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20 recipes with 5 ingredients

You don’t have to set aside the whole day or use dozens of hard-to-find herbs and spices to make a memorable meal. Here are a few ideas for simple recipes with five ingredients, more or less. (Additional ingredients may occasionally appear as water, seasonings or optional garnishes.)




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Potage parmentier

Potage parmentier is a classic, comforting French variation on potato leek soup, made famous by Julia Child. If you’ve read Julie Powell’s bestselling culinary memoir Julie and Julia (which later became a feature film), you may remember it as the first recipe Julie tried. According to Food.com, all you have to do to make your own potage parmentier is simmer potatoes and leeks in salted water until vegetables are tender (40-50 minutes). Remove from heat and add plenty of butter. You can add parsley or chives as a garnish.




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Cacio e pepe

Cacio e pepe is a quick and easy, classic pasta dish. All you need is spaghetti, cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Here is a recipe from BBC Good Food: take 200 g (7 oz) of spaghetti and cook it for 2 minutes less than package instructions state. While waiting for the water to boil, melt 25 g (1 oz) of butter and lightly toast 5 ml (1 tsp) of ground black pepper in the sizzling butter. Drain the pasta, making sure to set aside 200 ml (a bit more than 3/4 cup) of the pasta water. Tip the pasta and half of the reserved pasta water in the pan with the butter and pepper. Toss briefly, then generously scatter parmesan or pecorino cheese on top. Wait for the cheese to melt, then slowly add the remaining pasta water (you don’t need to use all of it) to thin out the sauce so it coats the pasta. Serve immediately with a good grating of black pepper.




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Simple cheese omelette

Omelettes are a quick, easy, healthy and filling option for any time of day. Jamie Oliver’s simple cheese omelette recipe only calls for three ingredients: eggs (two of them), olive oil and cheddar cheese. Crush the eggs into a bowl, season them with salt and pepper if you like, and beat with a fork until fully combined. Heat a frying pan and add a little oil to the hot pan, then carefully pour in the eggs. Tilt the pan to spread the egg mixture evenly around it. When the omelette begins to cook, sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top. Fold the omelette in half using a spatula. When the bottom of the omelette begins to turn golden brown, take it off the burner and serve. You don’t have to stick to grated cheese—omelettes can be filled with pretty much anything you have on hand, including sausage, ham, bacon and just about every kind of vegetable. The Food Lab has a bunch of ideas.




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Easy shepherd’s pie

Shepherd’s pie is a warm and comforting cold-weather classic. Cooking blog Yummy Healthy Easy has an inviting five-ingredient shepherd’s pie recipe. Preheat your oven to 177°C (350°F). While the oven is heating, brown 454 g (1 lb) of ground beef in a skillet; then add a can of tomato soup and a can of green beans (drain the beans first). Pour the beef mixture into a greased casserole dish, top with leftover mashed potatoes and generously sprinkle the top with grated cheddar cheese. Cover the casserole and bake it until heated through, about 25 minutes. Enjoy!




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Chili con carne

Cooking website Gimme some Oven has a comforting five-ingredient chili recipe. Brown 454 g (1 lb) of beef or turkey in a stockpot. Remove the cooked meat from the stockpot when done and set it aside. Reserve 15 ml (1 tbsp) of the grease and sauté an onion in it until soft. Add a can of tomatoes, a can of black beans or kidney beans, 30 ml (2 tbsp) of chili powder and your reserved meat. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it for 10 minutes. You can garnish the chili with any number of things. Grated cheese and green onions are some favourites.




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Smoked salmon and spinach gratin

This delicious recipe from BBC Good Food has only four ingredients: raw salmon fillets, spinach, cream and butter. Cook the spinach briefly in water in a large saucepan until wilted. Drain it in a colander, allow it to cool, and then finish squeezing out the excess water with your hands. (If you skip this step, BBC Good Food warns, you could end up with a watery green sauce instead of the intended creamy one.) Chop the spinach and toss it in a saucepan with melted butter. Season with pepper and a little salt (although there is some salt in the salmon). Lay the spinach in the bottom of a gratin dish and layer the salmon fillets on top. Heat 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) of double cream (or the closest equivalent, referred to as heavy cream or whipping cream in North America) on the stove. Pour the cream over the salmon and spinach, bake for 35 minutes at 160°C (320°F), let cool and serve.




