10 Weeknight Dinners with Just 5 Ingredients

Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore when time is of the essence and you’re worn out. With just five ingredients (excluding salt, pepper, and basic pantry staples like oil), you can quickly and stress-free prepare these ten weeknight dinners. Every recipe is made to optimize flavor while reducing cleanup and effort, making it ideal for situations where you want a simple yet satisfying meal. Ten unique ideas that are all based on a quick shopping list and clever method to make your evening run more smoothly are listed below.

1. Lemon‑Garlic Butter Salmon & Green Beans

A simple yet flavorful dinner consists of a single salmon fillet, fresh green beans, butter, lemon juice, and garlic cloves. Toss green beans with melted butter and garlic, then roast or sauté until the beans become tender. You can also pan-sear the salmon (skin on if you can for crispiness). Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over everything to finish. Bright lemon and salmon’s inherent richness go well together, and green beans provide some crunch. Big payoff, little pan work, and no fuss with the sauce.

2. Chicken, Tomato & Spinach Sauté

Use canned diced tomatoes (without added flavorings), fresh baby spinach, boneless chicken pieces (breast or thigh), olive oil, and an onion. Add the chicken until it is browned, stir in the undrained tomatoes, and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Then, fold in the spinach until it wilts. Dice the onion and sauté it lightly in oil. Just season. In a single skillet, the tomato juices provide color, comfort, and nutrition by forming a light sauce that covers the chicken and greens.

3. Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes

Your preferred shape of dry pasta, store-bought or homemade pesto in a jar, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and Parmesan (or vegan substitute). Toss with pesto, halved cherry tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil after cooking the pasta al dente and draining (reserving some pasta water). Add a little pasta water to loosen if necessary. Add a final sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. This effortless combination provides a burst of fresh tomatoes, rich herbiness, and filling carbohydrates with little work.

4. Beef & Broccoli Stir‑Fry

Thinly sliced flank or sirloin steak, broccoli florets, sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic. Add the broccoli, a little water to steam, and a splash of soy sauce after the garlic has been stir-fried in sesame oil and the beef slices have quickly browned. Broccoli should be tender and bright green after a short period of cover. Without additional sauce or thickener, the soy sauce and beef juices create a flavorful glaze over the vegetables.

5. Chickpea, Cucumber & Feta Bowl

Fresh lemon juice, olive oil, cucumber, crumbled feta (or plant-based substitute), and rinsed canned chickpeas. Put the diced cucumber and drained chickpeas in a bowl. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over the crumbled feta, then toss. If desired, you can add fresh herbs, salt, and pepper for seasoning. This is a protein-rich, cooling bowl that is perfect for hot nights or when you want something quick, fresh, and raw.

6. Sausage & Bell Pepper Sheet Pan

Bell peppers (mixed colors), red onion, olive oil, mild or spicy sausage links or slices, and Italian seasoning (blend). Cut everything into roughly equal pieces. Combine the sausage, peppers, and onion slices with the seasoning and olive oil. Arrange on a sheet pan in a single layer and cook over high heat until the sausage is browned and the vegetables are soft. Because everything cooks together, cleanup is minimal and the flavors blend harmoniously.

7. Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

Fresh or frozen shrimp (peeled and deveined), small tortillas, shredded cabbage, mayonnaise (or yogurt), and lime juice. After rinsing, briefly sauté the shrimp until they turn pink. Meanwhile, make a basic slaw by combining shredded cabbage, lime juice, and mayonnaise. Fill warm tortillas with shrimp, cover with cabbage slaw, and enjoy. You hardly get more than one pan dirty, and the slaw balances the sweetness of the shrimp with crunch and tang.

8. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Hash

Cubed sweet potatoes, rinsed canned black beans, onion, olive oil, and mild chili powder or smoked paprika. Add sweet potato cubes and cook until tender, stir in black beans, and sprinkle with paprika after sautéing the chopped onion in oil until it becomes soft. Cook until the flavors blend and everything is hot. With just a few ingredients, this filling, colorful, and hearty hash is a vegetarian favorite.

9. Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Butter lettuce leaves, canned or drained water chestnuts, sliced green onions, ground turkey (or any lean ground meat), and hoisin sauce (or a comparable bottled glaze). After browning the turkey, add the chopped water chestnuts and hoisin sauce, and cook until the glaze thickens. Spoon into lettuce leaves and add sliced green onion as a garnish. If you want to avoid a lot of carbohydrates, these wraps are perfect because they are light, savory, and crisp.

10. Caprese Chicken Bake

Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, chicken thighs or breasts, and balsamic glaze (or reduction). Put the chicken in a baking dish, cover it with tomato and mozzarella slices, and bake it until it is cooked through. Sprinkle with basil leaves and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Without requiring complicated procedures, the dish is elevated by the melting cheese and balsamic sweetness.