Archive for the ‘5 Ingredients or Less’ Category
Chili Bean Chili
I came up with this on a whim. I like chili beans and I like chili with ground beef, so I made this, and it is very good and easy, and only 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cans chili beans, (439 g / 16 oz each)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, (565 g / 20 oz)
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Heat a non stick pan on medium heat, add the onion and ground beef, season with black pepper as desired. Cook, breaking up the beef and mixing with the onion.
- While the beef is cooking, open the chili beans and diced tomatoes, and pour into a pot.
- Cook the beef until no pink remains, drain out most of the fat.
- Add the beef to the pot with the tomatoes and beans.
- Stir together and place on low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Serve and enjoy.
Frito Casserole
I found this recipe while looking for dishes to make with canned chili, and this is perfect! This is also known as Frito Pie and Frito Pie Casserole. Three ingredients and about 20 minutes of your time and you can have a great dish.
Equipment
- Casserole (2 quart)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cans chili with beans, (15oz / 425g)
- 4 cups Fritos chips, divided
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- sour cream, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), lightly butter a 2 quart casserole dish.
- Add 2 cups of the Frito chips to the bottom of the casserole.
- Pour the chili over the chips and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle the rest of the chips over the chili.
- Sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chili is bubbly on the sides of the casserole. Remove from the oven and let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes.
- Serve, and optionally top servings with a big dollop of sour cream, enjoy.
Notes
The most expensive item in this casserole is the Frito chips, so this is a high cost meal but an excellent one in a while meal.
"Canned" Ham & Bean Soup
I call this "Canned" in the title as I use canned beans and canned condensed soup. This is easy to put together, flavor is excellent! I made this on a whim to use up some frozen ham steaks I had lingering in the freezer. I made this on 23 Aug 2024, updated this on 10 Oct 2024, and when I make again, I will take photos.
Ingredients
- 4 cans white beans, undrained, (400 g / 14 oz each)
- 2 cans condensed mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g each)
- 500 grams sliced sandwich ham, diced, (1 lb)
- black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Add the beans (undrained) and the soup to a saucepan, mix together.
- Dice the ham and add to the saucepan, mix together. Season with black pepper as desired.
- Place on low to medium heat and simmer to heat through, stirring often.
- Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Fair cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use canned pinto beans in place of white beans, or combination of white and pinto beans. 2. Use condensed creamy mushroom chicken soup in place of mushroom soup.
Updated on 9 October 2024.
Slow Cooker Whole Cauliflower
This recipe is from a social media friend who specializes in slow cooker dishes. I made this on 12 Apr 2023, excellent flavor, and very well liked by the family.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (4+ quart)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Trim the stem of the cauliflower so the head will sit flat, remove any leaves, and give it a quick rinse and shake off the excess water. Place in the slow cooker. No need to remove the stem, it is just as good as the rest of the cauliflower.
- In a small bowl, mix together the oil, mustard, cheese, and garlic to make the sauce.
- Spoon the sauce on top of the cauliflower, right in the center. Let gravity pull the sauce down on the sides, and just even it out with the back of the spoon, until the head is covered evenly with the sauce.
- Cover and set to Low, let cook for 6 to 8 hours, checking for doneness at 6 hours. If a fork can be easily inserted from the top to the bottom of the stem, it is done. I took the photo after I had cut the cauliflower into 6 wedges and started to serve.
- Serve as a side dish, and enjoy.
Sausage Balls
This recipe is from an extensive cookbook titled Favorite Recipes, compiled by the active and retired employees of Michigan Bell in 1981. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
- 500 grams pork sausage, (1 lb), Shortcut
- 500 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (1 lb)
- 3½ cups Bisquick Mix, Shortcut
- pinch fresh parsley, chopped fine
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a baking, line with foil with the edges turned up, to make cleanup easier.
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl, mix together.
- Form into even sized balls. Arrange on baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve as appetizers with dipping sauces of your choice. Enjoy.
Notes
Shortcuts: Pork Sausage, Bisquick Mix.
Chicken Nugget Casserole II
I made this on 28 Sep 2022, and it is incredibly good! Family absolutely loved this. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
- Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 kilo frozen chicken nuggets, you will not use them all, (2 lb)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 cups spaghetti sauce, Shortcut
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Italian seasoning, as desired, Shortcut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- Place frozen chicken nuggets in the prepared dish in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce over all the nuggets.
- Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese, then top that with Italian seasoning.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the nuggets are heated through and the cheese melted. Remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes to just lightly start to brown the cheese on top. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve and enjoy with sides of your choice.Excellent side dish ideas are pasta (classic), mashed potatoes (another classic), fresh salad, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or Saffron rice.
Notes
Fair cost per per serving based on the cheese used.
Shortcuts: Spaghetti/Pasta Sauce, Italian Seasoning.
Chicken Nugget Spaghetti Bake
This is an excellent way to serve chicken nuggets. I made this on 21 Nov 2022, and adjusted the ingredients based on the family comments, and the updated ingredients are are updated.
Equipment
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry spaghetti, (1 lb)
- 4-5 cups pasta sauce, Shortcut
- 500 grams frozen chicken nuggets, thawed, (1 lb)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, or as desired
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling. Add the spaghetti and cook until just tender, drain well.
- Just before the spaghetti is done, preheat your oven to 180° (350° F), get out a 9x13 baking pan.
- After the spaghetti is drained, add to the baking dish.
- Add 2-3 cups of pasta sauce and mix together. Spread out evenly.
- Top the spaghetti with the chicken nuggets in an even layer.
- Drizzle another 1-2 cups of sauce over the nuggets, then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
- Top with Mozzarella cheese, be generous.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Bologna, Ham, or Chicken Salad
This comes from the Just A Pinch Recipe Club, and is delicious! This recipe assumes you have hard boiled eggs on hand but if not, a link is provided for my favorite way to make them. This recipe requires a meat grinder or food processor, however, I can vouch for using a sharp knife and dicing sliced bologna or sliced ham. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Meat Grinder or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 500 grams bologna, ham, or cooked chicken, (1 lb), see Step 1
- 4-6 dill pickles
- 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, Shortcut
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 cup mayo
Instructions
- For the Bologna and Ham, feel free to use bulk unsliced, or sliced. For sliced, you can use a sharp knife and quickly dice this, then finely dice the other ingredients, saving you the cleaning of a grinder or food processor. For grinding or processing, cut the bologna or ham into chunks.For the Chicken, cook it your preferred way, boiling, baking, leftovers, rotisserie, you get the idea. For this a grinder or processor would be the best way to go. Cut the chicken in to chunks.
Grinder / Food Processor Method
- Run the bologna, ham, or chicken, pickles, eggs, and onion through your meat grinder or pulse with an S blade in your food processor until finely chopped.
- Mix the ground / chopped ingredients together.
- Add the mayo and mix together. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
- Serve on bread, toast (buttered), or on crackers, enjoy.
Knife Method
- For sliced bologna or ham place a stack of slices on a cutting board, cut thin slices all the way across, turn the board 90° and slice again, result is finely diced bologna or ham, add to a mixing bowl.
- Now finely dice the pickles, eggs, and onion, adding each to the same mixing bowl.
- Mix together.
- Add the mayo and mix that in. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or even overnight. (I used Japanese Kewpie mayo, and already smoothed it out, ready to be covered and placed in the fridge.)
- After several hours of chilling, I made sandwiches using my fresh baked multigrain bread, toasted and buttered. Delicious!
Notes
I will say Low cost for now as this does make a lot.
Shortcut:Â Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.Â
Chu-Hi
I have drank many of these while stationed in Japan, four ingredients, and they are good! These are Japanese in origin but the alcohol is Korean, sochu.
Equipment
- Tall Glass
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sochu, Jinro is my preferred brand. from Korea
- ¼ cup fruit juice, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, grape, work well
- ¾ cup club soda
- ice cubes, as needed
Instructions
- Add the first three ingredients to a tall glass, add ice to fill, stir, and enjoy.
Cheese Ball VI
This recipe is from an extensive cookbook titled Favorite Recipes, compiled by the active and retired employees of Michigan Bell in 1981.
Ingredients
- 3 packages cream cheese, softened, (8 oz / 226 g each)
- 1 jar pimento, drained well, diced
- spring onion, finely chopped, as desired
- 1 jar dried beef, cut into squares, (2½ oz / 71 g)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, pimento, and spring onion. Mix together well.
- Form into a ball.
- Place squares of dried beef on entire ball, overlapping squares.
- Serve and enjoy.
