Though we all love fresh-baked foods and complex casseroles, it can sometimes be too much work to commit to during the work week. You have to get out all kinds of dishes to measure everything out, combine it all in the right way and hope it turns out once it goes in the oven. As it turns out, you don’t always have to put so much effort in—you can use way fewer ingredients and still come up with delicious meals. Don’t believe us? We’ll show you! Here are 10 of the most delicious three-ingredient recipes we’ve ever come across.
1. Hazelnut Brownies
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of flour
Steps:
2. Add all your ingredients into a big bowl and mix it together until the batter turns smooth.
3. Pour the batter into a pan and smooth the top over with a spatula.
4. When it’s ready, bake it for about 15 minutes until a toothpick put in comes out cleanly. Let them cool off and set a bit before cutting in and enjoying!
2. Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of chilled vegetable shortening
2/3 cup of buttermilk
Steps:
2. Put two cups of flour in a big bowl and cut in your shortening with a pastry cutter. Keep cutting up the butter until it forms pea-sized lumps and stir in your buttermilk as well until it forms a rough dough.
3. Flour down a work surface and turn your dough out over it, kneading it several times so that it all comes together (without overworking it). Roll the dough out until it’s half an inch thick and cut it up with a two-inch biscuit cutter.
4. Move the biscuits onto a baking sheet and bake them for six to eight minutes until they turn golden brown.
5. Move the biscuits to a wire rack, let them cool and enjoy!
3. No-Stress Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
2 cups of pasta shells
1 cup of white cheddar cheese
Steps:
2. Cook it all for 20 minutes and stir it frequently, making sure you don’t boil the milk.
3. When the pasta is cooked al dente, take it off the heat and add in your cheese.
4. Stir everything up until it melts together. Add a little more milk if you want it creamier before adding salt and serving.
4. Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup of peanut butter
1 egg
Steps:
2. Stir all your ingredients together until they turn smooth.
3. When you’re ready, scoop the dough onto a Silpat or a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press into the top of the dough with a fork in both directions to flatten them down.
4. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes in the oven (this dough will not spread at all while cooking). When they’re done, let them cool for one to two minutes and enjoy!
5. Paleo Pancakes
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1/3 cup of coconut flour
Steps:
2. Next, put your bananas, eggs, coconut flour and two pinches of salt into a blender. Puree everything up until it turns smooth. Make sure you blend the batter until it turns thick but still liquid enough to pour.
3. When it looks good, brush your skillet with coconut oil and pour the batter in in three-inch circles. Move the skillet around to spread the batter into a wider circle and cook it for two to four minutes.
4. Flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook for another few minutes on the other side until both sides are golden brown.
5. When they’re done, add some jam or syrup if you wish and enjoy!
6. Chocolate Croissants
Ingredients:
1/2 package of puff pastry sheets
2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Steps:
2. Beat together your egg with a little bit of water in a bowl with a fork before setting it aside.
3. Next, flour down a work surface and turn out your pastry sheet onto it. Add a little flour and roll it into a 16-inch square.
4. Cut the sheet into four even rectangles and then cut the rectangles diagonally into triangles.
5. Put two teaspoons of chocolate chips in the middle of each triangle and roll each one up from the wider end first. Put the croissant with the seam-side down onto a baking sheet.
6. Bend each one with a crescent shape and brush the top of each one with your egg wash.
7. When they’re all ready, bake your croissants for 20 to 25 minutes and enjoy!
7. Orange Sorbet
Ingredients:
4-6 tablespoons of sugar
1-2 tablespoons of water
Steps:
2. Next, pour your sugar and a tablespoon of water into a small saucepan and heat it up on low so that the sugar dissolves.
3. When a syrup starts to form, add your orange juice and sweeten it to taste. Chill the juice for an hour or until it turns cold.
4. To turn it into sorbet, pour the liquid into a freezer-safe try and let it freeze a bit before taking it out and whisking it again to break up the ice crystals. Repeat this several times until it all thickens.
5. When the sorbet is the right consistency, scoop it into bowl and serve!
8. Pesto
Ingredients:
4 cups of basil
salt
pepper
Steps:
2. Add your salt and pepper and pulse the ingredients together to blend them. Keep blending it all up until it turns creamy.
3. Open the processor and taste it. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! If you’re using extra ingredients, you can always add in pine nuts and parmesan as well.
9. Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of fresh-ground pepper
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound of spaghetti
Steps:
2. Keep mashing until it forms a thick paste and spread it around evenly in the bowl.
3. Next, cook your pasta in boiling water until it’s al dente.
4. When the noodles are done, use tongs to to put the pasta in the sauce (keep the liquid in the pot). Stir it around until it’s well-coated.
5. Add some pasta water to the noodles and sauce as necessary to thin it out slightly. When you’re satisfied, serve with cheese and pepper!
10. Coca-Cola Glazed Chicken
Ingredients:
2 liters of Coca-Cola
soy sauce
water
salt
Steps:
2. Drain the water out of the pan and replace it with your Coca-Cola.
3. Simmer the chicken in the soda for about 30 minutes to make sure the flavor soaks into the meat. Add approximately one tablespoon of salt for each liter of Coca-Cola you use. Add three tablespoons of light soy sauce for each liter of Coca-Cola as well.
4. After the time is up, the remaining soda should be thick and syrupy and the wings will be coated. Serve them onto a plate and dig in!
As this list of dishes shows, you can make plenty of creative and delicious meals in the kitchen using only a few ingredients. Whether we’re talking about snacks, hearty meals or tasty desserts, this list should have plenty of ideas to keep you busy for a while. Before you say anything, we know that we bent the rules slightly on a few of these… but we’re not counting water, salt and pepper as ingredients in-and-of themselves. In any event, have you tried making any of these dishes for yourself? Which ones are your favorites? Let us know in the comments area below.
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