15 easy dinner recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

With the depth of flavor in this soup, you’d never guess this rich and creamy salmon bisque comes together in under an hour.   (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Cream is infused with fresh basil and a touch of lemon, then poured over pasta. Topped with freshly grated Parmigiano and a little ground pepper, it makes for a remarkably easy but elegant meal. The recipe is adapted from Angelini Osteria in Los Angeles, and comes together in about 30 minutes.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

This recipe for shrimp and basil frittata is about as easy as it gets with only six ingredients (shrimp, eggs, green onions, butter, salt and fresh basil leaves). Make the frittata ahead of time, so it’s ready in the fridge when you need it, or whip it up when you get home -- the whole thing comes together in only 30 minutes.   (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

If you’re looking for something bright and fun this evening, this vegetable salad is a perfect choice. Fresh, lightly herbal, sweetened with a touch of honey and with just the right amount of tang, BLD tosses its homemade dressing with a wonderfully bright and colorful salad of crunchy fresh corn, edamame, roasted bell peppers and green beans, along with diced rich avocado and toasted cashews. They top the salad with fresh sprouts and a drizzle of nutty hemp seeds. It makes for a perfect side or light meal.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Cook a couple swordfish steaks in garlic and fennel for a few minutes on each side, then add a little white wine and whole cherry tomatoes and let the dish simmer away until the steaks are done. Remove the steaks and cook down the liquid with a little slivered fresh basil until it’s nicely thickened (yes, the aroma is amazing!), serve over the swordfish and you’re good to go. The dish takes about 40 minutes from start to finish.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Fresh and bright with large shrimp, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and a sprinkling of fresh parsley, capellini al gamberetti, a pasta dish from Napoli restaurant in Loma Linda, doesn’t get any easier. Make it in less than 30 minutes.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

When you’re looking for a dinner idea with a little more substance, but still want to put food on the table fast, you can’t go wrong with hash. It’s one-pan comfort food -- simple and no fuss. For this recipe, take that leftover chicken in the fridge (or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store on your way home) and cook it up with some cubed potatoes, crumbled chorizo, roasted green chiles and and you can put dinner on the table in less than an hour.

This velvety risotto incorporates the deep flavor of applewood-smoked bacon with arborio rice cooked to perfectly creamy consistency. Fresh chopped chives and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano lend bright color and subtle tang, and a fresh egg yolk is nestled into each hot portion right before serving for added richness. Look no further, this is pure comfort in a bowl -- and it’s dinner in less than an hour!  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

For dinner tonight, how about getting outdoors and throwing something on the grill? Whip up a quick batch of charmoula (a North African spice blend combining bright fresh flavors including lemon, garlic, ginger, cilantro, paprika and a little olive oil), then marinate some jumbo shrimp to infuse the flavor (the recipe calls for a couple hours marinating time, but the flavor infuses in as little as 30 minutes). Skewer the shrimp and grill them a couple minutes on each side, and you’re good to go. Serve the rest of the charmoula tableside if you want to add a little extra flavor!  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

This salmon dish is one of the easiest you’ll ever make, simply cooked in the oven. The salmon is ready in about 20 minutes, when the fish just begins to flake. While it’s cooking, whisk together a quick dill mayonnaise (mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, fresh chopped dill and shallots and a little lemon juice), and you’re good to go. The salmon serves six to eight, perfect whether you’re serving a large family or are looking for leftovers for the next couple days (the salmon is just as good chilled and tossed in with a salad later on).  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Sometimes you can’t get any simpler than a salad for dinner. Take some greens, add a little of this or that, and get creative. You can pick up a few ingredients, like a roast or rotisserie chicken, from the store, or find ways to use the leftovers in the fridge. For a quick dinner salad that’s saved me on many a weeknight, check out this recipe for mixed greens with chicken, goat cheese and pecans.  (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

If you’re looking for a simple dinner that will help to stave off the chilly wet weather, look no further than Coral Tree Cafe’s vegetable soup. Fresh vegetables simmered with barley in a hearty broth, it makes for a perfect one-dish meal. What’s more, you might not even notice it’s vegetarian. (Of course, you can add some meat or doctor the ingredients to suit your taste.)  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Comfort food doesn’t get much better -- or easier -- than a platter of enchiladas. Use leftover chicken (or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store on your way home) to make these lightly spiced green enchiladas. You can prepare this meal in about an hour, and that includes making your own homemade tomatillo salsa.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

What’s not to love about schnitzel? Simply pound a pork cutlet nice and thin, bread it and pan-fry until golden. This recipe from Food Editor Russ Parsons can be made in minutes. You can serve your schnitzel alongside a crisp green salad, though you might just choose to round out the meal with Parsons’ recipe for German potato salad. (Go ahead, the potato salad only takes about half an hour, and if you time it right you can do both dishes at once.)   (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)