Archive for the ‘5 Ingredients or Less’ Category
Meatball Dinner
This is a basic dinner to put together, easy for a weekday meal for a family or quickly prepared by senior citizens. I based this guide on Kroger brand meatballs, which I think are excellent in taste and value. Stated here will be a good meal for 3 people with leftovers that you can add to to make another meal. The meatballs are based on 4 oz per serving, or four 1 oz meatballs per serving. Use a store brand, or homemade, for the items and that is a money saver as well. The nice thing about this meal is that all the items are prepared at the same time. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 225 grams dry egg noodles, (8 oz)
- 2 packets beef gravy mix, Shortcut
- 12 frozen meatballs, 1 oz each, Shortcut
- vegetable of choice, frozen or canned, for a side dish
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil, add the egg noodles and cook until tender, drain.
- While the noodles are cooking, go ahead and prepare the gravy as listed on the package, and heat up the canned or frozen vegetables, I used the stove top for this or you can use your microwave, up to you. Count out the meatballs, add some extras, and heat those per the package instructions as well.
- Serve, ladle gravy over the meatballs and egg noodles, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Beef Gravy Mix, Frozen Meatballs.
Variants: 1. Use mashed potatoes in place of egg noodles. 2. Use your own cooked and frozen meatballs for this.
Jon's Mac & Cheese
This recipe comes from my brother in law, Jon, and I must say, this is excellent Mac & Cheese and one of my favorites! And only 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry elbow macaroni, (1 lb / 16 oz)
- 8 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided, (about 1 kilo / 2 lbs / 32 oz)
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter, (1/2 block / 1 stick)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a pyrex 9x13 baking dish with butter.
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling then add the macaroni and cook until just tender.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the whipping cream and eggs to a mixing bowl and mix with a whisk.
- When the pasta is just tender, pour into a colander to drain then add the butter to the pot and put back on heat to melt.
- When the butter is melted, return the drained pasta to the pot and add the whipping cream mixture. Stir together.
- Add 4 cups of the cheese and mix until the cheese is melted in.
- Pour pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with the remaining 4 cups of cheese. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
- Slice into 8 squares, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
I will price this when I make this in Thailand, for now this is a fair cost per serving dish in Thailand.
Provided by my brother in law, Jon Bargeman.
United States.
United States.
"Canned" BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
This is a low budget recipe specifically for using commodity canned pork. No measurements, except for the canned pork, given, as this is a make as much as you want recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 can pork, or more cans, (1½ lb / 24 oz / 680 g each can)
- BBQ sauce, your choice
- hamburger buns, or bread of your choice
- dill pickle slices, optional, as desired
- cheese, optional, as desired
Instructions
- Open and drain a can of pork. Place pork in a saucepan and scrape off and discard any fat. Break up pork with sturdy spoon and place on medium heat. I used 2 cans of pork as I was feeding a get together of 5 people.
- Once the pork is heated through, add BBQ sauce as you desire and stir that in. Stir often until pork is heated through.
- Serve on hamburger buns or bread of your choice, with optional cheese and or pickles. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Italian Chicken
This is a stir fry and sounds tasty. On my to make and taste list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing, Shortcut
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed, (1 lb)
- 500 grams frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed, drained, (1 lb)
Instructions
- In a large non stick pan, heat the dressing, soy sauce, and garlic powder, when hot, add the chicken and stir fry, and stir fry until the chicken is just cooked through.
- Stir in the vegetables, stir fry until the vegetables are bright, crisp, and heated through.
- Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Italian Dressing.
Variant: 1. Use 3 cups of chopped fresh bell peppers and snow peas in place of frozen vegetables, and stir fry until tender yet crisp.
Recipe was cut from a magazine several years ago.
Catalina Chicken
This is a stir fry and sounds tasty. On my to make and taste list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup catalina dressing, Shortcut
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed, (1 lb)
- 500 grams frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed, drained, (1 lb)
Instructions
- In a large non stick pan, heat the dressing, soy sauce, and garlic powder, when hot, add the chicken and stir fry, and stir fry until the chicken is just cooked through.
- Stir in the vegetables, stir fry until the vegetables are bright, crisp, and heated through.
- Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Catalina Dressing.
Variant: 1. Use 3 cups of chopped fresh bell peppers and snow peas in place of frozen, and stir fry until tender yet crisp.
Recipe was cut from a magazine several years ago.
Creamy Chicken Broccoli Skillet
This sounds like a great skillet dish, on my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed, (1 lb)
- 1 bag frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained, (10-12 oz / 283-340 g bag)
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz / 250 g)
Instructions
- Heat the mayo in a large non stick pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until just cooked through.
- Add the drained broccoli and toss with the chicken or stir fry until the broccoli is bright green.
