In today’s fast-paced life, everyone is trying to find a balance between their busy schedule and the time and costs of cooking. Recipes with a minimum number of ingredients will serve as a true lifeline for busy hosts, students, young parents, and anyone who values simplicity in cooking. Also, can we really prepare delicious dishes with just 2-5 ingredients?
Content
Why choose simplicity in cooking?
Minimalism in cooking tends to have a constant advantage. Saving time – there’s no need to spend years searching for exotic ingredients in stores. Reduced spending – fewer products means less money in the checkout. Simplicity in preparation – even beginners can easily use such recipes. Less waste – all products are used as effectively as possible.
In addition, cooking with a minimal amount of ingredients allows for better revealing the natural taste of each component. There’s no need to mask or overpower flavors – each ingredient plays its unique role in creating a harmonious dish.
Top-25 Best Recipes with Minimal Ingredients
Quick and Simple Snacks
1) Fluffy Omelet in 5 Minutes
- Ingredients (3): 3 eggs, 2 tbsp milk or sparkling water, salt.
- Preparation: beat the eggs with milk and salt, pour into a heated skillet, cook under a lid for 3–4 minutes. Life Hack: sparkling water gives a special fluffiness.
2) Apple Pancakes
- Ingredients (4): 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 cup water, 1 apple, 1 tsp honey.
- Preparation: soak the oats in water for 3 hours, add grated apple and honey.
3) Cheesecakes without flour
- Ingredients (3): 200 g cheese, 1 egg, 2 tbsp. mayonnaise.
- Preparation: mix, let stand for 10 minutes, reduce on medium heat to readiness.
4) Toasts with avocado and egg
- Ingredients (4): 2 toasts, 1 avocado, 1 egg, salt.
- Preparation: mash avocado with salt, egg – fried or poached, spread on toasts.
5) Banana milkshake trio
- Ingredients (3): 1 banana, 2 eggs, sprinkle of cinnamon (to taste).
- Preparation: blend all together, let chill for 1–2 minutes on each side.
First dishes for 20–30 minutes
6) Cream soup with watermelon
- Ingredients (4): 400 g watermelon, 1 onion, 500 ml broth, 100 ml cream.
- Preparation: cut the onion, add watermelon cubes, pour in broth, simmer to tenderness, blend, add cream.
7) Chicken soup with vermicelli
- Ingredients (4): 300 g chicken fillet, 100 g vermicelli, 1 carrot, 1 onion.
- Preparation: boil broth with chicken and vegetables for 15 minutes, add vermicelli and cook for another 5 minutes.
8) Tomato soup in 15 minutes
- Ingredients (4): tomatoes in their own juice 400 g, 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, 300 ml broth.
- Preparation: sauté the onion and garlic, add tomatoes and broth, blend thoroughly, simmer.
9) Mushroom soup with mushrooms
- Ingredients (5): 150 g mushrooms, 1/3 cup barley, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 l water/broth.
- Preparation: wash the mushrooms with the onion, add the grated carrot, pour in broth, cook to readiness.
Other dishes for everyday
10) Potato salad served on skewers
- Ingredients (3): 6–8 potatoes, 2 onions, salt/pepper.
- Preparation: cut the potatoes into cubes, sprinkle with onion; fry for 20–25 minutes, periodically stirring.
11) Macaroni with tomato sauce
- Ingredients (4): 300 g pasta, 400 g tomatoes in juice, 2 cloves of garlic, basil.
- Preparation: sauté the garlic quickly, add the tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes; combine with pasta, add basil.
12) Buckwheat with salmon
- Ingredients (4): 1 cup buckwheat, 300 g salmon, 1 onion, 2 cups broth/water.
- Preparation: sauté the onion, add the buckwheat, pour in the broth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
13) Chicken with lemon in the oven
- Ingredients (4): 700 g chicken thighs, 1 lemon, 2 cloves of garlic, salt.
- Preparation: marinate the chicken with garlic and lemon, bake for 35–40 minutes at 200°C.
14) Rice with vegetables
- Ingredients (4): 1 cup rice, 1 carrot, 1 Bulgarian pepper, 2 cups water.
- Preparation: sauté the carrot and pepper, add the rinsed rice and water, cover and cook to doneness.
15) Quick tortellini with cheese
- Ingredients (3): 2 tortellini packs, 150 g hard cheese, green/pepper to taste.
- Preparation: layer the cheese between tortellini, bake in the dry oven for 2 hours on each side.
Snacks and salads in a few minutes
16) Simplified Greek Salad
- Ingredients (4): 3 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 150 g feta/brinza, olive oil.
- Preparation: all ingredients are chopped, seasoned with olive oil, salt can be added if needed.
17) Salad with pickles and cucumber
- Ingredients (4): 1 can of pickles, 1 cucumber, 1 tomato, 2 tablespoons yogurt/mayonnaise.
