30 Easy 5 Ingredient Dinners For Busy Weeknights
Busy weeknights call for meals that don’t require a mile-long grocery list. These 5-ingredient dinners prove you can make hearty, flavorful meals with just a handful of basics.
From cheesy enchiladas to mustard-roasted salmon, every dish is simple to pull together. Weeknight cooking just got a whole lot easier. Some of them are made with even fewer than five ingredients!
1. Chicken Penne Pasta
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It uses rotisserie chicken, a time-saving shortcut.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Penne Pasta
Note: For all these recipes, salt, pepper, and water are the only freebies that don’t count toward the five ingredients.
2. Pesto Salmon
- Number of Ingredients: 4
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s ready in just 20 minutes and will be your new go-to weeknight dinner. The Parmesan pesto crust is outstanding.
Get the Recipe: Pesto Salmon
3. Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: You can throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and come home to a tasty comfort food dish.
Get the Recipe: Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
4. Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 13 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s a quick dinner ready in under 15 minutes that even the kids will love.
It’s perfect for busy weeknights or when you want to save money and avoid takeout on the weekend.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
5. Mini Chicken Pot Pies
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: These are freezer-friendly, so you can make a big batch ahead of time and reheat them when you want a hassle-free, comforting dinner.
Get the Recipe: Mini Chicken Pot Pies
6. Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
- Number of Ingredients: 3
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: Since it’s made with only three ingredients, you can make rice and a veggie as a side, and your entire dinner will have only five ingredients. Talk about easy!
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
7. Potato Soup
- Number of Ingredients: 4
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s the best budget meal, made with only four inexpensive ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Potato Soup
8. Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
Why You’ll Love It: Italian sausage is one of the cheapest protein options, making this filling dinner a great budget-friendly option.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
9. Lazy Lasagna
- Number of Ingredients: 3
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: This lasagna recipe has only 5 minutes of prep time thanks to a genius ingredient hack.
Get the Recipe: Lazy Lasagna
10. Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: Cleanup couldn’t be easier since you use just one dish. Also, it makes yummy leftovers to pack for work the next day.
Get the Recipe: Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
11. Cheez-It Crusted Chicken Tenders (Air Fryer)
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s breaded in Cheese-Its and ranch seasoning, do we really need to say more?
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Cheez-It Crusted Chicken Tenders
12. Slow Cooker Caribbean Jerk Chicken
- Number of Ingredients: 4
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
You’ll love this dump-and-go crockpot jerk chicken recipe because you can throw everything in the slow cooker earlier in the day for a hassle-free dinner.
One recipe reviewer paired it with jalapeño cornbread and said the combo was outstanding. That sounds delicious!
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Caribbean Jerk Chicken
13. Creamy Italian Sausage Soup
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s a one-pot meal, so cleanup is a breeze. It’s creamy, tasty, and will get rave reviews from everyone!
Get the Recipe: Creamy Italian Sausage Soup
14. Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: This dish has plenty of substitutions and variations, so you’ll never get bored with this easy dinner.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers
15. Pesto Shrimp
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s a healthy, no-fuss meal packed with flavor. It also goes well with sides you may already have on hand, like rice or potatoes.
Get the Recipe: Pesto Shrimp
16. Air Fryer Tilapia
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
Reviewers love that the coating turns out super crispy while the fish stays moist and tender. Plus, it’s ready fast, making it perfect for busy nights.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Tilapia
17. Chili Recipe
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
A fan of this recipe said it makes for a quick and easy meal that doesn’t take forever to cook. Your family is going to love this chili, and you’ll love that it’s ready in just 15 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Chili Recipe
18. Meatloaf
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
Why You’ll Love It: It’s a healthier spin on traditional meatloaf. Plus, if you or someone in your household avoids gluten, this recipe is gluten-free.
While this meatloaf might take an hour to make, it requires just 10 minutes to prep, so you can sit back and relax while it’s cooking.
Get the Recipe: Meatloaf
19. Apricot and Ginger Glazed Chicken
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
One person left a glowing review that it was a huge hit at the dinner table, praising how fast it comes together in just 20 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Apricot and Ginger Glazed Chicken
20. Pizza Tater Tot Casserole
- Number of Ingredients: 4
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s an inexpensive family dinner that even picky eaters will love.
Get the Recipe: Pizza Tater Tot Casserole
21. Mac and Cheese
- Number of Ingredients: 4
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s incredibly creamy and is even better than the boxed store-bought mac and cheese.
Get the Recipe: Mac and Cheese
22. Air Fryer Roast Beef
- Number of Ingredients: 3
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: While some roast beef recipes turn out dry, this one is perfectly juicy. Plus, the herb crust is delicious.
It takes just five minutes of prep time, and your air fryer handles the rest.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Roast Beef
23. Copycat KFC Bowl
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It tastes just like the real thing, but it’s cheaper to make, and you won’t have to wait in a drive-thru line.
Get the Recipe: Copycat KFC Bowl
24. Prosciutto and Pesto Sandwich
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: A sandwich is something different to add to the weekly dinner rotation. Sandwiches don’t have to be just for lunch.
Get the Recipe: Prosciutto and Pesto Sandwich
25. Sloppy Joes
- Number of Ingredients: 3
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It’s even better than store-bought sloppy joe mix. Plus, both kids and adults will love this meal.
Get the Recipe: Sloppy Joes
26. Fried Tacos
- Number of Ingredients: 4
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Someone left a review that said their family goes crazy for these tacos, calling them simple and incredibly delicious. Sounds like a must-try recipe!
Get the Recipe: Fried Tacos
27. Baked Gnocchi
- Number of Ingredients: 3
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Home cooks rave that it’s a go-to weeknight recipe because it’s quick, easy, and always a hit. Make this dinner this week and watch as everyone devours it!
Get the Recipe: Baked Gnocchi
28. Crock-Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
Just dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and come home to a delicious dinner; it doesn’t get much easier than that!
One person who made this recipe gave it five stars and said it’s one of their all-time favorite recipes. (Plus, there were many other glowing reviews.)
Get the Recipe: Crock-Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
29. Mustard Roasted Salmon
- Number of Ingredients: 4
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It uses simple and wholesome ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Mustard Roasted Salmon
30. Lazy Enchiladas
- Number of Ingredients: 5
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Why You’ll Love It: It uses frozen taquitos, a clever time-saving hack made popular on TikTok. Just look at all that cheese, yum!
Get the Recipe: Lazy Enchiladas