- Stir in the cheese, and stir until melted.
- Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Use 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli in place of frozen.
Recipe was cut from a magazine several years ago.
Super Supper
This is a casserole from years ago, my Mom gave me this recipe she clipped from a newspaper probably 30 years ago. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo lean ground beef, (2 lbs)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 bag tater tots, (32 oz / 2 lb / 907 g)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease with butter a 9x13 baking dish.
- Break up the ground beef and place in the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle the onion over the beef.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the soup and water, then pour over the beef and onion.
- Add the tater tots to the top.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes. As the tots start to brown push them down with a fork into the sauce.
- When the beef is cooked through and the tots browned, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Clipped from a newspaper about 30 years ago.Â
Chocolate Cake Milkshake
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. Excellent milkshakes! My family loved these, these I will make again! Feel free to use your favorite chocolate cake for this or use the one stated in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 slice Rich Chocolate Cake, â…› cake slice, Shortcut
- ½ cup cold milk
- 2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream
- whipped topping, optional
- maraschino cherries, optional
Instructions
- For the cake, cut a round layer cake into 8 slices, use 1 slice per milkshake. Here my cake is marked for the 8 slices.
- Place a slice of cake, milk, and ice cream in a blender, blend until the cake is just mixed in and the mixture is not quite smooth.
- Pour into a glass, enjoy. Optionally, top with some whipped topping and a maraschino cherry.
Notes
Shortcut: Rich Chocolate Cake.
Tart Cherry Cottage Cheese Salad
I made this on a whim and it turned out better than expected. Highly recommended if you like tart cherries. The cottage cheese salads I have made always used crushed pineapple, so I decided to change it up. This recipe uses canned tart cherries, not sure if those are available in Thailand so I will look after I return and report back on that. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can tart cherries, in water, (15 oz / 425 g can)
- 1 box black cherry gelatin, small box, 3 oz if using Jello brand
- 1 tub Cool Whip whipped topping, (8 oz / 250 g)
- 1 containter Cottage cheese, (1 lb / 500 g), Shortcut
Instructions
- Open and drain the cherries, place on a cutting board and cut each cherry in half, then drain them again.
- Place the cherries, cottage cheese, and gelatin powder in a mixing bowl.
- Stir together until the color is uniform.
- Fold in the whipped topping but do not over mix.
- You can leave the salad in the mixing bowl, or do as I did and spoon into a serving dish, I used a 1 1/2 quart glass serving dish. Cover and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut:Â Cottage Cheese.
My spin on a classic cottage cheese salad, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Some Mores II
You may be familiar with the more popular version of this name, "S'mores" which is a contraction of the phrase "some more". "Graham Cracker Sandwich" was the term used when the recipe was published by the Campfire Marshmallow Company in the 1920's, then appeared as "Some More" when published in a cookbook for the Girl Scouts in 1927, and the term "S'mores" was used in 1938 in a cookbook aimed for summer camps, and was popular in both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. In 1957, the recipe for "S'mores" appears in a Betty Crocker cookbook. A s'more is basically a graham cracker topped with a toasted marshmallow and some chocolate bar. This recipe is just marshmallow cream sandwiched between graham crackers and dipped in melted almond bark, easy and simple. Since no toasted marshmallows are used, these could also be called "Moon Pies" which were created in 1917. Regardless of any name you wish to use, they are easy and tasty. Measurements are approximate, this is a make what you want guide.
Ingredients
- 1 pack graham crackers, (3 packs in a box, use 1 of those packs)
- 1 jar marshmallow cream, (7 oz / 198 g), you will use about 1/2 of that
- 750 grams almond bark, (aka chocolate coating, 1 1/2 lbs)
Instructions
- Setup a double boiler, place on low heat, and add the almond bark. Allow the bark to melt, and stir the coating once in a while as it melts.
- As the chocolate is melting, open the pack of crackers, following the lines on the crackers, break each cracker in half, then break each half in half, resulting in 4 rectangular crackers from each large cracker. Place crackers on a plate and place in the fridge to chill. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- When the bark is fully melted and smooth, remove the crackers from the fridge. Drop a cracker in the bark, turn it with a fork and coat all sides, lift the cracker out with the fork, scrape off the excess bark from the bottom of the fork and place the cookie back on the foil. Repeat until all crackers are coated. Place the sheet in the fridge to chill.
- Once the crackers are chilled, about 30 minutes to an hour, simply spread marshmallow cream on a cracker then top with another cracker, place on a serving tray. Repeat until all the crackers are used.
- Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate unused crackers.
Notes
Cost per serving would be based on location for these. Low cost per serving in the US, this would be costly in Thailand as 2 out of 3 items would have to be bought at high end western stores.
Just something I made on a whim, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
