A thread of genuinely easy, quick, non-UPF recipes

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

Anyone up for it?

Stipulations being:
5 ingredients max. No ‘just add 6 herbs and spices..’
Quick - on the table in 30 minutes or less
No or minimal UPF ingredients
Preferably something kids won’t moan about too much!
Bonus points if it’s one pot or similar - who needs extra washing up!

Erm all recipes with whole foods only are non UPF, no? Why restrict to 5 ingredients?

I understand why fewer ingredients in shop shop bought food should have fewer ingredients but to restrict yourself to 5 at home doesn't make sense to me. The more variety of whole foods you can get into a meal the better in my opinion.

I'm guessing it's the quick and easy everyday bit.

Stir fry with noodles? We had soy sauce ginger and garlic cooked in with the veg, chicken and noodles. It's 5 ingredients if you use a bag of prepared veg- I used carrot, onion, bean sprouts, peppers and water chestnuts from a tin.

Yum.

Beetroot, boiled egg, cheese and horseradish salad.

Meat and two veg...

Pasta and pesto, if pasta is ok. Pesto is leaves, pinenuts Parmesan and a glug of oil and seasoning.

Following

Interested but don't have a lot to contribute.

Fritata?

Can’t promise it’s 5 ingredients but one pot chicken and chorizo (Is that UPF?) with rice and peppers. Uses Cajun spice……

Piperade, basically fry up peppers and garlic then scrambled through some eggs

Honey and lemon chicken

Chicken pieces, new potatoes cut in half, throw in baking tray. Squeeze over a lemon, add lemon slices, olive oil and a drizzle of honey. Roast. Serve with a steamed green veg.

Slice up some tomatoes, add olive oil, salt and pepper and pop in the microwave (you can add garlic or chili if you want). Put on top of a slice of thick cut sourdough toast, add some scrambled eggs on top of that (just eggs and butter).

I also do a chicken chorizo (sensing a theme…) tray bake. Onions, pots, celery, with chicken on top and Cajun/paprika. Peppers too , any veg really.

5 min soup. Protein, bag of stir fry veg, noodles, stock, soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Maybe a bit of chilli. Delicious healthy and super speedy.

Mac and cheese!

Flour, milk, butter, pasta, cheese + seasoning. 10m on the hob, 15m in the oven and two pans.

Feta, red onion and chicken tray bake:

Red onion, garlic cloves and new potatoes in a roasting tray. Drizzle with oil. Chicken thighs on top, salt, black pepper, more oil. Roast til done.

Top with lemon zest, lemon juice, optional dill.

Serve with either a harissa/yoghurt mix or I use sun-dried tomato paste for people who don't like spicy things, plus feta.

Definitely not 5 ingredients, and not quite 30 minutes but takes max 5 mins total intervention and on the table in 40 mins.

Not recipes but I make the following quite often

Crosta & mollica flatbread with chicken, spinach, tomatoes & olives (I know not of free) -as much organic as I can

Spag Bol or chilli with organic everything!

Jacket pots with various fillings & salad

Chestnut mushroom, pepper & cheese omelette/frittata

Red pepper cut in half top to bottom and de seeded (leave stalk on).
More or less fill each half with halved cherry tomatoes.
Chop a garlic clove and sprinkle half on each pepper.
Chop tinned anchovies and sprinkle about a quarter of a tin on each pepper.
Pour a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in each half
Bang it in the oven at 180 for 30 mins.

I serve it on a bed of couscous with toasted pine nuts and fresh a coriander.

The prep takes about 5 mins and it’s absolutely lush - might be a bit savoury / umami for kids though

For myself, nothing is quicker, and easier than fried eggs, and homemade chips.

A few more than 5 ingredients but these are so quick and easy - https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/spicy-carrot-and-chickpea-pitta-pocket
We add halloumi too and normally use wraps instead of pittas.

Another one is orzo - cook as per instructions, add peas & spinach while cooking and when that's all cooked stir in cheddar cheese and add olives. It couldn't be easier and DC love it

Just to quickly address the 'no 5 spices issue'...

The best shortcuts are to visit an Asian supermarket or the world foods section if shopping online.
Jars of crushed garlic and ginger in oil are the best helpmate ever. And, after every spoonful you dollop out, top up again with olive oil to a) keep airtight b) have fabulous flavoured oil for garlic bread or pizzas, gratins, drizzling over things, with zero work.

Echo the cajun spice mix reference above. That stuff works hard in this house for wedges, chicken, chilli, you name it.

Two things, most bases covered.

Not 5 ingredients but

Chicken orzo - onion, garlic, chicken breasts, sundried tomatoes, spinach, orzo, chicken stock, cream/milk

Buddha bowls / aussie bowls with a grain, green, protein and dressing

Salmon pastry parcels with pesto, greens, potato wedges.

Homemade curry can be as easy or complicated as you like, eg whatever meat, tinned toms, curry powder.

Any stirfry with a homemade sauce.

Orzo pasta with pesto, chopped raw salad veggies then serve with grilled chicken/grilled fish or just with feta.
loads of Sarah Rossi ‘what’s for dinner. We like the get well soon soup (lentil soup), cauliflower cheese soup, frittata, pot pie in a pinch (but does include ready made puff pastry which is probs upf), no stir chorizo risotto, fish pie in a flash, one pot Cajun chicken and rice, zesty lamb pittas, pork and apple burgers.
i also eat a lot of eggs- poached, scrambled With spices or omelette. Also make loads of dahls from scratch.

Egg fried rice. cook brown rice. Meanwhile chop pepper. Fry with egg add sweetcorn and peas and feta

Pasta with tomatoes and chickpeas cook paste and

Fry onions &garlic and cumin, add tin of tomatoes cook for 15 mins add chickpeas for 3 mins.

Dhal (cook orange lentils, fry onions garlic and ginger, add together cook for longer. Serve with rice and yoghurt. (If want to add any or all of lemon, cumin and salt)

Chicken thighs, peppers, whole tomatoes, garlic in oven, serve with boiled new potatoes.

Omelette (egg, cheese,) celeriac (in air frier) bag of salad.

Salmon - poached in microwave.
Green beans/new potatoes

Salade Niçoise

Pasta Primavera

Fish with new potatoes & broccoli (or any green vegetable)

New potatoes, asparagus and eggs bake

Shakshuka

Mushroom stroganoff served with rice or tagliatelle

Oven baked risotto (a MN favourite recipe)

Pure butter puff pastry (I buy Dorset pastry )sheet topped with pesto,prosciutto,mozzarella and tomatoes
Bake for 15 minutes in a hot oven- serve with salad.

Risotto of any sort- rice,wine,stock,Parmesan,shallots.

Chicken thighs tray bake- thighs,sweet potatoes,red onions, peppers and mixed herbs

Garlic mushrooms in cream and mustard on sour dough bread

Jacket potatoes

Cheese on sourdough

Linguine with tomato,garlic ,chilli and olive oil

Linguine with smoked salmon,cream ,peas and lemon zest

Cut the 'lids' off several red & yellow peppers.

Mix some good quality butcher's sausage meat, some chopped garlic and parsley. Stuff the sausage meat inside the peppers, put the lids back on, put in an oven dish and bake for 30 mins. Put a wholemeal garlic baguette in the oven beside the peppers. Bake for another 15 mins.

Five ingredients, five mins prep, one dish. The peppers go sweet and gooey and garlicky. 🙂 My ds(15) loves them.