Dishes with 7 or fewer ingredients

You don't need many ingredients to make a stunning dish. You'll be surprised at how much you can create with just a few ingredients. Most of the recipes listed here call for salt, pepper, and some kind of oil, but beyond that, they only require 7 ingredients (or less). And they're all delicious!

How to Cook - Dishes with 7 or Less Ingredients

Salmon with sugar and chili powder

Brown sugar and chili powder give the salmon the perfect sweet-smoky flavor. Serve with a simple green salad for an easy and filling meal.

Recipe: Spicy salmon with caramel crust

Baked pork

This simple recipe is perfect for the workweek—just shake and bake. For a complete meal, serve with your favorite frozen vegetables.

Recipe: Crispy pork loin in the oven

Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp

This version of a classic Italian-American dish is incredibly easy to make. Simply reduce the cream slightly and add a generous amount of cheese, and you'll have no need for flour to thicken the sauce.

Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp

Cheese-stuffed turkey burgers

A few simple ingredients completely transform turkey burgers. Ellie stuffs her patties with shredded mozzarella and roasted red peppers—rich flavor in every bite. Pull a bag of fries from the freezer, and dinner is ready!

Recipe: Stuffed Turkey Cutlets (for Burgers)

Farfalle pasta with turkey, peas and mushrooms

This simple dish has it all: savory sausage and mushrooms, hearty pasta, and colorful green peas. Top with freshly grated cheese. This is a dish you'll make again and again.

Recipe: Farfalle pasta with turkey, green peas and mushrooms

Oven-baked chicken fajita

This protein-packed fajita uses a foil-lined baking sheet and a top-heat oven for a healthy weeknight meal that doesn't require much cleanup.

Recipe: Chicken Fajitas on a Baking Sheet

Caprese Salad with Tortellini

This salad is great for vegetarians, but you can add cooked chicken if you like. And you still use fewer than seven ingredients!

Recipe: Caprese salad with tortellini

Two-Ingredient Bagels

These simplified bagels require just two ingredients and are ready in less than an hour. Thanks to self-rising flour, there's no waiting for the dough to rise or for the yeast to activate.

Recipe: Two-Ingredient Bagels

Chicken Tortellini in Alfredo Sauce

Store-bought tortellini are the basis for a quick, tender weeknight dinner. Tortellini are simmered in their own juices, making the dish a one-pot affair, making cleanup a breeze.

Recipe: Pasta Alfredo with Chicken and Tortellini in a Skillet

Shrimp scampi

Quick shrimp scampi can be served with pasta or eaten on its own, topped with freshly squeezed lemon juice. This is a main dish for two, but if you're cooking for a family, simply double the ingredients.

Recipe: Shrimp with lemon-vermouth sauce

Sheet Pan Dinner: Sausages with Vegetables

A hearty dish of roasted root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, and juicy Italian sausage—all in one bowl? We'll be adding this recipe to our weekday menu!

Recipe: Sausage and Vegetable Dinner on a Baking Sheet

Orecchiette with clams, peppers and sausage

When you need a tasty dish with just a few ingredients, Italian sausage is a great choice. Here, we peel it and break it into small pieces during cooking to evenly distribute the flavor throughout the pasta.

Recipe: Orecchiette pasta with clams, sausage, and roasted peppers

Oven-roasted chicken

Ina's classic fried chicken is proof that the simplest recipes are often the best. The dish is delicious and requires very few ingredients. Besides salt, pepper, and oil for frying, all you need is buttermilk, flour, and chicken.

Recipe: Fried chicken marinated in sour milk

Mac and cheese in a slow cooker

We love multifunctional kitchen appliances that make life easier, so the Instant Pot is our go-to for quick meals. Especially for creamy mac and cheese, which cooks in minutes. And afterward, there's only one bowl to clean!

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Mac and Cheese in a Slow Cooker

Quick Salmon Teriyaki

Ree's quick recipe allows you to create a complete meal with just a few ingredients using just a few tricks (store-bought teriyaki sauce and microwaved jasmine rice).

Recipe: Quick Salmon in Teriyaki Sauce

Sheet Pan Dinner: Ranch Pork

Ree whips up a complex dish (flavorful pork, hearty potatoes, and healthy green beans) on one baking sheet in just 35 minutes. Even better, it only requires seven ingredients, plus a little olive oil and freshly ground pepper.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Dinner: Pork Cutlets with Potatoes and Ranch Green Beans

Spicy shellfish

Fresh clams simmered in a tomato-wine broth with spicy serrano peppers makes for a simple dish with incredible flavor. Serve with thick-crusted bread to soak up any remaining juices.

Recipe: Spicy Clams in One Pot

Simple Banana Pancakes

You probably already have all the ingredients! You won't need store-bought pancake mix.

Recipe: Easy Two-Ingredient Banana Pancakes

Quick Baked Chicken

Paprika comes in several varieties (sweet, smoked, and hot), so follow Trisha's advice in this recipe. The smoky flavor is perfect for baked chicken. Serve with a baked potato or a simple green salad, and dinner is ready.

Recipe: Quick chicken in the oven

Fettuccine pasta in sweet pepper sauce

For this simple, delicious dish, Ellie uses two very flavorful ingredients: jarred roasted red peppers and salty feta cheese.

Recipe: Creamy fettuccine pasta

Pork cutlets in spicy orange glaze

Ellie glazes the pork with a mixture of maple syrup, orange juice, and chipotle peppers for the perfect flavor balance. Serve the roast with a side of vegetables or rice—it's an easy meal the whole family will enjoy.

Recipe: Bone-in pork chop with spicy orange glaze

Spaghetti with tuna and mint

This recipe requires just five ingredients (plus salt and pepper), including pantry staples like pasta, canned tuna, and crushed red pepper flakes. If you don't have fresh mint, skip this step, or try using fresh basil or even arugula.

Recipe: Spaghetti with tuna and mint

Baked chicken with potatoes and mushrooms

This recipe has received hundreds of rave reviews, and it's no wonder. This hearty chicken and potato dish is packed with the vibrant flavor of simple ingredients (like red pepper flakes, garlic, and rosemary), and it's ready in just 40 minutes.

Recipe: Fried chicken with potatoes and mushrooms

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Casserole

This hearty, tender casserole is made without excess oil. The secret is that instead of the traditional butter roux, we use a small amount of flour to thicken the sauce.

Recipe: Casserole with rice, chicken and broccoli

Frittata with sausage and sweet peppers

This simple recipe is perfect when you're craving the classic Italian combination of sausage and peppers. Cook the peppers and onions before adding the eggs, and every bite of the frittata will be tender and slightly sweet.

Recipe: Frittata with sausage and sweet peppers