If you're short on time or trying to fit delicious meals into your budget and meal plan with fewer ingredients try this collection of recipes with 8 or fewer ingredients. Simple recipes with only a handful of ingredients are a great way to get through a busy week.
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Recipes with short ingredient lists make meal planning easier and take some of the fuss out of cooking. 8 ingredients recipes are helpful for several reasons:
- Simple + Convenient: 8 ingredient recipes help to keep your grocery list shorter giving your budget a break.
- Time Saving: making a quick meal like xx without a lot of ingredients saves shopping time, prep time, and sometimes even cooking time.
- Versatility: 8 ingredient recipes can be creative! From dinner to dessert recipes, you can create dishes like stuffed sweet potatoes, cookies, and homemade bread.
How to make 8-ingredient recipes more flavorful
When cutting back on your grocery budget or the amount you can buy when grocery prices are high keep these tips in mind.
- Use pantry staples like spices and spice mixes.
- When grocery shopping, take advantage of ingredients like mustard, balsamic vinegar, and jarred items like sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and pesto which are all loaded with flavor. These items can be used in salads, dressings, marinades, soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, and sandwiches.
Note: for the purpose of this collection, salt and pepper are considered the only pantry staples and not something that needs to be purchased every grocery shop.
10 8-ingredient dinner recipes
If you're trying to come up with dinner tonight, browse this collection of main dishes that are low on ingredients but big on flavor. From easy beef recipes to baked chicken to vegetarian, there's something for everyone.
Try a sandwich filled with pesto and butternut squash or a simple baked pasta dish for your main meal, all without loading up on groceries.
Using a combination of my favorite things like condiments with a lot of flavor, whole grains, and fresh vegetables can help you create big beautiful grain bowls or simple dinner bowls like a tuna sushi bowl.
Browse below for more easy dinner ideas!
10 8-ingredient side dish recipes
6 8-ingredient dessert recipes
Try one of these easy desserts like peanut butter stuffed dates or edible cookie dough packed with chocolate chips. These easy recipes will make it into your weekly favorites list with their simple ingredients.
6 8-ingredient bread recipes
Homemade bread recipes are some of my favorite recipes for having short ingredient lists. The basics are flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and water - so simple!
Check out the list below, complete with biscuits, sandwiches loaves, and easy flatbreads.
I hope you found a bunch of new recipes to try on this list. If you like this type of post, read my What to Serve with Ravioli blog post for more easy family dinner ideas.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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