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 certain pantry ingredients that I always have around for those weeks—think boxed mac and cheese with frozen broccoli for 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 and very delicious recipes comes in.
Half of these recipes were created with only 5 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 like canned tuna and beans, so perhaps you can make them without making a trip to the store. The others are ready in 15 minutes or less. And some are even a combination of both—5 ingredients and ready in 15 minutes, like this Miso-Glazed Salmon.
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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 my weekly trip to Costco means I can get Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nước Chấm Dressing on the table in 15 minutes. And as the weather cools down, I'll make a double batch of Roasted Cauliflower & Curry Soup so 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.
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5-Ingredient Dinners
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, these 5-ingredient main 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.)
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5-Ingredient Black Bean Patties
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5-Ingredient Miso-Glazed Salmon
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5-Ingredient Peanutty Soba Noodles
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5-Ingredient Honey-Ginger Chicken
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Balsamic Steak & Mushroom Skewers
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Spicy Shrimp with Cauliflower Rice
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Roasted Cauliflower & Curry Soup
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Spicy-Sweet Grilled Chicken & Pineapple with Avocado
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Creamy Green Pea Pesto Pasta
![Sheet-Pan Carrots & Chickpeas with Tahini](https://www.eatingwell.com/thmb/5krt0POnW04xUSogvRvLGRWoyOo=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(200000):strip_icc()/sheet-pan-carrots-chickpeas-with-tahini2-8064194-horizontal-e83071f1b497477095c82d35ecb392a3.jpg)
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
15-Minute Dinners
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 in 15 minutes flat. Created around quick-cooking proteins like eggs and shrimp plus cooked chicken, canned tuna and beans, these meals are ready in no time.
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Sheet-Pan Carrots & Chickpeas with Tahini
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Garlic-Ginger Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
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Pork Chops with White Wine & Capers
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Fiber-Packed Spicy White Bean & Spinach Salad
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Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Radish-Apple Slaw
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The Best Shrimp & Grits
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Anti-Inflammatory Chicken & Beet Salad
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Braised Lentils & Kale with Fried Eggs
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Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna
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Steak Enchilada Skillet
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Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing
A Month of Meal Plans
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 editor Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia and 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 up here to 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.
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Week 1: Simple 5-Ingredient Dinners That Are Packed with Flavor
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Week 2: Protein-Packed Dinners the Whole Family Will Love
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Week 3: 15-Minute Dinners for When You Don't Have Time to Cook
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Week 4: Easy & Delicious Dinners with No Added Sugar
Credits
Editors: Carolyn Malcoun; Alex Loh & Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia
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 of EatingWell.