this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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Asklemmy

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Corn and beans, 3 ingredients. 1 cup dried beans (around 50 cents), 1 can of TJ cut corn (89 cents), 1.5 cups water. Pressure cook the beans and water for 30 minutes. Release pressure or wait for it to drop by itself depending on how impatient you are. Stir in the corn.

Before you stirred in the corn, the just-cooked beans were boiling hot, but since the corn was at room temperature, the whole mix now is nice and warm but not scalding, so you can eat it right away. Nourishing (natural protein combination), low sodium, vegan, tasty, cheap, hard to beat.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Sometimes some pasta sauce if I have some. I had a bag of tomato powder a while back and used that, but it wasn't so great. A 6 oz can of tomato paste works pretty well except it feels stupid to open the little tiny can and spoon the paste out.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Lentil soup is my favourite

  1. Lentils (any colour)
  2. Diced carrot
  3. Diced celery
  4. Diced onion
  5. Half a diced sweet potato

Chili mac is also really good

  1. Macaroni
  2. Can of crushed or diced tomatoes (or marinara sauce if you prefer)
  3. Ground beef or your vegan alternative of choice
  4. Taco seasoning
  5. Chili powder to taste
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Not vegetarian but ground turkey works great. Better for the environment and the wallet.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

Under 5 ingredients? Farikal.

3 kg lamb meat 3 kg cabbage 8 tsp whole, black peppercorns 4 tsp salt 600 ml water

That's 5 ingredients. Including salt, pepper and water. As an asian, I was dubious about this, but it packs and amazing amount of flavour from so few ingredients. Serve with baked/boiled/mashed potatoes, or bread, and a cold beer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Cilantro pulled chicken.

Chicken breasts, Pace Salsa (hot natch, cilantro.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 days ago (2 children)

We should have a "what should i cook tonight?" community! Deciding what to make is the hardest part!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

You can make one:))

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

A change that was truly freeing for our family was to decide on just a few repeating standard meals. We did one night for tacos, one for some kind of fish, and one for some frozen food. Depending on how quickly you get bored, you can make the same or different things within those general outlines, but it helped narrow the decision tree at least for those nights.

After some time, we expanded to an even more thoroughly planned schedule, but that's not where I would try to start. Just a loose schedule for some go-to meals that aren't too repetitive but also don't require too much energy to plan, prep, and make. Then you have more energy for deciding on other nights, or some basis for planning the other nights if that's what you want.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Stew or Roast

Pkt of either stew or roast seasoning (or brown gravy pkt if you're out of the other stuff)

Meat, cut up for stew or whole for roast

Potatoes, cut however you prefer

Baby carrots on top

That's it.

Slow cook on low all day or high for 4 hrs.

Use the juice to make gravy (add a little cornstarch or flour and bring to a boil)

Enjoy!

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 days ago

Chicken and rice. Season chicken legs and sear it in the pressure cooker then throw some water in and veggies of your choosing. Pressure cook for like 10 - 15 min. Take the chicken out then throw some rice in and cook for another 10 min.

Boom tender juicy chicken with flavorful rice.

[–] DrainKikoLake 21 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Pulled pork:

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced, on the bottom layer
  • A piece of pork (shoulder is probably best but I've also done tenderloin), trimmed
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce poured over the meat

Cook about 3-4h on high or 6-8ish on low. Remove pork, shred with a fork, return to slow cooker & stir everything up together before serving.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

As an alternative to the bbq sauce: hot sauce (cayenne based usually), spicy brown mustard, and some (apple cider) vinegar

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Curry.

  • curry paste
  • coconut cream
  • whatever veggies and legumes you have
  • a side of rice
[–] Manitobruh 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Love that idea. Not sure why I never thought of making curry in the slow cooker! Do you used dried beans/legumes? Or canned/soaked?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Beans take a really long time to cook, so I like lentils better. But I do have cans of beans and of chickpeas sometimes

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Sous vide French dip. I'm actually making this now.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

brazilian beans.

