We love to cook, but that’s not possible every night. Some nights you just need a quick meal like a 5-ingredient recipe that doesn’t require a trip to the grocery store or long hours cooking on the stove. From hassle-free pasta dishes and delicious pizzas to seasonal soups, they all require just 5 ingredients, not including kitchen essentials like salt, pepper, cooking oil, and water.
These recipes are a reminder to keep your pantry and freezer stocked with ingredients so you can whip up delicious meals in no time.
Classic Margherita Pizza
Pizza is a basic dish. It takes just a few ingredients to create a masterpiece. To make this easy pizza, start with store-bought pizza dough and marinara sauce. Top with a sprinkle of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and you’ll have a crispy, cheesy pizza ready in just 20 minutes.
Sauteed Chicken in Mustard Cream Sauce
This dish’s ingredient combination may be French, but it’s also perfect for your home kitchen: fresh tarragon and the browned bits that accumulate at the bottom of the pan after sautéing the chicken take this mustard cream sauce to the next level.
Martha’s Fettuccine Alfredo
Brian Gardner
This recipe is on a budget. It’s a great, simple, classic recipe with just 3 ingredients. The combination of butter, Parmesan cheese, and pasta is irresistible. Martha’s version is easy and very similar to the original, but you will need a blender to mix the cheese and butter. Trust me, it’s totally worth it.
Easy Broccoli Flourita
Fancy having breakfast for dinner? This frittata recipe was created with convenience in mind, but it doesn’t lose out on flavor. Sharp white cheddar cheese blends perfectly with the eggs, and broccoli adds freshness and nutrition.
Bell pepper egg hole
A colourful and delicious vegetarian dish made with just a few ingredients. Sweet bell peppers complement the rich flavour of the sunny yolk. For a hearty meal, serve the bell peppers on multigrain toast.
Basic chicken soup
Simple chicken soup often includes a variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices, but you don’t need all of them to make it delicious. This simple version is one of our favorites: Shredded chicken is simmered in a pot of water with vegetables and herbs to create a satisfying soup.
Roasted sweet potatoes
Adding ingredients to baked sweet potatoes makes for a nutritious, hearty meal: cannellini beans provide protein and broccoli rabe adds dynamic flavor with a bittersweet, nutty flavor.
Simple Risotto
There are many variations of risotto, but Arborio rice, stock or bouillon, a little wine, and plenty of Parmesan cheese are the keys to making this creamy Italian dish. After you’ve tried this simple risotto, you can always add extra ingredients like mushrooms or peas.
Grilled Salmon with Butter
This basic technique works not only with salmon, but with any thick fish fillet or steak (we love swordfish or halibut). It’s a two-ingredient main dish (butter and salmon) with an optional third ingredient of parsley. Serve with steamed broccolini and rice or sautéed green beans to bring the dish down to five ingredients.
Cheetah Macaroni and Cheese
The secret to this 5-ingredient, 20-minute mac and cheese is cream cheese, which creates a creamy sauce in no time, and the addition of Parmesan gives it an extra cheesy flavor.
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
As the weather gets chilly, you’ll crave this hearty soup, and what’s even better is that it’s creamy from sugar pumpkin (or butternut squash) and completely vegan.
One-pot broccoli and lemon pasta
Easy prep and quick cleanup are the hallmarks of one-pot meals, and here, a family-friendly dish with tender broccoli florets and penne pasta is jazzed up with lemon, garlic, and lots of Parmesan.
Ham and mozzarella pizza
Prosciutto is a delicious, slightly sweet and salty addition to a basic mozzarella pizza, and if you use store-bought pizza dough, you can keep the ingredients to five or fewer.
Roasted Spatchcock Lemon Chicken
All you need to make a beautiful roast chicken is three ingredients (plus oil, salt, and pepper). Spatchcocking the chicken (a technique that splits and flattens the chicken) exposes the skin for extra crispiness. Serve with roasted vegetables.
