5-ingredient meals, plus 3 and 4-ingredient dinners

A 5-ingredient meal uses five ingredients you'd buy, and doesn't count salt, pepper, oil or water. The 14 recipes below follow that rule every time: six use five ingredients, four use four, and four use three. The quickest are egg fried rice (15 minutes), black bean quesadillas and crispy gnocchi with chorizo (20 minutes each). Every recipe lists what to buy, how long it takes and one swap for when the shop is out of something.

What counts as an ingredient

Free, so never counted: salt, pepper, cooking oil and water. Everything else counts, including butter, stock cubes, soy sauce, curry paste, pesto and dried herbs. A tin is one ingredient. Serving sides aren't counted because they aren't in the lists.

Most kitchens already hold the free four, and a pantry app can keep track of the rest. All oven temperatures are fan.

Jump to: 5 ingredients (6 recipes) · 4 ingredients (4 recipes) · 3 ingredients (4 recipes) · FAQ

5-ingredient meals

Five ingredients is the sweet spot. You get a main, a vegetable, something to bring flavour and something to bind it, without a shopping list that needs a second bag.

Sausage and white bean tray bake

5 ingredients · Serves 3 · Prep 10 min, cook 40 min, total 50 min

• 6 pork sausages
• 2 red onions
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 400g tin cannellini beans
• 2 tsp dried oregano

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Cut each onion into 8 wedges.
2. Put the sausages and onions in a large roasting tin with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 15 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the tin with the tomatoes and oregano, and stir so everything is coated in the sausage juices.
4. Roast for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the sausages are browned and cooked through with no pink inside and the tomatoes have split.

Swap it. Use chicken sausages or vegetarian sausages (check the pack for cooking time), or butter beans for cannellini.

Lemon and garlic chicken thighs with potatoes

5 ingredients · Serves 3 · Prep 10 min, cook 55 min, total 65 min

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 800g potatoes
• 1 lemon
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tsp dried rosemary

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Cut the potatoes into 3cm chunks and break the garlic into cloves, leaving the skins on.
2. Toss the potatoes in a roasting tin with 2 tbsp oil and a good pinch of salt. Roast for 15 minutes.
3. Rub the thighs with 1 tbsp oil, the rosemary, salt and pepper. Nestle them skin-side up among the potatoes, add the garlic, and put the lemon, halved, cut-side down in the tin.
4. Roast for 40 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and the thickest part of a thigh reads at least 74°C (165°F) on a food thermometer.
5. Squeeze the soft lemon over everything. Squash the garlic out of its skins into the juices.

Swap it. Sweet potatoes work in place of white, and thyme or oregano in place of rosemary.

Tomato and mascarpone pasta

5 ingredients · Serves 3 · Prep 5 min, cook 25 min, total 30 min

• 300g penne
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 100g mascarpone

1. Dice the onion finely and fry it in 2 tbsp oil over a medium heat for 8 minutes, until soft. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Pour in the tomatoes with a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, following the pack time. Keep a mugful of the cooking water.
4. Stir the mascarpone into the sauce off the heat. Toss with the drained pasta, adding splashes of pasta water until the sauce coats every piece.

Swap it. Cream cheese or double cream stands in for mascarpone, and any short pasta works.

Egg fried rice

5 ingredients · Serves 2 · Prep 5 min, cook 10 min, total 15 min

• 300g cooked, cold rice (about 120g dry weight)
• 3 eggs
• 150g frozen peas
• 4 spring onions
• 3 tbsp soy sauce

1. Slice the spring onions, keeping the green and white parts separate. Beat the eggs with a pinch of pepper.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. Fry the white parts for 1 minute, then add the peas and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Tip in the rice and break up any clumps. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, until it's piping hot throughout.
4. Push the rice to one side, pour the eggs into the gap and stir until just set, then mix through the rice. Add the soy sauce and the green parts, and toss for 30 seconds.

Cold rice fries better than fresh because the grains have dried out. If you cook it specially, cool it quickly, chill it within 1 hour and use it within 24 hours. Reheat it once only, until it is steaming hot all the way through. These are the Food Standards Agency's rice rules in its home food fact checker. Its general chilling, freezing and defrosting guidance covers other foods.

