Are you in need of some easy and speedy meal ideas? Look no further than these healthy recipes using six ingredients or less.
Whether it’s about not having the time, will or skills, there are many of us who don’t enjoy meal prep time.
According to a 2022 survey by YouGov, only one in three of us are very confident cooking from scratch without a recipe, while 19% say they never cook from fresh without a recipe. And, with takeaway options on the rise, Statista forecasts that users for the Online Food Delivery market in the UK will skyrocket to more than 28 million in 2028 (from fewer than 21 million in 2021). But for those looking to keep their intake healthy and nutritious, cooking from scratch is the best way to go.
How can you tackle a lack of confidence in the kitchen?
“As a starting point, learning some basic food flavour pairings will go a long way to help create flavoursome food with minimal effort — as an example, lemon, olive oil and garlic are a heavenly combination that can be used for chicken, fish, as a dressing or as a marinade,” says motherhood nutritional therapist, Tasha D’Cruz. “Don’t be afraid to season your food! A lot of the time when we think something doesn’t taste great, it’s probably under-seasoned. Add salt at the start of the cooking process (for example when you’re frying onions) and then taste before serving — if it tastes flat, consider adding some acid (such as lemon juice) to brighten it up.”
If you’re still just starting to feel out your cooking style, one-pan recipes are a great place to start, as there’s minimal hands-on time, washing up and opportunities for error.
And then there’s the audience — parents will know that kids’ palettes can be the most difficult to please. The last thing a parent wants to hear after spending an hour in the kitchen is, ‘Can we have chicken nuggets?’
“People assume that being a chef makes feeding kids easy,” says Vittoria Veltri, founder of Pasta and Play. “But the truth is, it’s equally challenging! Children are the toughest food critics, with their unique preferences for texture, colour and smell. If any of those elements are off, forget about it!”
Whether you’re kitchen-confident and time-poor or just starting out on your cooking journey, here are our favourite recipes that require just six ingredients or fewer to make a simple and satisfying family dinner.
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Melissa Hemsley’s asparagus breakfast with a twist
This easy recipe for asparagus and radishes with a mimosa-inspired topping of chopped boiled eggs, lemon zest and olive oil is the perfect option for a quick, healthy and filling breafast. As Hemsley says herself: “so simple but so good!”
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
3 eggs
250g asparagus, woody ends snapped off
Extra virgin olive oil
Handful of radishes, thinly sliced
1 lemon
Method:
- Boil the eggs in salted water for nine mins.
- Drain the eggs, run them under cold water, peel and roughly chop.
- Blanch or steam the asparagus for two mins or until tender.
- Toss with a ‘glug’ of olive oil, top with the chopped eggs and sliced radishes.
- Zest over a little lemon and season with salt and pepper then serve.
Read more: Two easy recipes to try from Madeleine Shaw’s bestselling cookbook
Vittoria Veltri’s garden pesto spaghetti
This pesto pasta recipe is a hit even with the pickiest eaters. It’s milder than traditional basil pesto, with a creamy texture and a subtle and inviting colour. Plus, it’s packed with nutrients for growing bodies. Elevate it for special occasions by adding crispy prawns, or sweet confit tomatoes.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 large courgettes
80g pine or cashew nuts
80g parmigiano reggiano (or nutritional yeast for a vegan option)
80g olive oil
320g spaghetti or linguine
Method:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil (1 litre per 100g pasta) and season generously with salt (1g per litre).
- Combine pesto ingredients (courgettes, nuts and cheese), and half of the olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust for consistency — if the pesto is too thick, add the remaining olive oil a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired texture.
- Cook your dried pasta according to the package instructions but for two mins less than suggested.
- Warm olive oil in a pan.
- Take two ladles of the pasta water and put to one side in a bowl before draining the pasta.
- Transfer your pasta to the pan and then add the pesto — toss gently to coat the pasta evenly in the sauce.
- Gradually add the reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until desired sauce consistency is reached.
