Meals You Can Make With Very Few Ingredients

You don't need a lot of ingredients to make a real dinner. Some of the best weeknight meals use 3–5 ingredients and take under 20 minutes.

Why fewer ingredients usually wins

Less prep. Less to buy. Less cleanup. And when you use high-quality versions of a few things instead of mediocre versions of many, the food usually tastes better.

3-ingredient meals exist and they're good
Pasta, butter, garlic = dinner
Eggs + toast = dinner
Rice + soy sauce + egg = dinner

Suggested meals

Pasta with Butter and Parmesan — 3 ingredients, restaurant quality.
Fried Egg and Rice — 2 main ingredients, 10 minutes.
Bean Toast — Canned beans on toast — a proper meal.
Tomato Soup — Canned tomatoes, garlic, broth — done.