Swap it. Use sweetcorn for peas, or tamari if you need it gluten free.

Chickpea and spinach curry

5 ingredients · Serves 3 · Prep 5 min, cook 20 min, total 25 min

• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp mild curry paste
• 400g tin chickpeas
• 400ml tin coconut milk
• 200g spinach

1. Dice the onion and fry it in 1 tbsp oil for 8 minutes, until soft.
2. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute, until it smells fragrant.
3. Add the drained chickpeas and the coconut milk, with half a tin of water. Simmer for 10 minutes, mashing a few chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce.
4. Add the spinach in handfuls and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and add salt.

Swap it. Use kale (cook it for 4 minutes) or frozen spinach, and white beans for chickpeas. Check the label on the curry paste if you're cooking for someone who avoids dairy or fish.

Pan-fried salmon with new potatoes and green beans

5 ingredients · Serves 2 · Prep 5 min, cook 25 min, total 30 min

• 2 skin-on salmon fillets
• 400g new potatoes
• 150g green beans
• 1 lemon
• 25g butter

1. Halve the new potatoes and boil them in salted water for 12 minutes. Add the trimmed beans for the last 4 minutes, then drain.
2. Pat the salmon dry and season with salt. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.
3. Cook the fillets skin-side down for 5 minutes without moving them, until the skin is crisp. Turn and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the flesh is opaque all the way through.
4. Lift the salmon out. Add the butter and the juice of half the lemon to the pan, then toss the potatoes and beans in it for 1 minute.
5. Serve with the other half of the lemon, cut into wedges.

Swap it. Trout or sea bass fillets, and broccoli or asparagus for the beans.

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4-ingredient meals

Drop one ingredient and the cooking has to do more of the work. These lean on browning, roasting and one strongly flavoured ingredient.

Crispy gnocchi with chorizo and spinach

4 ingredients · Serves 2 · Prep 5 min, cook 15 min, total 20 min

• 500g shop-bought gnocchi
• 100g cooking chorizo
• 200g cherry tomatoes
• 100g spinach

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi straight from the pack and fry for 8 minutes, turning now and then, until golden.
2. Slice the chorizo into rounds and add it with the whole tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, until the chorizo has released its red oil and the tomatoes are blistered.
3. Add the spinach and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until wilted.

Swap it. Use diced bacon in place of chorizo, or a bag of kale for the spinach.

Baked feta pasta

4 ingredients · Serves 3 · Prep 5 min, cook 35 min, total 40 min

• 200g block of feta
• 400g cherry tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 250g pasta

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Put the feta in the middle of a baking dish, with the tomatoes and sliced garlic around it.
2. Pour over 3 tbsp oil, add pepper, and bake for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have collapsed and the feta is golden at the edges.
3. Cook the pasta in salted water for the time on the pack. Keep a mugful of the cooking water.
4. Mash the feta into the tomatoes to make a sauce. Toss with the pasta, loosening with pasta water as needed.

Swap it. Halloumi cut into slabs gives a firmer result, and any short pasta works.

Black bean quesadillas

4 ingredients · Serves 2 · Prep 10 min, cook 10 min, total 20 min

• 4 large flour tortillas
• 400g tin black beans
• 150g cheddar
• 1 red pepper

1. Dice the pepper and soften it in 1 tbsp oil for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans, then mash half of them roughly with a fork and keep the rest whole.
2. Grate the cheddar. Spread beans over one half of each tortilla, add the pepper and a quarter of the cheese, and fold over.
3. Wipe out the pan, then fry the quesadillas in a little oil over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes a side, until crisp and the cheese has melted. Cut each into wedges.

Swap it. Kidney beans or pinto beans for black beans, and sweetcorn for the pepper.

