8 Fast Easy Dinner Recipe Ideas with Just 3 Ingredients
Check out these easy dinner recipe ideas using only 3 main ingredients that deliver on nutrition and provide your family with a wholesome meal with just a handful of basic ingredients.
These 3 ingredient dinner ideas are perfect for feeding a family with kids and are easy plus convenient to make.
You can even save money on your food cost by incorporating these simple dinner ideas into your weekly dinner rotation.
Alright let's jump into 3 ingredient dinner recipes you need to try tonight!
Fast Easy Recipes With Few Ingredients
Sometimes you have to jump into making dinner with just a handful of ingredients and it can be hard to come up with ideas your whole family will love unless you know of these cheap meal ideas that require just 3 main ingredients.
Some recipe ideas may require additional staple pantry condiments but for the most part all of these recipes can be made using just 3 main ingredients.
#1 Rice and Potatoes
This is a go to low ingredient dinner idea for feeding your family a hardy delicious dinner with basic ingredients.
The combination of rice and potatoes with a protein of your choice makes for an easy dinner that is filling and family friendly.
Our favorite combinations are pairing rice and potatoes with a protein like steak, chicken, or shrimp to create a simple dinner that everyone will like.
#2 Classic Spaghetti Dinner
Spaghetti is a favorite low ingredient meal for feeding a family because it is kid friendly, easy to make, and creates a large portion using just a few ingredients.
Spaghetti also heats up wonderfully and can be served with a variety of easy side items including a salad, toast, freshly sliced avocado or even a fried egg.
To make this dinner classic simply combined cooked spaghetti noodles, seared ground beef, and marinara sauce for an easy weeknight dinner you should be making each week.
#3 Big Pot of Chili
Chili is a great dinner idea that is a fast easy recipe with few ingredients that creates a large hardy portion great for repurposing for next day leftovers.
Chili can be made super simple with just ground beef, kidney beans, and tomato sauce plus a generous sprinkle of chili powder which you probably already have on hand.
If you have a can of corn throw that in as well to give a pop of freshness to your chili.
Next day simply warm up leftovers and serve over French fries, hot dogs, or baked potatoes for a super easy next day lunch idea.
#4 Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Soup is the perfect 3 ingredient recipe for making a delicious comforting dinner for your family with just a few basic ingredients.
This classic chicken noodle soup requires just chicken legs, carrots, and egg noodles but you can also add quartered potatoes if you want to make it even more hardy.
To make a light soul soothing broth check out Grandma's Simple Secret To A Soothing Soup Broth and also A Simple Taste of Home Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe to have a super simple soup recipe that delivers a comforting taste of home.
#5 Chicken Quesadillas
Nothing is easier than a cheesy quesadilla filled with simple ingredients that deliver a satisfying punch to your tastebuds.
The best part of quesadillas are their versatility to be made with whatever ingredients you have on hand.
To make this super simple consider cooking frozen chicken nuggets and chopping them evenly layering the chicken and cheese onto flour tortillas and cooking in the oven at 375 for 8-10 flipping halfway through when lightly golden brown.
#6 At Home Stir Fry Rice
Stir fry is a perfect dinner choice for making a fast easy dinner recipe with few ingredients.
All you really need for stir fry is rice, a protein, a vegetable and soy sauce.
Now this is a super basic stir fry but it still delivers on taste and is an easy comfort meal to serve on any night of the week.
Stir Fry 3 Main Ingredient Combinations To Try:
Rice, Steak, and Broccoli
Rice, Shrimp, and Zucchini
Rice, Chicken, and Mushrooms
To make a delicious stir fry rice easily check out the Best Hibachi Fried Rice Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipe with Easy Yum Yum Sauce.
#7 Comforting Beef Stew
A hardy serving of beef stew can be made with just 3 main ingredients and is super easy to make.
Simply sear a serving of chuck roast in a Dutch oven evenly searing your meat then adding quartered potatoes, chopped carrots and water then allow to cook over medium low heat until meat is cooked through and vegetables are softened.
To give your broth thickness you could add cornstarch and beef bouillon can take your broth flavor to the next level.
#8 Sheet Pan Anything
When your low on ingredients creating a sheet pan dinner just might be the solution for you.
By simply adding what you have on hand onto a sheet pan and placing into the oven you can have dinner done easily with just a few ingredients.
Some of our favorite low ingredient sheet pan recipes include:
Kielbasa, Potatoes, and Brussel Sprouts
Shrimp, Potatoes, Corn
Chicken, Zucchini, and Mushrooms
Steak, Peppers, Sweet Potatoes
Salmon, Potatoes, Asparagus
Simply add ingredients of your choice add a splash of olive oil and seasonings then cook covered until everything is cooked through.
To accommodate different cook times simply place ingredients that take longer first and allow them to cook then continue adding additional ingredients that require less cook time to the same sheet pan or use two pans.
What Are the Easiest Things to Cook for Dinner?
The easiest things to cook for dinner are recipes that require just a few ingredients and cook without much effort.
The best part of most of these low ingredient meals is that they are also easy to make and create a large portion that can be served for an easy next day lunch idea.
The most basic of meals that have a foundation of rice, noodles, or potatoes are a great way to start creating wholesome dinner recipes with low ingredients to feed your family tonight.
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