  • a cup or two of beans soaked overnight (discard the soaking water). you can make with black beans, but i prefer pinto (whoa)
  • 1 or 2 clovers of garlic
  • 1 or 2 large onions
  • salt
  • water or a stock of your choice (works better with meat or vegetable stock)

sautΓ©e the diced garlic and onions in cooking oil or lard until golden. add the strained beans, about a teaspoon of salt, cover with water or stock up to 1.5, 2 cm above the beans. cook for about 30 min in a pressure cooker over low fire. after done, mash some beans to free some starch to the broth and adjust the salt to your liking. serve with some white rice, lettuce and tomato salad, and a protein of your choice (steak with onions, roasted chicken, fish fillet, sausages, pork steak, schnitzel, fried egg and veggie patties are popular choices).

if enough broth is left over, it can be served on its own as soup on small cups, often with some drops of the hot sauce of your choice (tabasco, jalapeΓ±o, sriracha). this is called "caldinho", or little broth, and goes well accompanying beer, caipirinha, mojito or daiquiri.

you can also add some other things to boost your beans. popular choices are diced tomatoes or tomato paste, diced bell peppers, winter squash cubes, green onions, cilantro, parsley, powdered cumin, bacon or jerky cubes, diced sausages, or roasted meat/pork leftovers.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

also: add a bayleaf while you cook it. and eat with rice.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

well remembered, a bayleaf is essential.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

lentils, featuring onion and garlic

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Tip: get frozen veggies mixes, it'll make your life easier

Dutch Pea Soup

  • A fuck ton of split peas (soak overnight)
  • Broth
  • Smoked sausage
  • Bacon
  • Veggies
  • Season to taste

Day Chili

  • Can of beans
  • Can of chickpeas
  • Can of tomatoes
  • Veggies (I like squash, corn, parsnips)
  • I guess you can add meat if you really want
  • Season to taste (use a shit ton of chili powder and cumin)

Really you can make just about any soup with a base of broth or tomatoes, veggies, and whatever else you want to toss in. Most of the flavor is gonna be in the seasoning. The slow cooker will draw out the water in the veggies so you need less broth than you may think.

[–] Shadow 13 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Chicken fried rice. It's a few more than 5 ingredients, but it's all easy prep.

https://therecipewell.com/instant-pot-chicken-fried-rice/

The texture isn't quite right since its not actually fried, but the flavor is solid. I make double and freeze in portioned baggies.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Thanks! Think you could pull some of of the freezer and fry it?

[–] Shadow 3 points 3 days ago

Probably. I'm just lazy and microwave it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago
  • chickpeas (canned bc im lazy)
  • garam masala
  • tomato sauce
  • coconut milk
  • water/broth if needed

you can serve with rice or bread, or eat them on their own

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

sausage & peppers & onions

just chop them up or don't.. and throw them all in. Sometimes I add sweet potato and or lentils

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago
[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Carnitas

  • Pork shoulder
  • Oranges
  • Limes
  • Salt
  • Oregano

Dump it all in a pot, come back in 4 hours. Optionally, crisp it up in a pan or under broiler.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Few more ingredients but my carnitas have always been a crowd pleaser

  • Pork shoulder
  • Coke
  • Orange juice
  • Chicken stock
  • Canned Chipotles in adobo
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Spices - I mix it up a bit, but salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and oregano will usually get you there. Packet or two of taco seasoning would probably do the trick as well

I tend to eyeball everything, but usually about a 12oz can of coke, oj and stock until it looks right, one onion chopped up, however many cloves of garlic I feel like peeling and chopping

If the pork shoulder fits I do it in a pressure cooker on high about 2 hours, if it doesn't I do it significantly longer in a slow cooker

When it's falling apart, pull the bones out, shred (I like to use a mixer)

Then like you, crisp it up under the broiler, and maybe mix in some of the cooking liquid

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Salsa chicken. It's chicken, a bit of taco seasoning, then salsa. Cooked for 4 hours on high.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

I have a variant of this I love. 2-3 lbs Chicken breast coated in taco seasoning and enough chicken broth to cover most of it. Cook on high for 3 hours. Drain the liquid, add half a block of cream cheese and half a cup of salsa, shred the chicken and add it to the now melted goo in the pot. Stir and eat. You might need some time for it to heat back up.

