There’s often a perception that cooking involves a myriad of tools, ingredients, and techniques, along with time and energy in the kitchen. While some find pleasure in this (guilty), not all cooking creations require the whole nine yards. In fact, some of my favorite recipes involve the fewest ingredients (a simple caprese salad, avocados baked with eggs, spaghetti aglio e olio).

Part of what makes simple cooking work so well is when you have really fresh, flavorful ingredients that need no fancy techniques applied to them — think of a perfectly ripe tomato or a beautiful, healthy avocado: simply slice them, drizzle on some olive oil, and sprinkle on some salt and pepper, et voila, a simple and delicious treat. When you find fresh ingredients, the best thing you can do, often, is nothing with them. This works well in your favor too, because it means you can have a satisfying meal in no time.

I recently discovered the beauty of roasting fruit, and this delicious recipe for baked pears, which involves only four ingredients: Fresh pears, walnuts, cinnamon, and honey. Simply slice the pears in half (I use Bosc pears, but you can use any variety you like), carve out the seeds, sprinkle on some cinnamon and chopped walnuts, and drizzle on some honey. Once they’re prepped, bake them in the oven at 350 degree F for 40 or so minutes, and serve with some vanilla ice cream or yogurt.

The end product is a delicious, healthy, and hearty dessert (or breakfast!)