People Are Sharing Impressive Meal Ideas That Taste Expensive But Are Surprisingly Cost-Effective
Whether you're looking to impress dinner guests, spice up date night dinner at home, or just add some out-of-the-ordinary recipes to your rotation, food that tastes *fancy* doesn't need to be expensive or high-maintenance.
Redditor Chatfinity asked, "What’s your best ‘cheap but impressive’ recipe that makes people think you spent hours in the kitchen?" Lots of people chimed in with their go-to recipes that are cheap and easy but feel fancy.
1."Creamy garlic lemon pasta. I cook some pasta, save some of the water, melt butter, and sauté garlic in a pan for a minute. Then I add lemon zest, juice, heavy cream, and parmesan. Toss in the pasta, add some of the starchy water, add salt and pepper. Super quick and super good."
2."Thai curry. Toss whatever leftover meat, some vegetables, good Thai curry paste, and coconut milk into a slow cooker. It's the best thing most people have ever tasted in their entire lives, apparently. It's a standard for my big gatherings, usually alongside something that does actually require hours in the kitchen. The Thai curry comes out better every time. It's so easy, hands-off, and so good."
3."Spaghetti carbonara. It's delicious when made well and very simple. Even if you want to go all out and use fancy imported cheese or guanciale instead of my cheater's bacon and Parmesan version, the quantities you need of each ingredient are modest, and the final dish is delicious. Some may say it’s not a fancy meal, but it always seems impressive to my dinner guests."
4."Chicken breasts stuffed with spinach, mozzarella, and sundried tomatoes. I usually serve it with asparagus. It’s always a hit!"
5."Chicken thighs, olive oil, lemon, butter, garlic in a pan. Add some pasta. Boom. You're a fancy chef. If you want to go extra, spend the extra dollar on a shallot or a splash of white wine. Now you're a super fancy chef. It's especially good if you add heavy cream."
6."I think Marcella Hazan's tomato pasta sauce recipe is the ultimate example of this type of easy but impressive meal. 1 can San Marzano tomatoes. 5 tablespoons butter. 1 onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 45 minutes, then discard the onion. One of the best tomato sauces you'll ever have, only three ingredients, 45 minutes cooking time, and you don't even have to chop the onion — just slice it in half."
7."Homemade ricotta. It's the simplest thing in the world to do, tastes so much better than store-bought, and people lose their minds when you tell them you made fresh cheese. I use it in lasagna and stuffed shells and use any extra as an appetizer with some fresh herbs, served with crackers."
8."I am always surprised by how impressed people are with bread. For parties and potlucks, I usually make the Dutch oven no-knead bread, then hollow out part of the loaf and fill it with Alton Brown’s scratch-made onion dip. (Except being a Southerner, I fry them onions in bacon grease!) I put the bread I hollowed out on the side, and some chips and vegetables, and people act like I made a miracle."
9."Homemade foccacia. If you have a stand mixer, it is dead easy."
10."Roasted chicken is my number one go-to. I dry brine for 48 hours, then season with fresh herbs and butter. Stuff with garlic, shallot, and lemon, and roast. It is so easy, but people love it."
11."French onion soup. Basically onions, beef broth, and wine. Takes about an hour and a half to caramelize the onions with a bit of butter. Then, drop everything in the pot. Top with bread and melted cheese."
12."Cacio e pepe. It's literally pasta, cheese, and pepper... But when it's done right, it's unbelievable. Good quality pasta is key; fresh pasta takes it to another level."
13."Minestrone soup. You can get all the veggies for a very fair price at most grocery stores. I add chickpeas and cannellini beans. The special trick to give it that 'hours in the kitchen' flavor is to use some Parmesan rind as the pasta is cooking in the soup. Serve with fresh parm and a crusty piece of bread."
14."Key lime pie. Four egg yolks, a can of sweetened condensed milk, half a cup of fresh lime juice, and you can add some grated lime peel if you want. Beat it until it’s fluffed up, pour it into a graham cracker crust, bake, top with whipped cream. People always love it."
15."Chocolate mousse. The amount of praise it gets compared to how little effort it takes is astonishing. I use 12— 16 ounces of whichever chocolate you like, four eggs separated (plus two more whites), a cup of heavy cream, a cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Melt the chocolate, ribbon the egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar, add the melted chocolate, and set aside. Whip the 6 egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form, and set aside. Whip the cream and vanilla with 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form, and set aside. Fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture until combined, and then repeat with the cream."
16."Okonomiyaki is one I love to make, and it looks like it takes a ton of time. It is literally pan-fried cabbage, eggs, flour, bacon, and a couple of sauces."
17."The miso black cod made famous at Nobu has to be the easiest high-end restaurant dish to replicate at home. Mix white miso, sake, mirin (and/or sugar), oil, and soy sauce. Marinate black cod fillets or Chilean sea bass in this for, oh, 30 minutes to two days. Broil them skin-side-down until the edges start to singe, which takes about five to ten minutes. Check for any pin bones; they'll pull right out. Serve. It takes about two minutes of active work."
18."Chicken tacos. Pick up a Costco rotisserie chicken, shred it, and mix it with green chili salsa. Serve with tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, and lime."
19."Chicken adobo. Just throw everything (chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, coconut milk if you are down) into a pot and return in an hour to have the most savory, tender, unctuous braise you've ever eaten."
20."Chicken piccata with spaghetti noodles. It tastes amazing and seems fancy, but it is super quick and easy, and all it needs with it is a salad and some garlic bread!"
21."Cottage Pie. It’s ground beef, veggies, and mash all in one dish. Super easy, cheap, and everyone usually loves it!"
22."Shakshuka. It's the easiest thing to cook, especially for vegetarians. Fry onions and peppers. Add chopped tomatoes and water. Boil down and add eggs. It takes no effort and tastes amazing."
23."Pistachio poppyseed cake. It requires one box of white cake mix, one package of instant pistachio pudding, and one small container of poppy seeds. Follow the instructions on the cake mix and make it in a Bundt pan. Top with powdered sugar when cool. It's truly more than the sum of its parts and could not be easier. I'm a real 'cook it from scratch' guy for 99% of things, but this is one of the rare exceptions. People go nuts for it."
Do you have something to add? What is a deceptively low-effort and affordable meal that tastes fancy or worthy of a special occasion? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
