4. Transfer the fish to the oven to cook, about 6 minutes for medium-rare. Remove the salmon from the oven and carefully brush away the salt. (The top should look slightly rare but the sides cooked.) Transfer the salmon to a clean work surface and brush away the remaining salt. Serve immediately, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Each serving: 384 calories; 35 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 26 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 94 mg cholesterol; 0 sugar; 660 mg sodium.

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