Healthy 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipes to Save Time and Calories (2024)

Create mouthwatering meals with just a few fixings using these healthy 5-ingredient dinner recipes. Make a delicious meal quickly and slash supermarket time thanks to a shorter grocery list. All recipes have 5 ingredients or fewer (not counting salt, black pepper, nonstick cooking spray, and oil because we assume you have those) for minimal prep.

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Bacon, Potato, and Kale Frittata

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Healthy 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipes to Save Time and Calories (1)

Number of Ingredients: 5

Indulge in a quick and clever breakfast for dinner with our hearty frittata recipe. It's packed with homey potatoes, salty bacon, and fresh kale. It's held together by an egg mixture that adds protein and gives the healthy 5-ingredient recipe a comfort food quality.

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Turkey Taco Panini

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Healthy 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipes to Save Time and Calories (2)

Number of Ingredients: 5

A taco-stuffed panini is the perfect infusion of flavor to complement your weeknight dinners. OK, the panini is not actually stuffed with a taco, but all the flavors are there! Customize the Mexican-style sandwiches with your favorite purchased chunky salsa.

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Pan-Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Apples

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Number of Ingredients: 5

Yes, it is possible to create an indulgent chicken dinner with just a handful of ingredients. Baked with apples and finished with a sweet drizzle of maple syrup, this comforting dinner recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal or for guests.

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Mediterranean Couscous and Beef

Healthy 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipes to Save Time and Calories (4)

Number of Ingredients: 5

Make a Mediterranean-inspired dinner with just a few ingredients. The feta cheese, couscous, and tomatoes mimic the coastline flavors; the lemon-pepper marinade adds zest and spice to the flank steak.

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Pancetta-Wrapped Chicken with Glazed Date Sauce

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Number of Ingredients:5

Your guests will never believe such a fancy-looking meal came from so few ingredients. This spiced-up chicken recipe adds savory herbed cheese before wrapping with pancetta for a unique take on pan-fried chicken. The homemade date glaze adds a unique burst of sweetness to this quick recipe.

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Barbecued Salmon with Corn Relish

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Healthy 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipes to Save Time and Calories (6)

Number of Ingredients: 5

Putting some salmon on the grill will give it a delicious, smoky char on the outside and make it flaky and tender on the inside. The homemade relish made from fresh cut corn and jalapeños gives it a spicy kick and bright freshness to balance the salmon's smokiness.

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Steaks with Roasted Garlic

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Number of Ingredients: 4

Try our sizzling grilled steaks for your next weeknight dinner. Yes, steaks for a weeknight dinner! A simple salt-and-pepper rub keeps the ingredient list minimal, while a roasted garlic-and-basil mix turns this simple recipe into an enticing main course.

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Mexican Meatball Stew

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Number of Ingredients: 5

After 10 minutes of prepping, this homemade soup is ready to go in the slow cooker. The result is a mouthwatering meatball stew that's bubbling with spicy Mexican flavor. Tomatoes, corn, and turkey load this easy soup with healthy nutrients.

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Chicken with Summer Squash

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Number of Ingredients: 5

No one would ever guess you used a store-bought roasted chicken with this quick dinner recipe. After browning chicken in the skillet, add bright summer squash and cherry tomatoes for a burst of healthy color. Delicious and simple.

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Summer Stew

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Number of Ingredients: 5

All you need for this savory, summer-inspired stew is beef, carrots, and garlic-laced potatoes. Make the easy meal even simpler with precooked beef and ready-to-use vegetables.

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Shrimp and Watercress Salad

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Number of Ingredients: 5

Crisp-tender asparagus spears, watercress, tomatoes, and shrimp are all it takes to pull together a sophisticated salad in a flash—the entire meal is finished in just 15 minutes!

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Sunday Dinner Stew

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Number of Ingredients: 5

Hot and delicious, this shortcut Sunday (or any day) stew will be ready to eat in a flash. Trade out the white potatoes for sweet potatoes for fewer carbs and some extra vitamins B and C.

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Denver Potato Casserole

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Number of Ingredients: 5

Potatoes and ham combine to make a comforting casserole for dinner. This easy-to-make baked dish is layered with onion, sweet green peppers, and cheese. Pop it in the oven to let the veggies get tender and melt the cheese, and you'll have a filling all-in-one dinner ready to serve the family.

39 Healthy One-Pan Dinners

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Maple-Mustard Turkey Thighs

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Healthy 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipes to Save Time and Calories (14)

Number of Ingredients: 5

Sweet and tangy, the mustard sauce on these juicy turkey thighs will make your house smell delightful after a day in your slow cooker. The secret to the thick and velvety sauce is the instant tapioca, so make sure to add that to the grocery list.

