Cooking a full meal can feel like an accomplishment sometimes. The near hours of preparation, the simmering, the slow roasting— the list goes on. It’s a wonderful feeling. But sometimes, you just feel lazy and hungry, and you need something as fast as possible on your plate.
We know the feeling, so we’ve compiled a list of low-effort meals that require no chopping, no measuring and minimal ingredients. Most of the items in these dishes can be found in your pantry. These recipes make complete meals as is, or can easily become meals with the addition of salad greens, leftover veggies or rice.
Hot Honey Sesame Salmon
The key to this recipe for zesty and flavorful salmon is a bottle of hot honey that you might have lying around in your pantry (you can also mix honey with hot sauce.) The glaze pairs well with toasted sesame seeds that you can find at a local grocery store (regular sesame seeds are just fine, too.) The sweet and spicy salmon goes great with leftover vegetables, flaked over salad greens, or simply with some lemon juice and olive oil. All done in 20 minutes.
Our recipe for Hot Honey Sesame Salmon includes:
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Hot honey (or hot sauce and honey separately)
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Sesame
Pesto Baked Salmon
This recipe couldn’t be easier even if we tried: a smear of pesto, a sprinkling of panko breadcrumbs, a few minutes in the oven, and a finish under the broiler. No measuring nor fuss required. The recipe is so simple, yet so rewarding. The garlicky, punchy pesto keeps the salmon moist at all cooking temperatures and acts as a “glue” for the panko breadcrumbs. The short time the fillets spend under the broiler ensure that the breadcrumbs will bake into a crunchy, delightful crust.
Our recipe for Pesto Baked Salmon includes:
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Pre-made or store-bought pesto
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Panko breadcrumbs
5-Minute Rice Bowl with Cold Smoked Sablefish or Cold Smoked Pacific Halibut
The condiments are really the star of the show in this no-hassle meal, which is the only one on our list that has more than 3 ingredients — but is so quick and easy that we had to include it. The perfect (read: eyeballed) ratio of mayo and sriracha balance out the smokiness of the no-cook fish, either Cold Smoked Sablefish or Cold Smoked Pacific Halibut. Add some ripe avocado slices, crunchy seaweed, toasted sesame seeds and kimchi or pickles, and you have a tasty deconstructed sushi roll waiting to be devoured.
Our recipe for a 5-Minute Rice Bowl with Smoked White Fish includes:
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Mayonnaise
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Sriracha
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Avocado
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Roasted seaweed
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Leftover rice
Bold and Saucy BBQ Salmon Sandwich
This easy sandwich recipe packs a punch even though you’re only preparing and cooking your salmon for 15 minutes. Brush some BBQ sauce of your choosing on your fillet, broil it, and dress it up in a sandwich with your favorite toppings—that’s it. Zestful vegetables like slaw, crunchy pickles, or quick-pickled onions will really bring out the flavor in your glazed filet. If you’re feeling a little less lazy, you can even brine your salmon in saltwater while you wait for the broiler to heat up for an extra little pop of flavor.
Our recipe for a Bold and Saucy BBQ Salmon Sandwich includes:
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Bread
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BBQ sauce
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Your favorite toppings
Brothy Salmon and Vegetables
While this recipe takes the longest time to make on the list, it’s one of the most no-effort meals. This recipe yields beautifully-poached, brothy salmon with no chopping, no measuring and no laundry list of ingredients required. The fish is defrosted and cooked in a pot of vegetable broth, and it’s easily made into a meal with the addition of quick-cook vegetables like frozen cauliflower or edamame. It’s perfect for a cold night, but is light enough on even a warmer day.
Our recipe for Brothy Poached Salmon and Vegetables includes:
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Vegetable stock
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Soy sauce
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Frozen vegetables of your choice
