Our 10 Most Saved 5-Ingredient Dinners

With the right five ingredients, a simple dinner can be delicious.

Published on April 17, 2024

A single mayo chicken breast served with a green salad with tomatoes — Photo:
Meredith Food Studios

It's time to make dinner. You think of an appealing dish, hunt down the recipe, and realize it has 15 ingredients. You think, "Not tonight. I just don't have the energy."

We get it. Some nights are perfect for chopping vegetables, making sauces, and measuring spices. Other nights call for throwing a few ingredients together and changing into sweats (or maybe changing into sweats first).

For those nights, these are our 10 most saved recipes that call for only five main ingredients and require only the little energy you have left after a long work day.

01 of 10

Easy and Quick Halushki

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close up view of Halushki garnished with fresh herbs on a white plate — Molly

This traditional Eastern European dish of bacon, onion, cabbage, and noodles is easy to prepare, budget friendly, and yummy.

02 of 10

Mushroom Pork Chops

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The name says it all. Pork chops, mushrooms, onions, and cream of mushroom soup create chops with a creamy sauce that's a keeper.

03 of 10

Ground Beef and Cabbage

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Simple and so very tasty, leftovers of this dish that our readers like to customize with various types of canned tomatoes are great to heat up for lunch.

04 of 10

Chef John's Chicken and Mushrooms

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chicken and mushrooms on a white plate — Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

This dinner is super easy, has very little prep, and works with either skin-on or skinless chicken. It's great over pasta or rice!

05 of 10

Chicken Cordon Bleu

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a top down view of 4 golden-brown chicken cordon blues in a baking dish, each topped with melted Swiss cheese — DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS

Its name might sound fancy, but it's not difficult to make. Ham and cheese are rolled up in a chicken breast that gets topped with even more cheese—this tasty dish is easy even for beginner cooks.

06 of 10

Air-Fried Crumbed Fish

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Add whatever seasonings you want to the dry bread crumbs (Old Bay, Italian, or maybe some shredded Parm) to customize this simple fish cooked in the air fryer.

07 of 10

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

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A healthy dose of Pecorino Romano and garlic makes this simple dish delicious. It can be served as a main dish or a side dish for chicken or fish.

08 of 10

Mayo Chicken

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This tasty dish is always a hit. Mayo mixed with a few seasonings and Parm goes on top of the chicken and into the oven for a dish that will become a go-to on busy nights.

09 of 10

Tater Tot Casserole

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This is meat and potatoes (and cheese) at its easiest! This casserole is delicious and filling, and you can always add a can of green beans if you want some veggies involved.

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