Do you ever feel like you're stuck in a drive-thru or delivery dinner rut? Lately, my job as a freelance writer keeps me super busy most days, even though I'm home. So I totally get the appeal of just picking up some takeout at the end of the day. I definitely indulge occasionally—everyone needs a break sometimes—but most days I do try to cook at home. Quick meals with just handful of ingredients are definitely a must for me on weekdays, though.
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Believe it or not, there really are a lot of delicious and even healthy recipes out there that you can either set and forget or whip up in 20 to 30 minutes. One of the most important things to keep in mind, though, is that for many of these easy weeknight meals to work, you have to have a well-stocked pantry and freezer. So whether you go in person or have them delivered, be sure to buy groceries regularly and keep stock of what you have on hand.
Having staple items like spices and seasonings, oils, grains, and pastas on hand at all times is essential when it comes to quick and easy dinner prep. It's totally worth it to take a few minutes to do a food inventory before you hit the grocery store each week—or at a minimum once a month—so that you never run out of the essentials. Once you do, you'll be ready to get cooking any night of the week. Keep reading to see more than 30 weeknight dinner recipes that you can make with just four ingredients (not including seasonings and oils).
This egg fried rice comes together in no time.
Egg fried rice is the perfect meal to throw together with your leftover arroz blanco, but you can also make it with frozen cooked rice or even a fresh pot that's cooled down. Other than that, you just need standard ingredients like eggs, oil, salt, and green onions. Add your favorite frozen veggies, and you've got a well-balanced dinner.
Get the full recipe from Omnivore's Cookbook.
Basic chicken fajitas are versatile.
Basic chicken fajitas are made with just bell peppers, onions, chicken, and the seasonings of your choice, and they cook up super quickly. You can serve the chicken and veggies with tortillas, rice, or even as a salad over a bed of lettuce.
Get the recipe from Spend With Pennies.
This classic Italian dish is kid-friendly.
Pastina with egg and cheese is a classic Italian comfort food that is a favorite among children. You'll need just tiny pasta, like stars or alphabet noodles, an egg, Parmesan cheese, and butter to make the dish. Add a veggie side, like broccoli, and you've got a well-balanced meal in a flash.
Get the full recipe from Framed Cooks.
This sausage and potato sheet pan dinner is tasty and fast.
To make a sausage and potato sheet pan dinner you really just need your favorite sausage, potatoes, and some onions, but you could also throw on any other veggies and seasonings you like.
Get the full recipe from Yellow Bliss Road.
There's almost nothing simpler than eggs.
Instead of the standard quickie scrambled or fried egg dinner-in-a-pinch, you can up the ante by making an easy kale and Parmesan frittata.
Get the full recipe from 100 Days of Real Food.
Quesadillas are a go-to fast food.
Quesadillas are pretty much always a quick meal to throw together, but using refried beans makes them even quicker and easier. Top with avocado or salsa and you're good to go.
Get the full recipe from Making Thyme for Health.
Quiche sounds fancy, but it's totally not.
Quiche may sound like a fancy brunch dish, but it's actually really simple to prepare and perfectly well-balanced for an evening meal. You can mix it up, but ham and cheese quiche is a great place to start.
Get the full recipe from Des Moines Register.
Enchilada casserole is surprisingly easy to make.
Store-bought enchilada sauce and tortillas make this chicken enchilada casserole incredibly easy to throw together and it's definitely a crowd-pleaser.
Get the full recipe from Jo Cooks.
This chicken Parmesan is shockingly easy to make.
When you skip the frying and get a little help from jarred marinara and pesto, chicken Parmesan is totally easy to make in 30 minutes or less. Serve alongside any starch or a simple green salad.
Get the full recipe from Iowa Girl Eats.
Make use of that jarred sauce again with this pizza casserole.
This yummy pizza casserole is made with jarred sauce, ground beef, lots of cheese, and refrigerated biscuit dough. It can be thrown together in about half an hour.
Get the recipe from Better Homes & Gardens.
If you like chili mac, you're gonna love enchilada mac.
This enchilada macaroni and cheese recipe is definitely a step up from that boxed chili mac you get at the grocery store, but it's so easy! Just combine enchilada sauce with cooked macaroni and ground beef and top with cheddar cheese.
Get the full recipe from The How-to Mom.
This simple ranch chicken is a real winner.
The use of ranch dressing gives simple breaded and baked chicken tons of kid-friendly flavor. Serve alongside some steamed veggies and your favorite starch.
Get the full recipe from Chef in Training.
Upgrade the standard can of soup.
Who knew you could turn that standard can of cream of chicken soup into everybody's favorite broccoli cheese soup? All you have to do is add fresh broccoli, some milk, and plenty of cheddar cheese. Yum!
Get the full recipe from Mrs Happy Homemaker.
