18 Practical Five-Ingredient Dinner Ideas

For when you're not sure what to make.

Hannah Wong / BuzzFeed

We recently asked the Tasty and BuzzFeed communities to share their go-to dinner ideas that only need five ingredients or less. (Not counting salt, pepper, or olive oil!) Below you'll find their picks — along with several of our own favorites.

1. Lemon-Garlic Pasta With Asparagus

budgetbytes.com

Ingredients: Pasta, butter, lemon, garlic, asparagus.

You can never go wrong with pasta — and it doesn't get much easier than this. Here's the recipe.

2. Throw-and-Go Slow-Cooker Chicken

diethood.com

Ingredients: Chicken breasts, canned tomatoes, onion, salsa verde, spices.

This is one of those meals that basically makes itself — and it can be served over rice, stuffed into a taco, or on its own. Here's the recipe.

3. Upgraded Instant Ramen

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

Ingredients: Ramen, bacon, egg, green onions.

Instant ramen is super versatile if you're looking for a quick dinner base. Spruce it up by adding crispy bacon, a runny egg, and green onions to garnish. Here's the recipe.

4. Vegetarian Sweet Potato Tacos

budgetbytes.com

Ingredients: Tortillas, sweet potatoes, black beans, spices, onion.

The simple filling is high in protein and fiber — and you can also load up with your favorite extras on top of it, like avocado or sour cream. Here's the recipe.

5. Easy Sesame-Soy Chicken

fussfreecooking.com

Ingredients: Chicken thighs, soy sauce, tomato paste, sesame seeds, sesame oil.

The easy marinade packs a ton of flavor with only a few ingredients, and the chicken fits perfectly into a meal-prep routine. Here's the recipe.

6. Naan Pizza

climbinggriermountain.com

Ingredients: Naan, tomato sauce, cheese, any toppings of choice.

You can go as simple as tomato sauce + cheese, or upgrade with combos like sausage + peppers, or rotisserie chicken + BBQ sauce. Here's the recipe.

7. Slow-Roasted Salmon in Olive Oil

Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed

Ingredients: Salmon, lemon, herbs.

Cooking fish can sometimes be tricky, but this smart olive oil method is completely foolproof. Here's the recipe.

8. Bowties With Broccoli

budgetbytes.com

Ingredients: Pasta, broccoli, butter, red pepper flakes, Parmesan.

Other veggies would work in place of the broccoli here too — like sautéed spinach or summer squash. Here's the recipe.

9. Eggs Over Sweet Potatoes

edibleperspective.com

Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, eggs, cheese.

For even faster prep, use a julienne peeler to get the sweet potato base all set. Here's the recipe.

10. Vegan One-Pot Chili

minimalistbaker.com

Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, black beans, vegetable stock, onion, salsa.

To amp up the flavor even more, toss in whatever spices you might have on hand. Chili powder, chipotle powder, or cumin would all be great. Here's the recipe.

11. Sheet Pan Veggies

gimmedelicious.com

Ingredients: Chicken breasts, bell pepper, onion, broccoli, tomatoes.

Feel free to mix and match ingredients depending on your taste or what's in your fridge. Don't eat meat? Ditch the chicken. Not a broccoli fan? Toss in zucchini or cauliflower. Here's the recipe.

12. Baked Steak and Potato Foil Packets

lecremedelacrumb.com

Ingredients: Steak, potatoes, garlic, spices, herbs.

Ready in 30 minutes, and cleanup is a breeze. Here's the recipe.

13. Vegetarian Chickpea Bowl

refinery29.com

Ingredients: Chickpeas, tomato sauce, spinach, red pepper flakes.

You could also try this over rice or stuffed into a pita. Here's the recipe.

14. Sheet Pan Chicken

pinchofyum.com

Ingredients: Chicken, broccoli, red pepper, ginger dressing.

This version calls for a from-scratch ginger sauce, but you can save time with a premade version as well. Here's the recipe.

15. Veggie Italian Hoagie

bonappetit.com

Ingredients: Bread, lettuce, tomato, mayo, giardiniera.

Giardiniera — or pickled veggies in vinegar or oil — can be found in the condiment aisle of any grocery store. Stock up! Here's the recipe.

16. Upgraded Mac 'n' Cheese

tasty.co

Ingredients: Macaroni noodles, cheese, broccoli, breadcrumbs.

Because there's never a wrong time for mac 'n' cheese, TBH. Here's the recipe.

17. Baked Fish With Tomato Basil Sauce

theseasonedmom.com

Ingredients: Fish, diced tomatoes, lemon, basil.

This version calls for cod or halibut, but it would work with just any about flaky white fish. Here's the recipe.

18. One-Pot Chicken With Asparagus and Lemon

pinchofyum.com

Ingredients: Chicken breasts, flour, butter, asparagus, lemon. (Optional garnish: honey.)

This goes from prep to plate in about 20 minutes flat. Here's the recipe.

What's your favorite dinner that doesn't require a ton of ingredients? Share in the comments below!

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