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Easy fried rice with egg

Eggs aren’t just for breakfast! Home Cooking Memories has an easy and filling recipe for fried rice with egg. Prepare the rice according to package instructions in advance or use leftover cooked rice. Let the cooked rice cool before putting the rest of the recipe together. Beat two eggs in a small bowl and cook them over medium-low heat in a greased pan. In a separate, larger frying pan, heat 30 ml (2 tbsp) of oil and add frozen peas and carrots. Cook them on their own for a few minutes, then add the rice and eggs. Stir to combine and add soy sauce to taste. Keep cooking the mixture until heated through and then serve. If you’d like to add meat, tofu or vegetables to your fried rice, Food Network has many, many ideas. Shrimp? Pineapple? Leftover cold cuts? The sky’s the limit.




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Quick vegan chili

If chili con carne isn’t your thing, Sweet Simple Vegan has a five-ingredient vegan chili recipe, which they describe as “hearty, full of flavor, and so easy to make!” Sauté an onion and a bell pepper in oil until soft. Then add diced tomatoes, canned beans and 30 ml (2 tbsp) of chili powder. Stir to combine, bring the chili to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer it for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve warm. The authors say the chili is especially good served in a bread bowl.




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Cashew-crusted chicken

This surprising reader-contributed recipe for cashew-crusted chicken is a staff pick on Allrecipes’ five-ingredient main dish page. All you need is skinless, boneless chicken breasts, Dijon mustard, apricot preserves, curry powder and chopped cashews. Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and prepare the marinade, combining the mustard, preserves and curry powder in a skillet over low heat until preserves are completely melted and smooth. Place chopped cashews in a shallow dish. One by one, dip the chicken breasts in the apricot mixture, then roll them in the cashews to coat. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Boil any remaining sauce and serve on the side. If you’re intrigued by the apricot-mustard-curry marinade, check out 10 fantastic ways to use fruit in savoury dishes from Metro UK.




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Easy chorizo street tacos

These easy chorizo street tacos are another Allrecipes staff pick. Take one chorizo sausage link and 30 ml (2 tbsp) of chiles in adobo sauce. Mix together in a bowl and cook them in a skillet over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chorizo’s mixture to a plate and reserve the grease in the skillet. Warm the tortillas on both sides in the greased skillet. Once the tortillas are warm, fill the tacos with chorizo, chopped onions and cilantro. You’re done!




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Thai coconut pork curry

This Allrecipes pork curry sounds like an elaborate dish you might find in a Thai restaurant, but it’s actually very simple. Cook 567 g (1 1/4 lb) of pork in hot oil until browned. Then add 591 ml (2 1/2 cups) of Thai coconut curry sauce. Allrecipes suggests the KanTong brand, but you can also make your own with this recipe from Real Simple. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Serve over rice.




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Vegetarian potato and squash casserole

This vegetarian potato and squash casserole from Allrecipes is a quick way to serve a crowd, and, if you’re lucky enough to have a thriving summer vegetable garden, use up extra tomatoes and summer squash. Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Slice two baking potatoes, put a layer along the bottom of a greased baking pan and season with salt and pepper. Place squash slices on top of the potatoes, and tomato slices on top of the squash, seasoning each layer. Repeat this pattern. Once the dish is full, cover the top of the casserole with chopped onions and dot it with pats of butter. Bake for about an hour until the top of the casserole is browned.




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Skillet chicken parmesan

This skillet chicken parmesan from Kitchn is an easy, cheesy delight. It skips the traditional breading for faster cooking, and only uses a single skillet, so you won’t have to wash a whole load of dishes after. You do have to flatten the raw chicken breasts, though. Kitchn suggests putting each chicken breast in a large Ziploc bag and going over them with a rolling pin. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then heat a pan with 30 ml (2 tbsp) of olive oil and sear the chicken until deeply browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate and add 532 ml (2 1/4 cups) of marinara sauce to the pan along with 355 ml (1 1/2 cups) of water, 283 g (10 oz) of uncooked penne and some salt. Stir to combine, bring to a boil and cook for 8-9 minutes. Place the chicken on top of the pasta, cover it with sliced mozzarella and grated parmesan. Broil 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through.




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Classic tuna salad

Tuna salad is a quick and easy classic, great on its own, in a sandwich (cold or hot as a tuna melt), on crackers as an appetizer or over pasta. Simply Recipes has a five-ingredient classic tuna salad. Drain one can (5 oz) of tuna and add chopped celery, chopped onion, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and you’re done. If you’re feeling creative, add pickles, olives, chopped apples, or additional spices.




