To save time (and a little money), are you looking for simple and quick weekday recipes with few ingredients? To pull this off, choose food items that need just a little preparation to yield a lot of flavour. We’ve put together a selection of recipes containing 5 or fewer ingredients, to try when you’re low on time
Sweet and salty chicken with prosciutto from Geneviève O’Gleman
Simple chicken thighs turn into a chic-looking meal when coated with slices of prosciutto. This dried ham automatically lends the chicken a salty, rich taste. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes in the oven before lacquering it with a sweet Thai chili sauce and caramelizing it under the grill for a surprising flavour contrast.
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Spanish cod stew
White fish is a smart choice for quick dinners because it cooks in just a few minutes. Here, we used cod (or any other white-fleshed fish, depending on discounts at the grocery store), which is given a lot of personality with slightly spicy chorizo and tomatoes that are sautéed in the pan.
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Grilled pork tenderloin and white wine sauce with baby potatoes and Nantes carrots
Technically this recipe contains 7 ingredients, but since butter (you need just a bit) as well as salt and pepper are part of many recipes, there are really only 5 main ingredients. The secret to this delicious pork tenderloin? A commercial supreme sauce with white wine to which you add milk to make it creamy. And to save even more time, cook the potatoes in the microwave!
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Broccoli salad with 5 ingredients
Broccoli, cheese, nuts, red onion and coleslaw dressing are all you need to make a crunchy salad that’s the perfect easy dinner. Amp it up for a heartier meal-salad with leftover cooked chicken, canned tuna or cubed ham.
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Joe Beef grilled cheese with spicy capicollo
Who said grilled cheese was only for lunch? Kids will be delighted to devour a hot, melting cheese sandwich, and parents will be delighted by the addition of capicollo and spinach (children must eat some vegetables!) for a dinner that’s ready in 15 minutes tops!
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Fettuccine, Portuguese sausages and spinach with marinara sauce
Pasta is always a winner. It only takes a few ingredients to successfully concoct a restaurant-worthy meal. Here, fettuccine is coated with marinara sauce and baby spinach. Portuguese sausages add texture and a taste.
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Pizza with sundried tomato pesto and basil from François Chartier
Sure, you can make homemade pizza dough at a low cost, but since time is precious on weeknights, there’s no harm in buying pizza dough from the store from time to time. You can cover it with sundried tomato pesto, slices of fresh mozzarella and fresh basil for an express dinner that rivals the pizzeria version.
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Salmon fillets in a sesame crust
For this meal that’s ready in 20 minutes, simply brush the salmon fillets with honey and cover them with sesame seeds before baking them in the oven on a sheet pan. The salmon will be tender and break apart with a fork. And while the fish cooks, prepare basmati rice and rapini, and voilà!
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Pulled pork
This comfort classic only takes a few ingredients to make, and can garnish pasta, sandwiches or burgers. Choose a pork shoulder that will then simmer with spices, BBQ sauce, butter and brown sugar.
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Shrimp on the grill
Shrimp is a great protein for flash cooking! It only takes 3 minutes in a hot pan to fully cook them and this basic recipe, where shrimp are mixed with hoisin sauce, butter and lime juice, can be accompanied by your favourite vegetables, rice or Asian noodles.
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