Fun
What’s For Dinner?
The title of this post is the 4-word question that gets asked every day. (Or maybe it’s 3 words, depending on how you count a conjunction.)
I freely admit, to anyone who will listen, that I’m tired of cooking. And yet my household is not tired of eating.
When I heard about the miracle summer recipe of watermelon + feta + mint +drizzle, it made me wonder whether there were other great 4-word recipes for hot days.
So I asked MDK readers for their favorite 4-word recipes, and boy did you ever deliver! See all the suggestions in the comments here.
To arrive at a manageable list of highlights, I discarded recipes for cocktails and desserts—a significant winnowing, as cocktails and desserts are understandably very popular—along with special family traditions involving peanut butter and ingredients not conventionally combined with peanut butter. Since I was looking to hack my way to a quick and satisfying summer supper, I focused on the more rib-sticking, life-sustaining ideas.
Here’s my opinionated selection, based on things I have already tried and things I am planning to make as soon as possible. Clip and save for when you need a tasty bite that can be thrown together with pantry items or a quick run to the market. These are reader-tested! They won’t fail you!
Tomato + bacon + mayo + bread. —Gretchen
This is a very traditional South Indian dish called Sundal (soon-duhl). A little more than 4 words. Amazing, I promise.
Chickpeas, unsweetened coconut flakes, serrano, lemon, mustard seeds, crisped lentils. —Deepa
Cantaloupe. Honey. Lime. Cayenne —Beverly
Tomato, mozzarella, basil, vinaigrette —Manda’s Mom
Pasta, olive oil, garlic, hot pepper —Martha
Pasta, cannellini beans, canned tomatoes w/Italian herbs, grated parm —Mtn Lou
Canned salmon, roasted corn, mayo, minced onion —Linda
Avocado, lime, garlic salt, smash —Dana
Tuna, cannellini beans, oil, pepper —Knits with Newton
Orzo, tomatoes, zucchini, chimichurri —Debbi
Broccoli, apple. pecans, coleslaw dressing. —Denise
Chicken (rotisserie), Grapes (green), Basil, Mayo —Patty
Squash rounds, Hidden Valley Dry Ranch Dressing Mix, Parmesan Cheese, Butter —Patti
Brown rice, cauliflower, pepitas, EVOO —Bonnie
Squash rounds sliced zucchini or yellow, sprinkle with grated parmesan, toaster oven till golden. —Mary Lou
Simmer:
Black beans
Fire-roasted tomatoes
Garlic
Onion
Cumin/chili powder —PT
Old school farm type bread, tomatoes, olive oil, capers —Francesca (For the full recipe, read her comment, it sounds like heaven.)
Inspired by Judy Wright
Here’s one last recipe that I’m crazy about. It’s not quite a 4-word recipe, but it’s certainly in the same spirit.
Before.
Inspired by the #bakedfetapasta craze on Tik Tok, and specifically by Jenni Häyrinen’s original recipe, our friend Judy Wright recently shared her version of this sheetpan recipe on Instagram.
If Judy makes it, you know it’s good, so I tried it.
The basic ingredients: cherry tomatoes + feta + garlic + EVOO. A sprinkle of red pepper flakes, a toss of random other vegetables, or not. Bake at 400 until soft, and stir it into freshly cooked pasta.
During.
I’ve made this savory, melty mix 3 times since Judy posted about it, and now consider a tub of Greek feta to be a fridge staple. Like all of Judy’s sheetpan suppers (linked below in the related content), this recipe is highly adaptable to what’s available, from your own garden, the farmstand, or an anonymous paper bag on your porch. Judy has even subbed other cheeses for the feta cheese. I love that it works for my vegetarians, and that I can make a quarter-sheet of it in the toaster oven and not heat up the whole kitchen. Judy-approved add-ins included chickpeas and artichoke hearts, which I’ll try next time.
After.
Summer on a plate!
Have any simple summer suppers that you don’t see here? Drop them in the comments, please. I’m begging you.
Have a delicious weekend!
That sheetpan supper looks fantastic! My four-ingredient recipe that I am having for dinner a lot lately is an egg white omelet: egg whites, pepper, mushrooms, pepper jack cheese.
Taco casserole flat bread, ground meat, taco seasoning, grated cheese salsa and veggies (optional). Cook the ground meat and spices, layer ingredients like a lasagna, bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes cut and serve!! It’s is sooo good and takes very little time to cook and serve.
The other recipes sound so yummy!!!
Chicken strips breaded and browned, artichoke hearts, gruyere cheese, chicken broth
We love the tomato and baked feta craze as well but add rice instead of pasta for a lower carb meal.
Basmati rice, sardines in olive oil, hot chili flakes
This recipe is from Eric Newby’s “Slowly Down the Ganges”. It’s fast and much better than it sounds. I just mix everything into the hot rice, no further cooking required. For a crisp side dish – cucumber sprinkled with lime, salt, cumin.
Pasta, jar pasta sauce (I love Paul Newman’s Sockaroni) , garlic bread.