- Preparation: mix all ingredients, season, cool for 10 minutes.
18) Baked vegetable-assortment
- Ingredients (4): 2 zucchinis, 2 bell peppers, 3 tomatoes, olive oil.
- Preparation: cut vegetables into pieces, season with oil, bake for 25 minutes at 200°C.
19) Hummus-express
- Ingredients (4): 1 can of chickpeas, 2 tablespoons tahini or peanut butter, 1 garlic clove, lemon juice.
- Preparation: blend until smooth, add water/oil if needed.
Desserts that take 10–15 minutes to prepare
20) Brownies with 3 ingredients
- Ingredients (3): 2 bananas, 2 eggs, 40 g cocoa.
- Preparation: mash, pour into a mold, bake for 35–40 minutes at 170°C.
21) Banana pudding on the plate
- Ingredients (3): 2 bananas, 200 ml milk, 2 tablespoons starch.
- Preparation: boil to thicken, mixing, serve chilled.
22) Soufflé-“hmarqa” with 2 ingredients
- Ingredients (2): 400 ml any juice, 2 tablespoons semolina.
- Preparation: boil the milk for 5 minutes, cool, and beat until the desired texture.
23) Tishechka “Kartoplya”
- Ingredients (4): 300 g of biscuits, 4 tbsp. cocoa, 50 g of butter, 6–7 tbsp. condensed milk.
- Preparation: mix the dry mass, form, cool for 1 hour.
24) Charlotte 4×4
- Ingredients (4): 4 eggs, 4 tbsp. sugar, 4 tbsp. flour, 4 apples.
- Preparation: beat eggs with sugar, add flour, insert apples into the form, bake for 40–45 minutes at 180°C.
25) Mousse from dark chocolate
- Ingredients (3): 200 g of dark chocolate, 3 eggs, 2 tbsp. sugar.
- Preparation: melt chocolate, add yolks, separately beat whites with sugar, gently combine, cool.
Secrets of successful preparation with minimal ingredients
- Quality of ingredients. When the ingredients are few, each must be fresh and high-quality.
- Proper pairing of flavors. Classic pairs: tomato+basil, apple+cinnamon, lemon+thyme, beet+feta, avocado+egg.
- Preparation techniques. Control the temperature, prevent premature exposure to air, let the dish rest after cooking.
- Special ingredients. At least 3–4: paprika, chili, dried thyme/cilantro, Italian herbs. The less, the better, but high-quality.
Variations and substitutions of ingredients
- Meat substitute: mushrooms, soy, nuts, beans, eggs, tofu.
- Dairy substitute: oat/migdal/coconut milk, yogurt without additives.
- Substitutes for sugar: honey, stevia, ripe bananas, maple syrup.
- Substitute for flour: fine wheat flour, almond flour, starch.
Tips for Economical Preparation
- Menu planning. Use the same basic ingredients in different dishes throughout the week.
- Seasonality of products. Seasonal vegetables and fruits are fresher and cheaper.
- Preparations. Make larger portions of soups/sauces and store them in batches.
- Utilization of leftovers. Porridge → pudding; stale bread → croutons; boiled vegetables → cream soup.
Healthy Combinations for Health
- For immunity: tomato+olive oil (Vitamin A), tomato+olive oil (lipocen), green+lemon (zinc).
- For digestion: ginger+honey, kefir+green, wheat+apple.
- For energy: banana+nuts, egg+avocado, grape+vegetables.
Hints and Types of Seasoning
- Salt and acid. The sharpness of salt and the quantity of lemon zest significantly enhance the taste.
- Control the heat. On high heat, ingredients can easily burn.
- Do not rush. Let the sauce sit for a while to ‘marry’ the flavors.
- Proportions. Maintain basic ratios: grains:water 1:2; egg:sugar for baking 1:1 (by weight for chocolate).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Is it really tasty with 2–3 ingredients? Yes. The quality of the ingredients matters. Example: egg+cheese+greens.
- How to extend shelf life without preservatives? Add greens, herbs, nuts.
- How long does it take? Usually 10–30 minutes.
- Do these dishes suit children? Yes, simple dishes are usually fine without additional toppings.
- How to store? Most – 2–3 days in the refrigerator, some can be kept for up to 3 months.
- How to ‘preserve’ a plain dish? Garlic, acid (lemon/juice), aromatic herbs, and spices.
- How to salvage over-salted soup? Add potatoes or some water/broth and simmer.
Summary
Preparing with a minimum of ingredients – this is an efficient strategy for everyday menu: quick, budget-friendly, delicious and without complicated methods. The emphasis on quality products, proper techniques and the number of universal species ensures a consistently excellent result. Start with simple recipes, adapt to your own taste, use seasonal ingredients and do not shy away from experimenting – even use three ingredients that could transform into a dish you’ll want to recreate again and again.