My other favorite is a chuck roast and a big jar of pickled peppers. Cook it for 8 hours on low. Shred it, strain it onto toasted ciabatta rolls with a couple slices of provolone and Dijon mustard.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Do spices count as ingredients? My mother always pressed into me so much to have a stocked spice...drawer? Rack? Thing? that I don't think of them as a number for the recipe. "Of course I have black pepper, salt, oregano, bay leaves, etcetc" but I realize maybe I should count them before giving recipes!

[–] Manitobruh 4 points 2 days ago

Personally I think spices aren't the usual ingredient. Like a secondary that most people have on hand. I think ingredients are like bulkier items if that makes sense lol

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago
[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Any kind of meat with a can of Campbell’s cream of whatever flavour of soup, 1 pack dry onion soup mix and potatoes always turns out good.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

Do you eat meat? Big hunk o' pork is one of the favorite meals of my kids. Salt the meat then broil or sear it in a pan. Put it in the slow cooker. Use broth, water, or wine to deglaze the pan and pour that over the meat.

Cut a couple of garlic heads in half horizontally, you don't have to peel them. Toss them in.

Pour in the rest of the bottle of wine or box of broth, some orange juice is good too, lime if you didn't have wine. Or some vinegar works if you don't have lime. If you have cilantro put the stems in, if you don't, don't worry about it.

Close and cook on low all day. We usually have it with rice and black beans the first day, it's good in tortillas with salsa, good on nachos, good in enchiladas, it's just good

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago (4 children)

In my country we are used to eat every part of the animals so I have many recipes, but non you would like lol. Once I said my favorite dish ever was oxtail and people freaked out. Btw, Oxtail and potatoes in the pressure cooker is enough. Omg so goooooooood

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago

That's bizarre. Oxtail is pretty common in the states these days. At least in California. So good indeed!!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oxtail soup is amazing. I make it with a whole bottle of wine, and never eat it the first day. Unfortunately oxtail is very expensive here right now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

wow rrally? here is really cheap

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

So pricey I used short ribs instead the last time I made the soup, because it worked out cheaper! I don't know what is going on but they are. Enjoy it while you can, all the odds and ends that used to be cheap are not anymore, here.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Chicken soup.

Chicken stock, chicken, carrots, onion, celery. Add noodles if you like.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

don't even need chicken stock. If you cook the onions on bottom of pot first to brown, add chicken in and brown if you want then add all the other stuff + water. Add salt/pepper let it cook a while. This is literally how chicken stock is made. Onions + celery + carrots are called the holy trinity.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Pot Roast

  • beef/pork roast preferred
  • potatoes
  • carrots
  • celery
  • onion
  • radish
  • seasoning packet/stock & seasonings

I rarely have all of the ingredients, and proportions depend on what's on hand.

I could probably just say assorted root vegetables as one ingredient honestly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Red chili stew. Onions, tomatoes, beef, broth and chili flakes

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Ground beef and gravy over mashed potatoes. Simple and delicious. Open a cam of beans and you got a meal. Alternatively, ground beef and teriyaki sauce over rice.

[–] Mycatiskai 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I got to go to up to 7 ingredients and I'm counting the four mandatory veg as one ingredient (1 cup each of carrot, onion, celery and 1 tablespoon of diced garlic) that I call mirepoix.

African ground nut stew:

  • 10 chicken thighs
  • 4 cups of mirepoix
  • Large can of diced tomatoes
  • Can of tomato paste
  • Cup of chicken stock
  • 2 cups of mushrooms

-High pressure for 28 mins

Stir in 3 tablespoons of unsweetened peanut butter to thicken.

If you want to make it 8 ingredients then add hot sauce to taste.

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