In This ArticleView AllIn This Article5-Ingredient Dinners15-Minute DinnersA Month of Meal Plans

In This ArticleView All

View All

In This Article

5-Ingredient Dinners

15-Minute Dinners

A Month of Meal Plans

Perhaps one of the most relatable feelings in the world is this: staring blankly into an open refrigerator at 5:15 p.m., wondering “What’s for dinner?” Even though I love meal planning, my good intentions while sipping my coffee on Saturday morning aren’t always actionable when it’s time to make dinner. Maybe I was too ambitious when I chose a recipe. Maybe I forgot an ingredient—or my husband used that ingredient for lunch. Whatever the reason, I can’t think of a week where I’ve followed my meal plan to a T.

And then there are some weeks when meal planning just doesn’t happen at all—nor does a trip to the grocery store. There are certainpantry ingredientsthat I always have around for those weeks—think boxed mac and cheese withfrozen broccolifor color and added nutrition. But there are only so many meals I can whip up without exhausting my options.

So as we check off the last items on our summer bucket list and transition to more structured routines—for me that means our daughter is back to school and we have her busy sports schedule to juggle—I’m going to make my life a little easier when it’s time to make dinner. And that’s where this new collection of quick, easy andverydelicious recipes comes in.

Half of these recipes were created with only5 ingredients(we don’t count staples most people have in their kitchen, like oil, water, salt and pepper, in the total), with many being pantry staples likecanned tunaandbeans, so perhaps you can make them without making a trip to the store. The others are ready in15 minutesor less. And some are even a combination of both—5 ingredientsandready in 15 minutes, like thisMiso-Glazed Salmon.

Get the Recipe:Miso-Glazed Salmon

My family loves salmon, so I could put it on our dinner menu every week and no one would complain. The fish is glazed with a combination of miso paste, lime juice, soy sauce and honey, which add tons of flavor with just a few ingredients. Picking up a rotisserie chicken on myweekly trip to Costcomeans I can getChicken & Cabbage Salad with Nước Chấm Dressingon the table in 15 minutes. And as the weather cools down, I’ll make a double batch ofRoasted Cauliflower & Curry Soupso we can have leftovers for lunch, or I’ll freeze half for another meal later in the fall.

We’ve also taken these recipes and created a month’s worth of meal plans, complete with shopping lists that you can download to your phone, because even though I love making meal plans, I know not everyone does. Now when the clock strikes 5:15 p.m., we hope you feel a little bit more calm and relaxed. What will you make first? We can’t wait to find out.

You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a recipe taste brilliant. By relying on flavorful condiments (some of which you may already have on hand!) like balsamic vinegar, canned chipotles and Cajun seasoning, these5-ingredientmain dishes burst with flavor. Plus, fewer ingredients means you spend less time slicing and dicing, and more time enjoying your evening. (We don’t count water, salt, pepper or canola or extra-virgin olive oil in the total number of ingredients.)

5-Ingredient Black Bean Patties5-Ingredient Miso-Glazed Salmon5-Ingredient Peanutty Soba Noodles5-Ingredient Honey-Ginger ChickenBalsamic Steak & Mushroom SkewersSpicy Shrimp with Cauliflower RiceRoasted Cauliflower & Curry SoupSpicy-Sweet Grilled Chicken & Pineapple with AvocadoCreamy Green Pea Pesto Pasta1of3

5-Ingredient Black Bean Patties5-Ingredient Miso-Glazed Salmon5-Ingredient Peanutty Soba Noodles5-Ingredient Honey-Ginger ChickenBalsamic Steak & Mushroom SkewersSpicy Shrimp with Cauliflower RiceRoasted Cauliflower & Curry SoupSpicy-Sweet Grilled Chicken & Pineapple with AvocadoCreamy Green Pea Pesto Pasta

Angled view of 5-Ingredient Black Bean Patties recipe

5-Ingredient Black Bean Patties

The 5-Ingredient miso-glazed salmon recipe served with broccolini on a white plate, with two lemon wedges as garnish and a red fork leaning on the left side of the plate

5-Ingredient Miso-Glazed Salmon

The Peanutty soba noodles recipe in a white bowl, with two forks in the background

5-Ingredient Peanutty Soba Noodles

5-ingredient honey-ginger chicken recipe in a wok pan

5-Ingredient Honey-Ginger Chicken

balsamic-marinated sirloin mushroom skewers

Balsamic Steak & Mushroom Skewers

A serving of the spicy shrimp with cauliflower rice recipe on a white and brown plate, with a fork in the right corner