Healthy 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipes to Save Time and Calories (2024)

FAQs

What can be the five most suitable food items for your dinner? ›

  • Vegetables, salad and fruit.
  • Wholemeal cereals and breads, potatoes, pasta and rice.
  • Milk, yogurt and cheese.
  • Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts.
  • Fats, spreads and oils.
  • Top shelf.
  • Fluids.
  • Alcohol.

How to make the healthiest meal? ›

17 healthy cooking tips
  1. Cook at home. ...
  2. Cook with basic ingredients. ...
  3. Avoid cooking at high temperatures. ...
  4. Avoid deep frying. ...
  5. Use low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming. ...
  6. Measure your ingredients accurately. ...
  7. Avoid cooking meat or fish to well-done or browned. ...
  8. Minimize added sugars and sweeteners.

What to make for dinner when you don't have much food? ›

These simple dinner ideas use only a handful of ingredients so you can still whip up a meal using whatever you have in the cupboard.
  1. 15-ingredient sausage rolls. ...
  2. 2Creamy mushroom gnocchi. ...
  3. 3Fast falafel bowl. ...
  4. 45-ingredient satay beef skewers. ...
  5. 55-ingredient meatball carbonara. ...
  6. 6Speedy wild rice and salmon salad.

How do you make low calorie meals more filling? ›

"Lean proteins are also important to make the meal satiating. A little healthy fat, like avocado or olive oil, can go a long way to help keep you full too." Don't forget about seasonings — a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of your favorite spice blend or a dash of hot sauce can seriously elevate even the healthiest dish.

What is the healthiest meal you can eat every day? ›

Emergency doctors share 7 longevity foods they eat to stay 'healthy, full and energized' every day
  1. Nuts. Nuts are high in protein and more environmentally friendly than meat. ...
  2. Hummus. ...
  3. Vegetables. ...
  4. Avocados. ...
  5. Olives. ...
  6. Roasted seaweed. ...
  7. Hard-boiled eggs.
Mar 24, 2023

What is the one food you should eat everyday? ›

The healthiest foods and diets out there focus on real, whole foods: lots of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy proteins and fats, and limited added sugar and sodium.

What are the top 10 healthiest dinners? ›

It's dinnertime: ZOE members' top recipes
  • Chickpea & broccoli pasta.
  • Lentil & eggplant stew.
  • Veggie shepherd's pie.
  • Harissa traybake.
  • Noodle salad.
  • Cod & salsa salad.
  • Kale salad.
  • Mushroom stir-fry.
Mar 19, 2024

How can I eat large amounts of food without feeling full? ›

Nutrition Tips for Managing Feeling Full Quickly
  1. Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day.
  2. Avoid foods and actions that may cause gas or bloating.
  3. Drink liquids between meals rather than during meals.
  4. Keep your head up after meals.

What's the best breakfast to eat? ›

The healthiest breakfast foods include a protein, healthy fat and source of carbohydrates, according to Smolen. For a healthy breakfast, consider eating foods like oatmeal with nut butter, avocado toast with an egg, chia seed pudding or a greek yogurt parfait with nuts and berries.

What food can you eat unlimited amounts of? ›

Let's take a look at some of these wonderful foods:
  • Celery. Celery is a vegetable that is made up of 95% water! ...
  • Broccoli. It is well known for the natural substance it contains – sulforaphane, which has an anti-cancerous effect. ...
  • Kale. ...
  • Cucumber. ...
  • Lettuce. ...
  • Cauliflower. ...
  • Blueberries. ...
  • Raspberries.

What is the most filling thing with the least calories? ›

High-fiber foods not only provide volume but also take longer to digest, making you feel full longer on fewer calories. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains all contain fiber. Popcorn is a good example of a high-volume, low-calorie whole grain.

What are the top 5 most popular foods? ›

What Is The World's Most Eaten Food?
  • Rice. Rice is the staple food of more than half the world's population, and it's been that way for centuries. ...
  • Eggs. Eggs are extremely versatile because they are rich in protein, low in calories and it is great for baking. ...
  • Potatoes. ...
  • Chicken. ...
  • Pizza. ...
  • Chocolate. ...
  • Ice Cream. ...
  • Pasta.
Dec 18, 2022

What are the 5 foods to eat? ›

What are the five food groups?
  • Fruit and vegetables.
  • Starchy food.
  • Dairy.
  • Protein.
  • Fat.

What are the 5 main foods? ›

Kids today learn about the food groups from MyPlate. Now that the back-to-school season is settling down, the nutritionists at MyPlate are offering a back-to-basics refresher lesson on the food groups. As the MyPlate icon shows, the five food groups are Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein Foods, and Dairy.

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