- Serve while hot and enjoy.
Read more: How to make Nadiya Hussain’s vegan cheesecake
Delicious Magazine’s egg-fried rice and vegetable stir-fry
This quick and simple recipe is an easy win for those evenings when you’ve got to get everybody fed and turned around for their evening activities or homework sessions. Filling and nutritious, a stir-fry is a great way of getting those veggies into picky eaters. To ramp up the protein, try adding some stir-fried strips of lean pork, steak or marinated tofu.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Olive oil, for frying
400g pack mixed vegetable stir-fry
250g pack ready-to-heat brown or white rice
4 medium free-range eggs, beaten
1 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra to serve
Juice 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
Method:
- Heat a large frying pan or wok with a glug of olive oil. Add the mixed vegetables and cook for one minute, then add the rice.
- Stir-fry for around three minutes more, then move the rice and vegetables to one side of the pan.
- Pour in the eggs and leave to set, then very softly scramble. Once the eggs are partly cooked but still runny, use a spatula to combine with the vegetables and rice, along with the soy sauce.
- Serve immediately with an extra dash of soy sauce and lime wedges to squeeze over.
Read more: Try this easy vegan recipe for crispy tofu rice
Tasha D’Cruz’s baked miso cod parcel
This is a good base recipe for cooking fish in a parcel to gently steam the fish and vegetables in one go. The basic formula, created by Tasha, is one fish fillet per person, up to three different vegetables, a flavour accent such as a sauce, herb or spice, and an acid such as lemon or lime. You can use this method to cook other fish such as haddock, salmon, trout or sea bass and go around the world with your flavours according to your preference!
Ingredients:
1 tsp white miso paste
2 tsp garlic and ginger paste
olive oil
black pepper
2 cod fillets (or other white fish), patted dry
100g mushrooms (shiitake or exotic mix), torn into small chunks
2 pak choi, stems separated from leaves and leaves torn in half
Brown rice, noodles or other veg, to serve
Method:
- Preheat oven to 190C, fan 170C, gas 5.
- Cut out 2 large sheets of baking paper. Fold each in half and cut a half heart shape out of the paper, then open back out again, so it looks like a full heart.
- Mix the miso paste and garlic and ginger paste in a small bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil and a splash of water. You want a spreadable, but not liquid, paste.
- Divide the vegetables between the two baking paper hearts, placing them in the middle of one half of the heart, drizzle with a little oil and season with ground black pepper.
- Spread the miso mix on both sides of the cod, then lay the fish skin-side up on top of the vegetables.
- Fold the heart back over and crimp the edges to seal the fish and vegetables in.
- Place in the oven and cook for 20 mins. Uncover the fish for the last 5 mins to slightly crisp up the top. Check the fish are cooked through — the flesh should flake easily in the middle of the fish. If they’re not cooked, place them back in the oven for another 5 mins.
- Serve the miso cod parcel with some brown rice or noodles and another side veg, if you wish.
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Deliciously Ella’s chocolate and peanut butter bites
Not everyone has the time or patience for elaborate baking sessions — these treats are an easy alternative that require zero oven time. Sweet, moreish and super-simple to make, these delicious bites are sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Serves: Makes about 20 bites
Ingredients:
200g unsalted peanuts
200g pitted medjool dates
8 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
300g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Pinch of flaky sea salt
Method:
- Line a 16 x 22cm shallow baking tray with baking parchment.
- Place the peanuts and dates in a food processor and blitz for one min, until they’ve mostly broken down but aren’t completely smooth — the mixture should look like wet sand.
- Add the peanut butter and blitz briefly to combine.
- Spoon the peanut mixture onto the baking tray and smooth the mixture into an even, 1cm thick layer.
- Gently melt the chocolate in the microwave on a low heat. Stir in a large pinch of sea salt (to taste).
- Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut mixture and smooth out in an even layer.
- Chill in the fridge for one hour, then cut into squares and sprinkle over an extra pinch of sea salt. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