Potato, bacon and egg hash

4 ingredients · Serves 2 · Prep 10 min, cook 25 min, total 35 min

• 600g potatoes
• 1 onion
• 150g smoked bacon lardons
• 4 eggs

1. Cut the potatoes into 1.5cm cubes. Boil in salted water for 5 minutes, then drain well and let them steam dry.
2. Fry the lardons in a large frying pan with 1 tbsp oil for 4 minutes. Add the sliced onion and the potatoes and cook over a medium-high heat for 12 minutes, turning only now and then so the potatoes crisp.
3. Make four wells in the hash and crack an egg into each. Cover the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set. Cook a little longer if you don't want a runny yolk.

Swap it. Use sweet potato, or a handful of diced chorizo in place of the bacon.

3-ingredient dinners

Three ingredients works when one of them is doing a lot, such as pesto, curry paste or a tin of tomatoes. Don't expect restaurant depth, but expect dinner on the table.

Pesto and mozzarella chicken

3 ingredients · Serves 2 · Prep 5 min, cook 25 min, total 30 min

• 2 chicken breasts (about 150g each)
• 4 tbsp green pesto
• 125g ball of mozzarella

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Cut three deep slashes across each breast and put them in a small roasting tin.
2. Spread 2 tbsp pesto over each breast, pushing some into the cuts. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Tear or slice the mozzarella and lay it on top. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the thickest part of the chicken reads at least 74°C (165°F). The pink should be gone from the middle.

Swap it. Red pesto for green, or chicken thighs (add 10 minutes).

Eggs in tomato sauce

3 ingredients · Serves 2 · Prep 5 min, cook 25 min, total 30 min

• 1 onion
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 4 eggs

1. Dice the onion and cook it in 1 tbsp oil for 8 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the tomatoes, a good pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
3. Make four wells with a spoon and crack in the eggs. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the whites are set.

Swap it. A tin of chickpeas stirred in at step 2 makes it more filling, though it adds a fourth ingredient.

Red lentil and coconut dal

3 ingredients · Serves 3 · Prep 5 min, cook 20 min, total 25 min

• 200g red lentils
• 400ml tin coconut milk
• 2 tbsp curry paste

1. Rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs mostly clear.
2. Put the lentils, coconut milk, curry paste and 400ml water in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer.
3. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't catch, until the lentils have broken down into a thick, creamy stew. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.

Swap it. Use any mild or medium curry paste. Yellow split peas work too, but they need a lot longer.

Cheese and bean baked potatoes

3 ingredients · Serves 4 · Prep 5 min, cook 75 min, total 80 min

• 4 large baking potatoes (about 250g each)
• 400g tin baked beans
• 120g cheddar

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and rub with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt.
2. Bake directly on the oven shelf for 1 hour 10 minutes, until the skin is crisp and a knife slides into the centre easily.
3. Warm the beans in a small pan for 5 minutes. Grate the cheddar.
4. Split the potatoes, fluff the insides with a fork, and top with beans and cheese.

Swap it. Use any firm melting cheese, or swap the beans for a tin of tuna (drained) if you'd rather.

FAQ

Do salt and oil count as ingredients?

No. Salt, pepper, cooking oil and water are free in every recipe here. Butter, stock, spices, dried herbs, sauces and pastes all count, because you'd have to buy them to make the dish.

What's the cheapest 5-ingredient dinner?

Prices change by shop and week, so we can't name one winner. The cheapest recipes here lean on tins, dried or tinned pulses, eggs and potatoes: the red lentil dal, the eggs in tomato sauce, the cheese and bean baked potatoes and the chickpea curry. The dearest are the ones built on fish or fresh chicken. Check your own supermarket's unit prices, which are printed on the shelf label.

Can I freeze these meals?

The red lentil dal, chickpea and spinach curry, sausage and bean tray bake and tomato sauce for the pasta all freeze well. Cool them within 1 to 2 hours, then freeze in portions. Eat chilled leftovers within 48 hours, the Food Standards Agency's advice. The quesadillas, hash, baked feta pasta and salmon are better eaten fresh. Defrost in the fridge and reheat until piping hot. Cooked rice is the exception to the 48-hour rule: chill it within 1 hour, eat it within 24 hours, and freeze it within 1 hour if you won't.

Cooking meat safely

You can't judge doneness by colour alone, so use a food thermometer for chicken. The USDA's safe temperature chart gives 165°F (74°C) as the minimum for poultry.

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