5 Ingredient or Less Recipes You Need to Have Because They are Easy
Are you looking for 5 ingredient or less recipes? Well, you might want to try these I found in my recipe box.
It’s April 19, 2020 and during this pandemic crisis, we’re following the #stayathome law which means I need to plan menus for 6-7 days at a time, which is completely the opposite of what we used to do.
I went through my recipes to find the easiest ones with less ingredients as possible.
Some of these I ‘invented’ :), others I got from friends or cut out from old magazines. I use them quite often as I need easy recipes…the less time I spend in the kitchen, the better it is for everyone!
Except I find myself baking cakes, so if you need an easy dessert recipe, try my orange cake which I could eat every day!
MY FAVORITE 5 INGREDIENT OR LESS RECIPES
I love this pasta sauce. It’s so easy and delicious. A friend of mine gave me the recipe a long time ago and I still make it today.
Pasta Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes
- ¾ cup wine, white or red (optional)
- 5 tbsp minced garlic
- chopped fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add oil to big pan and cook onions on medium high until soft
- Add garlic to pan and stir a bit
- Add stewed tomatoes and stir
- Add wine
- Simmer on low stirring occasionally and let reduce to the point where a bit of juice is left, about 20-30 minutes
- Cook your pasta and drain
- Add tomato sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and basil if using
I know there are other Sheppard’s pie recipes out there more sophisticated that this one. But my husband and I love it and it was my mother’s recipe as well.
Sheppard’s Pie
Ingredients
- 1 lbs lean or medium ground beef
- 1 can creamed corn
- 4-5 potatoes
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut in small pieces so they cook faster
- Add cold water to a pot and drop the potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes *see note
- In the meantime, cook your ground beef in a frying pan and with a spoon make sure you crumble it
- Pre-heat oven at 375F
- When potatoes are done, mash with butter, a bit of milk, salt and pepper
- Assemble in an oven proof glassware: first ground beef, then directly out of the can the corn and then top it off with the mashed potatoes
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes
Notes
Ok so maybe my picture doesn’t give the best look to this meatloaf, I’m still learning how to photograph food!
This recipe has to be the easiest! Only 5 minutes of prep time and then just let it cook. It’s absolutely delicious. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans or asparagus.
Best Ever Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs combo of ground pork/veal/beef
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 envelope of onion/garlic dry mix soup
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix
- Cover a cookie sheet with foil
- Add the mixed ingredients on it and shape like a loaf
- Cook for 1 hour, or until it reaches 70C inside
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes
Notes
This next recipe is one I served my 2-year old grandson and he asked for seconds, well his words were: Encore – French for More 🙂
Potato, Beef and Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lbs lean ground beef
- 4 medium size potatoes
- 2 cups broccoli, washed an cut into bite size pieces
- 1 can mushroom soup
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- Wash, peel and cut potatoes into small cubes
- Boil potatoes until they are still a bit firm
- Cook ground beef in a frying pan, crumbling it with a spoon
- Pre-heat oven to 450F
- Transfer potatoes in the ground beef **keep the water boiling
- Add the can of mushroom soup to beef/potato mixture
- Add the broccoli to the water used for potatoes and cook for 1 minute
- In an oven proof glassware, add half the meat/potato mixture, top with all the broccoli, then add the rest of the meat/potato mixture on top.
- Cover with the cheese
- Bake for 30 minutes
Recipes from a Good Friend I never Met in Person!
Almost 2 years ago I met online 3 blogging buddies and we formed our own Facebook group and meet almost every week using the wonderful technology of Skype.
I asked if they had any 5 ingredient or less easy recipes to add to my little round-up.
Cynthia from 385Life has graciously shared her wonderful homemade ricotta cheese recipe and gives very detailed instructions.
Cynthia even went ahead and posted her recipe for a super simple zesty tomato salad that she served (to herself LOL) on a toast spread with the ricotta cheese. Wow, it sounds so yummy. Head over and see what I mean.
Do you have an easy recipe you would like to share? If so, send it to me using my contact form and I would be happy to add it to this round-up.
If you have any trouble with any of the recipes, please let me know as well.
Great post and wonderful suggestions!! Need to add these recipes to the household cookbook.
Thank you Cynthia 🙂 and again thanks for the great ricotta cheese recipe 🙂