You’ll only need 5 everyday ingredients to turn out these tasty meals. From tacos and skewers to bakes and hearty curries, these 5 ingredient recipes are sure to be loved by kids and adults alike. Life is hard enough, so let’s make dinner a little simpler.
These great recipes can be easily created with a few of your pantry staples and around 5 ingredients you can pick up on the way home. No need for a big shop or a whole host of ingredients. We have 5 ingredient recipes to make in your slow cooker, healthy recipes, chicken recipes and recipes that only take 30 minutes. With everything from quick pastas and fragrant curries, slow-cooked lamb wraps, tacos, pulled pork rolls and casseroles you’ll never run out of new meal ideas.
Looking for more 5 ingredient chicken dinners and a 5 ingredient dessert to follow?
Staples for 5 ingredient recipes
Pantry staples
Keeping these in your pantry means you have the basis of an easy meal, with only a few extra ingredients needed to transform these staples into a delicious dish.
1 Canned foods
Canned fish, beans, lentils, coconut milk/cream and tomatoes are all used in a variety of cooking styles.
2 Vinegars and oils
Add flavour to meals, cook with them, make dressings for salads or drizzle over your food.
3 Nuts and seeds
Nutrient-dense, these are great for vegetarians and add texture and flavour to dishes. Freeze in bags for long-term storage.
4 Pasta, rice, grains and beans
Wheat and egg pastas come in many shapes and sizes. Stock up on coloured rices and ready-cooked sachets, as well as dried beans, lentils, quinoa and barley, which are rich in protein.
5 Spices and seasonings
Add spices to breathe life into sweet or savoury recipes, for flavour, colour and complexity.
Fridge staples
Less is more when it comes to fridge supplies. Rather than crowding your fridge, use our suggestions here for meal building, which will allow you more room for perishable foods.
1 Vegetables
Cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin and robust lettuce last well. Store avocados and tomatoes in a fruit bowl. Celery, fennel, carrots, chillies and alliums, such as leeks, are the ideal flavour base for casseroles and stews.
2 Herbs and spices
Buy ginger and lemongrass, and woody herbs like rosemary and thyme for longevity.
3 Cured meat and fish
Pancetta, prosciutto, salami and chorizo are handy for pastas, or crisped for salads, as are smoked salmon and ocean trout.
4 Sauces and condiments
Chilli sauces, miso (white and red), red curry paste, tahini, soy sauces, indian spice pastes and mustards are the basis for marinades, dressings, curries and stir-fries. Olives and capers give piquancy.
5 Citrus
Lemons, limes, oranges and mandarins can all be used for their rind, flesh and juice to add freshness. Makrut lime leaves give a fragrant touch and add a flavour boost.
6 Dairy
Rotate cheddar, bocconcini, haloumi, goat’s cheese and blue cheese for umami flavour and oomph. Fetta in oil provides cheese, plus oil for dressings. Yoghurt is another essential.
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Slow cooker five ingredient cottage pie
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Five ingredient slow-cooked lamb wraps
Five ingredient beef tacos
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Pork skewers with sriracha aioli
Balsamic tomato and mushroom chicken
Ginger beer pulled pork rolls
Nan’s lemon chicken
Lemon chicken casserole
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Corned beef and red cabbage sandwich
Tom yum fried rice with prawns
Chicken and mushroom pizzas
Deep-pan pepperoni pizza
Buffalo chicken wings
Chorizo and chickpea stew
Green olive and lemon chicken
Pasta wintervera
Chicken tikka with cucumber-mint raita
Chicken pesto pasta with tomatoes
Persian bread with fetta and honey