This tortellini chicken soup is warm and comforting.
Chicken tortellini soup is incredibly quick and easy to make when you use store-bought chicken broth and rotisserie chicken. Just add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up the flavors.
Get the full recipe from Sweet C's.
Tortellini tomato soup is another delicious option.
Grab some chicken broth, a can of flavorful fire-roasted tomatoes, and a bag of fresh tortellini and you've got a complete meal ready to eat in minutes. Add some crusty bread to sop it all up.
Get the full recipe from Honey and Birch.
This four-ingredient shredded chicken is a perfect taco filling.
Simple slow-cooked chicken breasts flavored with taco seasoning and tomatoes is perfect to stuff into a tortilla or serve over rice or salad for a yummy and filling dinner.
Get the full recipe from The Kittchen.
Buffalo chicken sliders come together in a flash.
Buffalo chicken sliders are another perfect slow cooker recipe with just four ingredients. You just throw some chicken breasts in the cooker with ranch mix and buffalo sauce then shred up and serve on soft buns when you're ready to eat.
Get the full recipe from Somewhat Simple.
Yummy pizza burgers are perfect for busy nights.
These burgers are served open faced on an English muffin and topped with marinara and melted mozzarella cheese. How could you go wrong?
Get the full recipe from The Taylor House.
This four-ingredient chicken dinner is perfection.
Yes, you can make a complete chicken dinner with just four ingredients. Simply roasting food makes it taste pretty amazing, so this dinner of roasted chicken thighs, potatoes, and carrots is ultra-satisfying.
Get the full recipe from Yuli Cooks.
Chicken and rice cook together in this easy casserole.
Onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup give this American classic of chicken and rice casserole plenty of flavor. It's an entire meal in one pan that bakes up in a little over an hour, but takes just a few minutes of prep work.
Get the full recipe from Spend with Pennies.
Baked pastas are always a good meal.
You can use leftover chicken in this savory baked pasta dish that comes together super fast. Just combine the chicken with cooked pasta, jarred pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese and bake until bubbly and hot.
Get the full recipe from Gimme Delicious.
Who doesn't love a crispy taquito for dinner?
Mix some chopped chicken, taco sauce or salsa, and shredded cheese together to create an easy taquito filling for dinner any night of the week. Roll the filling up in tortillas and cook until nice and crispy. Yum, yum!
Get the full recipe from The Seasoned Mom.
This white pizza looks so good!
It's hard to believe you can make pizza with just three ingredients, but you totally can. This three-ingredient white pizza uses store-bought pizza dough or flatbread, alfredo sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Just bake until crispy and melty. Add some spinach or broccoli if you have it on hand.
Get the full recipe from Mama Loves Food.
Ready-made ravioli is the perfect lasagna shortcut.
When you use ready-made ravioli and jarred sauce to make lasagna, you can skip all the mixing and layering. You'll get all the flavor without all the hassle.
Get the full recipe from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice.
Yes, you can make chili with just three ingredients.
Homemade chili might seem like a big undertaking, but only if you're super fussy eater. You can whip up a delicous batch using just ground beef, canned beans, and canned tomatoes. Top with cheese and sour cream or anything else you like.
Get the full recipe from I Heart Naptime.
This cheesy chicken and broccoli is a one-pan dinner.
All you need to make this amazing cheesy casserole are chicken breasts, frozen broccoli with cheese sauce, and refrigerated biscuit dough. So simple, but so good.
Get the full recipe from Life in the Lofthouse.
These pork chops are perfect if you're tired of chicken.
These easy baked pork chops are jazzed up with delicious apples, butter, and some brown sugar. They would be excellent with salad and dinner rolls.
Get the full recipe from The Spruce Eats.
This quinoa and bean salad is a complete meal.
Quinoa acts as both a complete protein and a grain, so pair it with just about anything and you've got a quick, complete, and filling meal. In this recipe you toss the quinoa with black beans and store-bought salad dressing.
Get the full recipe from Spark People.
You can also make quinoa stir-fry.
You can make a quick and healthy dinner with some cooked quinoa and a bag of frozen vegetables. You can use any kind of quinoa and any variety of frozen veggies to customize this dinner to your liking.
Get the full recipe from Clean Eating Veggie Girl.
This chickpea burger is another healthy option.
You can make a basic but tasty chickpea burger with just a can of chickpeas, some hummus, and some oats. Add any seasoning and toppings you like and serve on a bun or over salad.
Get the full recipe from Allrecipes.
Burgers are a good, quick option for meat-eaters as well.
Even if you prefer your burgers be made of meat, it's an easy and quick dinner to prepare. This recipe uses stuffing mix and barbecue sauce to mix things up a bit without too much extra effort or lots of ingredients.
Get the full recipe from The Project Pile.