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Easy enchiladas

These easy enchiladas from Allrecipes can feed a crowd. Preheat your oven to 177°C (350°F) and prepare a greased baking dish. Pour the contents of two jars (16 oz or 473 ml) of off-the-shelf or homemade salsa into the dish. Cook a pound of ground beef in a skillet until browned and crumbly. Add prepared salsa con queso (off the shelf or homemade with milk, salsa and American cheese) to the beef. Mix well, place 30 ml (2 tbsp) of the cheesy beef mixture down the centre of each tortilla and place them seam side down in the dish. Sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top of the enchiladas, then bake for 15-20 minutes.




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Linguine with roasted red peppers

This red pepper linguine from BBC Good Food takes only about 20 minutes to prepare. Blitz a roasted red pepper (off the shelf or roasted in your oven) in a food processor with olive oil, toasted walnuts and one small garlic clove. Cook a pack of linguine (100 g) for one minute less than package instructions. Drain and reserve a ladleful of pasta water. Add the red pepper sauce, mix well and warm the pasta through. Tip the pasta into a serving bowl and garnish with parmesan, if you have it, and some of the remaining walnuts.




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Steak and chips salad

This quick recipe from BBC Good Food is part steak frites, part salad. Pre-cook some frozen potato wedges according to package instructions. Fry the steaks in hot oil, remove from heat, let them cool and cut them into strips. Meanwhile, put the contents of a bag of off-the-shelf green salad into a bowl and toss with honey mustard dressing (off-the-shelf or homemade in advance). Remove the potatoes from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Top the salad with the potatoes, the steak strips and the remaining honey mustard dressing. Is it salad or fast food, or both? You decide.




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Quick creamy gravlax salmon pasta

This other recipe from BBC Good Food uses only five ingredients to create a surprisingly rich and elegant pasta dish in any kitchen. Cook a package of farfalle (bow-tie pasta) according to package instructions. Drain and reserve some of the pasta water. Add cream cheese, lemon juice and an off-the-shelf package of cured salmon, called gravlax (pictured) (or homemade gravlax, if you happen to have some or feel like making some). Stir and add some of the pasta water to create a creamy sauce. Warm the pasta until heated through, add fresh chives and stir to coat. Garnish with remaining chives.




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Sticky eggplant teriyaki

This sticky eggplant teriyaki from Jamie Oliver is another seemingly fancy dish that only requires five ingredients: a large eggplant (which Oliver calls an aubergine, as British and French cooks do), spring onions (a version of scallions or green onions with a larger bulb), one fresh chili pepper, unsalted peanuts and off-the-shelf teriyaki sauce. Heat some water in a deep frying pan. Halve the eggplant lengthwise, make a few slashes in the skin with a knife, then place the eggplant skin side up in the pan and add a little salt and pepper. The next step, Oliver explains, is to cover and cook “until it boils dry and begins to sizzle (listen for the change in sound).” Trim the onions, slice and de-seed the chili pepper, and place the slices in a bowl of ice water. Once the eggplant has started to sizzle, add some olive oil, the chopped white part of the onions, and the peanuts to the skillet. After two minutes, add a splash of water and the teriyaki sauce, reduce to medium heat and flip the eggplant pieces. Serve with the chili pepper and the green part of the onions.




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Sweet and sour chicken noodles

These sweet and sour chicken noodles, also from Jamie Oliver, take only about 20 minutes to make and call for chicken thighs with the skin on. The first step is to pull the skin off the raw chicken thighs and place it in a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Debone the thighs—Oliver suggests you “chuck [the bones] into the pan [with the skin] for bonus flavour.” Chop the meat into 2-centimetre (3/4-inch) pieces. Shift the skin and bones to one side of the pan, add the meat and keep cooking until the meat is golden, stirring occasionally. Once the chicken skin is crispy, chop it into small pieces, set it aside and discard the bones. Meanwhile, cook a package of rice noodles according to package instructions and set aside a mugful of the cooking water. Stir 30 ml (2 tbsp) of Worcestershire sauce and 30 ml (2 tbsp) of off-the-shelf or homemade chili jam into the pan, let the jam melt and add the noodles and fresh sugar snap peas. Add a splash of reserved noodle water, toss and season with salt, pepper and chicken skin before serving.




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