Boom you are done!
Pour olive oil on the plate. Add 3 chopped ripe tomatoes. Top with 4 sliced scallions. Sprinkle with crumbled feta. Sprinkle with Greek seasoning. Serve on baguette slices. Delicious crowd pleaser!
We have been eating a lot of this recipe lately. https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/05/25/pasta-artichokes-capers-breadcrumbs-recipe/
Basically, toast (in olive oil in a skillet) some breadcrumbs mixed with Italian seasoning and garlic powder until they are brown. Then use the same skillet to saute a jar of marinated artichoke hearts and some capers. Add in a bit of honey at the end. Toss with cooked pasta and the juice from the artichokes. We added some crushed red pepper and a bit of the caper brine for zip. Sprinkle with a lot of the breadcrumbs.
We’ve been enjoying nachos, made with leftover grilled chicken and veggies, cut up and sauteed with 1 can of Goya seasoned beans drained. Add any Mexican seasoning to taste. Trick is to first spread the tortilla chips out on the cookie sheet lined w foil, sprayed with oil so they don’t stick. Sprinkle with a generous layer of any shredded cheese and toast this in the oven first. It prevents the chips from getting too soggy. Then spread your sauteed mixture out onto the chips, sprinkle more cheese and heat again. Serve with all the toppings!
Oh yum!!
Chopped zucchini + drained, rinsed & dried cannellini beans + parmesan + EVOO. Add seasonings, minced garlic, maybe some cherry tomatoes!
This is a clip and save for sure! 🙂 And Judy’s recipes are always amazing, her garden is too. Reminds me of the tomato compote I make towards the end of the summer when I have way too many tomatoes to eat. These melty tomatoes are also great for a shakshuka variation, with eggs.
Cowboy caviar!
Tomatoes, red onions, black beans, black eyed peas, corn, bell and jalapeno peppers, cilantro.
Dress with a garlicky cumin lime dressing and scoop up with tortilla chips.
I was going to ask “what the hell is EVOO?”, but googled it first: extra-virgin olive oil. Okay!
Thank you, Gretchen, that has saved me having to look, I was wondering every veg on offer? Extra veg on offer?
PS for clarification: not the Gretchen who contributed the first recipe in the post.
Thanks Kay and everyone.
I am picturing large white platters with bacon and tomato sandwiches (toasted), the honey lime cantaloupe, a big salad of crisp garden greens. Beer or cold white wine… The next Sunday dinner I host.
I’ve been making many batches of zucchini fritters, and what I call calamari fried zucchini – fried breaded (panko) rounds of garden zucchini with lemon, sea salt and tzatziki or sweet chili sauce or mango chutney.
Green beans, wax beans and haricots vert (the seed catalogue instructs: “a continuous yield of extra fine 1/8 – 1/4 ” in diameter is maintained by picking every 36 hours”) are outstanding right now – and definitely qualify as a meal. Fresh corn on the cob soon.
Technically, not four words or even four ingredients, but sooo good for an easy supper. Feta, olive oil, oregano, grill. Add a salad. Make a little aluminum foil pouch, marinate the feta in olive oil and top with some fresh (or dried) oregano. Grill it for 10 minutes in the foil pouch. I like it on top of a good salad, on top of good bread, underneath a good tomato sauce, and right out of the foil pouch.
Roasted veg, farro, browned pepitas, nutritional yeast.
A little cilantro doesn’t hurt on my recipe either, but it was supposed to be four words…
Four words: get the carry-out menu! It really hot in tx right now.
My contribution chicken from crockpot, mayo, sweet onion, a little bit of sweet pickle relish, either juice or actual relish. Toasted raisin bread. Or, over salad, or whatever.
I’ve been making the tomato-feta-garlic-oil bake regularly. Here are my two simple tweaks:
add some fresh basil & garlic 3/4 the way through baking for fresher flavours (just a preference)
use the cheaper feta-style cheese, it bakes up softer. expensive feta stays kind of firm and grainy
* bagels+cream cheese+salmon+cucumber spears
* yogurt banana splits: greek yogurt+halved bananas+nuts+chocolate chips or maple syrup
* sandwich: crusty bread+sharp cheddar+summer tomatoes+very strong mustard
* rice+shrimp+garlic+spinach, last 3 cooked together in a skillet & served over the rice (or pasta or potatoes)
* cheese quesadillas: mild cheese+tortillas+refried beans plus one veg on the side
* corn on the cob+butter+any spice mix+seltzer mixed with limeade concentrate
The other night I made this up because it was about all I had in the house: eggplant – cubed and mixed with salt and EVOO then in the air fryer for 10 minutes. The eggplant went on top of cooked cold orzo along with a sliced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, and my homemade vinaigrette (but use whatever dressing you prefer). Pretty much any veggies and herbs would be great add-ons.
Penne, sun dried tomatoes in oil, broccoli, Parmesan
Four words: call for Thai take-out.
This was the best email in a long time
Thank you
Just made the summer on a plate and it’s delicious!