8 Easy Dinner Recipes That Only Require 5 Ingredients

The last thing you want to think about after a long day at work is ideas for what you’ll be cooking for dinner. Sure, takeaway is an option, but in this current economy? Well, it’s definitely not the most financially savvy option. Plus, cooking dinner is even more challenging when you’re trying to cut down on food waste and want to avoid buying specialty ingredients you’ll only use once. 

So, to help you solve your dinner idea woes, we’ve rounded up the best recipes on TikTok that only require five ingredients to pull together.

Follow them to the tee or modify them depending on your preferences and what you have lying around.

TikTok viral 5-ingredient dinner recipe ideas

Dinner recipe ideas: 5-ingredient roasted red pepper pasta

What you’ll need:

• 4-6 red capsicums
• Pasta, any shape of your choice (one with ridges works best so the sauce has something to cling to)
• Heavy cream
• Fresh basil
• Stock (vegetarian or chicken works well)

Directions:

1. Chop the capsicums into large pieces, place on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. 
2. Place in the oven and roast until the skin is blistered and charred, and then peel the skin off the capsicums. 
3. While the capsicum is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook your pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. 
4. Add the flesh of the capsicums to a blender along with cream, salt, red pepper flakes and basil. Blend until smooth. 
5. Pour the sauce into the same pot you used to boil the pasta. Add in your pasta and toss until coated. 
6. Serve in a bowl, top with more basil leaves along with grated parmesan cheese, if you have some on hand.

Dinner recipe ideas: 5-ingredient scallion oil noodles

What you’ll need:

• Noodles of your choice
• Two large bunches of scallions (aka green onions)
• Soy sauce
• Dark soy sauce
• White sugar
• Optional: vegetarian oyster sauce

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside. 
2. Cut the scallions into 5cm pieces, separating the whites and greens. 
3. Pour a large amount of vegetable or peanut oil in the same large pot used to cook the noodles and place on a stove over medium-low heat. Add the white parts of the green onion and fry for 10 minutes. Add in the rest of the green onion and fry for another five to 10 minutes. 
4. Remove the green onion. 
5. In a small glass jar or measuring cup, add equal parts of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and optional vegetarian oyster sauce, and mix together. 
6. Add the soy sauce mixture to the scallion-infused pot of oil. Let this simmer for another two to three minutes. 
7. Pour sauce over a bowl of freshly cooked noodles and top with a sunny-side-up fried egg. 

Dinner recipe ideas: 5-ingredient tortellini bake

What you’ll need:

• White onion, diced
• Ground meat of choice (turkey, chicken or beef works)
• Store-bought tomato-based pasta sauce
• Store-bought tortellini, any flavour of your choice
• Grated cheese mixture (mozzarella and parmesan work best)

Directions:

1. Saute onions over medium heat for four minutes. 
2. Add ground protein and tomato sauce, and cook for a further six minutes. 
3. Put uncooked tortellini into a baking dish and cover with tomato sauce mixture. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 35-40 minutes. 
4. Optional: top with basil and more cheese.

Dinner recipe ideas: Jamie Oliver’s 5-ingredient crazy simple fish pie

What you’ll need:

• 400g smoked haddock, skin off
• 2 bunches of spring onions
• 250g baby spinach
• 150g cheddar cheese
• 4 sheets of filo pastry

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius. 
2. Place the fish in a heat-proof bowl and cover it with boiling water. Put aside to soak. 
3. Meanwhile, roughly chop the spring onions. Place them in a non-stick ovenproof frying pan on high heat with one tablespoon of olive oil. Stir fry for two minutes. Add the spinach on top and let it wilt down before turning the heat off. 
4. Now back to the fish… Reserve 100ml of the soaking water and drain the rest down the kitchen sink. Break up the fish into pieces and place them evenly around the pan of spinach and onion. Spoon over the reserved soaking water. 
5. Finely grate over three-quarters of the cheese and heavily season with black pepper. 
6. Working quickly, layer the filo on top and tuck it around the fish and up the sides of the pan. 
7. Grate over the remaining cheese, drizzle with half a tablespoon of olive oil and bake on the lower shelf of the oven for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the filo is golden and crispy. 

Dinner recipe idea: 15-minute skin and gut glow soup

What you’ll need:

• 2-3 heirloom tomatoes (about 2 cups)
• 1 roasted capsicum
• ½ a brown onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• ½ cup of fresh basil

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celcius. 
2. Roughly chop tomatoes, pepper and onion. Lay them on a lined baking tray along with garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Optional to add other dried herbs and spices like oregano, paprika, parsley or turmeric. 
3. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes. 
4. Add the roasted veggies and basil to a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste. 
5. Pour into a bowl and top with fresh basil leaves. Serve by itself – warm or chilled  – or accompanied by a slice of bread. 

Dinner recipe idea: 5-ingredient honey miso salmon

What you’ll need: 

• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon miso paste
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• Salmon fillet

Directions: 

1. Add all sauce ingredients to a small dish and mix with a spoon until combined. 
2. Grab your salmon and cover it with the sauce mixture. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes.
3. Place the marinated salmon in an air fryer lined with baking paper and cook for 10 minutes at 190 degrees. 
4. Serve as is, tossed through a salad or paired with freshly steamed rice (or quinoa) and your favourite vegetables. 

Dinner recipe idea: 5-ingredient high-protein chicken quesadilla

What you’ll need:

• 1 tortilla wrap
• 3 chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon SPG (salt, pepper, garlic) rub
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 120 grams of shredded cheese (Colby works well)

Directions:

1. Season chicken thighs with SPG rub and cayenne pepper. 
2. Heat a well-oiled pan over high heat and panfry chicken until cooked through. Slice cooked chicken and set aside. 
3. Using the same frypan (over low heat this time), place down the tortilla and sprinkle all over with half the cheese. Top with chicken and the remaining cheese. 
4. Once the cheese starts to melt, begin lifting a corner of the tortilla and checking the underside. When the cheese has completely melted and you see golden-brown spots on the underside of the tortilla, the quesadilla is ready.
5. Fold the quesadilla in half, sandwiching the filling. 
6. Remove from the pan, slice and serve. 

Dinner recipe idea: 5-ingredient golden fried rice

What you’ll need:

• 3 cups (500g) cooked rice (cold, day-old rice works best)
• 3 egg yolks (save the whites for another recipe)
• 1-2 Chinese sausages, diced
• 1 tablespoon lard or butter 
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the rice and yolks until fully combined. 
2. Heat about 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat. Add sausage and cook for one to two minutes or until lightly golden. Add rice and continue sauteeing for an additional three minutes to fry the rice, stirring occasionally. Let the rice rest for a bit between each stir so it can crisp up on the bottom. Add lard/butter and green onion. Toss and stir to combine. 
3. Remove from heat and serve. 

No dinner is complete without something sweet, so you can also find a variety of dessert recipes here that only require two ingredients to make. Yes, really.

Lead Image Credit: TikTok