These 5-Ingredient Recipes Make Quick, Flavor-Packed Dinners for Busy Nights (2024)

20 Dinner Recipes You Can Make in 15 Minutes (or Less)

Classic Margherita Pizza

Pizza is an elemental dish; a few ingredients come together to create a masterpiece. For this easy take, we start with store-bought pizza dough and marinara sauce. Sprinkled with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, the pizza bakes to crispy, cheesy perfection in just 20 minutes.

Sauteed Chicken in Mustard-Cream Sauce

While the combination of ingredients in this dish may have originated in France, they're perfect for your own kitchen. Take the mustard-cream sauce to the next level by adding fresh tarragon and the brown bits that accumulate on the bottom of the pan after sautéing the chicken.

Martha's Fettuccine Alfredo

We're coming in under budget with this recipe—it’s a three-ingredient wonder and as simple and classic as can be. Butter, Parmesan cheese, and pasta are an irresistible combination. Martha’s version is easy and much like the original, but you will need to get out your mixer to combine the cheese and butter—trust us, it’s well worth it.

Quick Broccoli Frittata

Breakfast for dinner, anyone? This frittata recipe was created with convenience in mind, but it doesn't slouch on flavor. Sharp white cheddar melts perfectly into the eggs, while the broccoli adds freshness and added nutritional value.

Bell Pepper Egg-in-a-Hole

A colorful, delicious vegetarian entree made with just a handful of ingredients. The sweet bell peppers are a nice foil for the richness of the sunny yellow yolks; to give the meal more heft, we serve them on multigrain toast.

Basic Chicken Soup

Humble chicken soup often calls for a variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices, but it doesn't need all of them to be tasty. This simplified version is one of our favorites—a chicken cut into pieces boils in a pot of water with vegetables and aromatics, forming a satisfying broth.

Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

Add filling ingredients to a baked sweet potato to transform it into a hearty as well as nutritious meal. Here, cannellini beans provide protein, while broccoli rabe adds a dynamic flavor that's slightly bitter and somewhat nutty.

Simple Risotto

While there are plenty of risotto variations, Arborio rice, stock or broth, a touch of wine, and plenty of Parmesan are key to making this creamy Italian dish. Once you try our simple take on the dish, you can always add more ingredients like mushrooms or peas.

Roasted Salmon With Butter

Use this elemental technique to cook not only salmon but any thick fish fillet or steak (we love it with swordfish or halibut). It’s a two-ingredient entree (butter and salmon) with parsley as an optional third ingredient. Serve with steamed broccolini and rice or sauteed green beans to bring you to five ingredients.

Cheater's Mac and Cheese

The secret to this five-ingredient, 20-minute macaroni and cheese is cream cheese. It makes a creamy sauce in next to no time. Adding Parmesan amps up the cheesy flavor.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Once a chill hits the air, we're craving this comforting soup. An added plus? It's completely vegan because its creaminess comes from the sugar pumpkin (or butternut squash if you go that route).

One-Pot Pasta With Broccoli and Lemon

Streamlined prep and easy clean-up are defining features of one-pot meals. Here, a family-friendly meal of tender broccoli florets and penne pasta is brightened with lemon, garlic, and plenty of Parmesan.

Prosciutto Mozzarella Pizza

Slightly sweet and perfectly salty, prosciutto elevates a basic mozzarella pizza. Opt for store-bought pizza dough to keep this dish under five ingredients.

Roast Spatchco*cked Lemon Chicken

Three ingredients (plus oil, salt, and pepper) are all it takes to make a beautiful roast chicken. Spatchco*cking the bird—a technique that requires splitting and flattening the chicken—exposes the skin so it gets extra crispy. Serve with a side of roasted vegetables.