When you are in the mood to try a new recipe there’s something that can make you change your mind- a long list of ingredients. The more ingredients one recipe requires, it usually means the more time and money you need to make that dish. In the times when the whole world’s locked down due to corona virus, it ‘s even harder to find all the ingredients. As a lifesaver I am presenting to you recipes with less than 5 ingredients.
Although you have all the time in the world to cook more demanding meals, the shortage of groceries in the supermarket will make that harder for you. Here are the recipes you can make with less than 5 ingredients not counting some you always have at home such as water, oil, salt, pepper and other common herbs and spices.
Breakfast recipes with less than 5 ingredients
Phyllo dough pie with cottage cheese- this pie can also be served as a side dish or appetizer. Apart from oil and baking powder, you will need phyllo dough, cottage cheese, eggs and yogurt. Check the full recipe with phyllo dough and other ways to make savory pies.
Quiche Lorraine – if you buy a pie crust, you can make quiche with less than five ingredients. Spread the crust in the pan, add the mixture of eggs and sour cream or cream cheese, and add one of these ingredients- prosciutto, broccoli or mushrooms. In my quiche recipe I put all three ingredients, but as you need recipes with less than 5 ingredients, you can choose what to omit.
Oatmeal – the best healthy breakfast you can make is definitely one that contains oats. For a regular oatmeal, you just need half cup of oats, half cup of milk and half cup of water. When the oatmeal is cooked you can add some fruit and nuts. That’s four ingredients in total, not counting water. Some good oatmeal combinations are cocoa and bananas, raspberry and almonds, apples and cinnamon.
Quinoa breakfast bowl – Similar to oatmeal you can cook quinoa with milk and then add fruits and nuts of your choice. Follow the packaging instructions when you cook quinoa. Usually for a cup of quinoa you will need two cups of milk (almond, coconut, oat or cow’s milk). Before cooking rinse quinoa through the strainer. Quinoa is ready once the liquid is absorbed.
Lunch and dinner recipes in less than 5 ingredients
Sheet pan chicken and potatoes – For this easy recipe you can use either chicken thighs or chicken breast. Chicken thighs need more baking time than chicken breast. You can also cook them before baking to reduce the baking time. Plus,you will get chicken broth which you can use later or freeze. What is easy about this recipe is that you can decide about the amount of these two main ingredients, depending on how many servings you need. As for the choice of potatoes, you can use baby red or gold potatoes, or just regular potatoes but they also need more baking time.
Now when you’ve placed both chicken and potatoes on the sheet pan, drizzle some olive oil or any other oil you have, sprinkle some salt and pepper and add other spices or herbs from your pantry. Optionally you can add some garlic powder. As the third ingredient you need a cup of grated Parmesan cheese to season the potatoes with. Bake chicken breasts and baby potatoes at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. If you use older potatoes and chicken thighs, you will need to bake them for about one hour.
Chicken and broccoli pasta – Cook 250g of tagliatelle or any other pasta of your choice. Stir fry about 300g of chopped chicken breasts, season it with salt, pepper and any other spice you have in your pantry. Cook two cups of broccoli for about 5 min in boiling water. Add the broccoli to the chicken, and once they are cooked enough, add 500ml of cream. Reduce the heat and cook the sauce for about 7 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta and remove it from the stove top. Sprinkle some herbs on top, if you have.
Couscous with leeks and mushrooms and grilled meat – Cook couscous according to the packaging instructions. Fry or sauté chopped leeks and mushrooms. Season them with salt and pepper. When the couscous is cooked, stir in the fried mushrooms and leeks. If it is too bland, drizzle some oil and more spices of your choice. This meal requires only 3 ingredients, so you can add some grilled meat as well. Use a grill pan or cast iron skillet to prepare the meat. With just some salt, pepper and olive oil you can have the meat ready in 10 minutes. The amount of meat, vegetables and couscous depends on the number of servings.
Zucchini fries and meatballs – For zucchini fries you need parmesan and eggs. Chop one zucchini in the shape of fries. Beat two eggs, put some salt and pepper in it and then roll zucchini fries in parmesan. Bake zucchini fries in a pan that is covered with baking paper. Season ground beef or pork with salt, pepper, some herbs and other seasoning mix you have in your pantry. Make the small meatballs and bake them in the oven or fry them on the stove top.
Side dishes recipes in less than 5 ingredients
Satarash– I have already shared the recipe for this low-calorie meal. You only need some oil, tomatoes and green peppers, onion is optional.
Eggplant pizza– it can be a main meal if you are not so hungry or a side dish. The combination of eggplant, pelatti and cheese gives the perfect, low calorie pizza for vegetarians.
Peas and carrots – this is a simple and delicious two-ingredient dish. You can also add one small onion and two cloves of garlic, but even without them, it always turns out delicious. In a saucepan, add some vegetable oil, peas and carrots. If you use frozen peas, you don’t need to defrost them first. Just add some water and sauté peas with carrots until they are tender, which is no more than 15 min. You can use whatever amount you need, but the peas carrots ratio is usually 2:1 or 3:1.
Stuffed mushrooms – remove the stems, add some ketchup or pelatti, cured ham or other cured meat. Bake the mushrooms for 10 minutes, then top every mushroom with a slice of gouda or cheese of your choice and bake another 10 minutes.
Desserts with less than 5 ingredients
Chocolate ice cream – you only need 2 ingredients for this recipe: cocoa and bananas. Use ripe bananas and organic cocoa and the ice cream will turn out sweet, no need to add sugar. First chop 4 bananas and put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen enough, process them in a blender or food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa and mix one more minute or until smooth. As bananas have already been frozen the ice cream will be ready to eat immediately.
Seven days rolls cake – For this cake you need 2 packages of seven days rolls or anything similar, some milk, about 200 g of cherries, 200ml of cream. Cut the rolls in slices and lay them down in a deep container. Pour some milk over the rolls, then add half of defrosted cherries. Whip the cream and put it on cherries, then repeat everything. Refrigerate overnight and serve cooled.
Chia pudding – For this healthy pudding you need chia seeds and any type of milk (oat milk, almond milk, cow’s milk). Stir 2 tablespoons of chia seeds with 200ml of milk and add a tablespoon of cocoa. Leave it overnight and add some bananas before eating. What is good about chia pudding is that you can change the ingredients and make your own combinations with different fruits, without cocoa etc.
Rice pudding – in a deep pot put 250g of rice, 500ml of water and 500ml of milk. Add at least 100g of sugar (whte or brown sugar or honey instead). Rice needs to be cooked at low temperature. Stir all the time so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. The fourth ingredient is cinnamon which is optional. You can add cinnamon while cooking or later when you serve rice pudding. Instead of cinnamon you can also add vanilla.