Spicy Shrimp with Cauliflower Rice

overhead view of Roasted Cauliflower soup in bowls

Roasted Cauliflower & Curry Soup

A serving plate with spicy-sweet grilled chicken & pineapple with avocado

Spicy-Sweet Grilled Chicken & Pineapple with Avocado

Overhead view of a bowl of Creamy Green Pea Pesto Pasta recipe

Creamy Green Pea Pesto Pasta

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Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Sheet-Pan Carrots & Chickpeas with Tahini

For those nights when you feel like there’s no time to cook but you really don’t feel like takeout either, these dinners are on the table start-to-finish in15 minutesflat. Created around quick-cooking proteins like eggs and shrimp plus cooked chicken, canned tuna and beans, these meals are ready in no time.

Sheet-Pan Carrots & Chickpeas with TahiniGarlic-Ginger Mushroom Lettuce WrapsPork Chops with White Wine & CapersFiber-Packed Spicy White Bean & Spinach SaladSesame-Crusted Tofu with Radish-Apple SlawThe Best Shrimp & GritsAnti-Inflammatory Chicken & Beet SaladBraised Lentils & Kale with Fried EggsArugula & Cucumber Salad with TunaSteak Enchilada SkilletChicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing1of4

Sheet-Pan Carrots & Chickpeas with TahiniGarlic-Ginger Mushroom Lettuce WrapsPork Chops with White Wine & CapersFiber-Packed Spicy White Bean & Spinach SaladSesame-Crusted Tofu with Radish-Apple SlawThe Best Shrimp & GritsAnti-Inflammatory Chicken & Beet SaladBraised Lentils & Kale with Fried EggsArugula & Cucumber Salad with TunaSteak Enchilada SkilletChicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing

A serving plate with roasted sliced carrots, topped with a tahini sauce and crispy chickpeas

Sheet-Pan Carrots & Chickpeas with Tahini

Garlic-ginger mushroom lettuce wraps on a wooden cutting board

Garlic-Ginger Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

Overhead view of a skillet with pork chops from Pork Chops with White Wine & Capers recipe

Pork Chops with White Wine & Capers

overhead view of Spicy White Bean & Spinach Salad in a bowl

Fiber-Packed Spicy White Bean & Spinach Salad

Sesame-crusted tofu with radish-apple slaw on a white plate with a fork, places on a blue surface

Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Radish-Apple Slaw

Overhead view of The Best Shrimp & Grits recipe in a white bowl

The Best Shrimp & Grits

Chicken Beet Salad

Anti-Inflammatory Chicken & Beet Salad

Overhead view of a plate of Braised Lentils & Kale with Fried Eggs recipe

Braised Lentils & Kale with Fried Eggs

Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna

Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna

Steak enchilada skillet with a wooden serving spoon in it, as well as a bowl of brown rice and cilantro next to it

Steak Enchilada Skillet

Side view of a bowl of Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing recipe

Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing

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Put these recipes into action! This month of meal plans—complete with shopping lists— incorporates all of these 5-ingredient and 15-minute recipes and answers the question of “What’s for dinner?” In these plans, EatingWell’s senior nutrition & news editorMaria Laura Haddad-Garciaand I share how we incorporate these simple but delicious recipes into our busy schedules so we have healthy dinners on the table every night of the week.

Want more meal-plan inspiration? Sign uphereto get ThePrep—our weekly dinner plan—delivered to your inbox every Saturday. It has everything you need to make meal planning and meal prep as easy as can be, including a downloadable shopping list.

Week 1: Simple 5-Ingredient Dinners That Are Packed with Flavor

Get the Dinner Plan & Shopping List

Week 2: Protein-Packed Dinners the Whole Family Will Love

Week 3: 15-Minute Dinners for When You Don’t Have Time to Cook

Week 4: Easy & Delicious Dinners with No Added Sugar

Credits

Recipes & Photography:Liv Dansky; Julia Levy; Amanda Holstein; Alena Jen; Catherine Jessee; Amanda Stanfield; Jen Causey; Melissa Gray and Shell Royster

Visuals & Design:Maria Emmighausen; Cassie Basford; Jesse Blanner and Sabrina Tan

Special Thanks:Penelope Wall; Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD; Sophie Johnson; Alysia Bebel; Matthew Francis; Hilary Meyer; Beth Stewart; Dillon Evans; Allison Little; Mikayla Morris; Anne Treadwell and the entire staff ofEatingWell.

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