A Week of Impossibly Easy 3-Ingredient Dinners

When you want to fill your meal plan with incredibly easy dinners, there are several approaches you can take. Sticking with one-pan meals, slow cooker recipes, or things that cook up in record time are always good ideas. But at the top of my list is choosing dinner recipes that come together with the fewest amount of ingredients — preferably no more than three.

When your meal plan is stacked with three-ingredient dinners, the benefits are many. Not only does limiting the number of ingredients increase the likelihood you already have what you need in the kitchen, but it also guarantees that prep work, dirty dishes, and cook time will be kept to a minimum. This week’s meal plan is filled with easy, family-friendly dinners that each require just a few ingredients and totally deliver on satisfaction.

Boneless chicken breast, bold green goddess dressing, and crunchy radishes are all you need to bring this wholesome and vibrant skillet to the table, with no more than 30 minutes on the clock. Don’t have radishes? Baby turnips or kohlrabi would make a welcome substitute.

Get the recipe: Green Goddess Skillet Chicken and Veggies

Breakfast for dinner is a fun way to recharge in the middle of a busy week — especially when pancakes are on the menu. You’ll blitz together the ingredients (just oats, eggs, and cottage cheese) in the blender, then pour the batter into the hot skillet. The recipe makes enough pancakes to serve two, and is easy to scale up.

Get the recipe: 3-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Partner mild-mannered chicken breast with your favorite bottle of Caesar dressing (this is ours), and you’ve got a flavored-packed dinner the whole table will devour. Round out your meal with a simple salad, roasted potatoes, or rice to soak up the excess sauce.

Get the recipe: 3-Ingredient Baked Caesar Chicken

I can hardly think of a better way to end the week than with a bowl of super-cheesy pasta. Cacio e pepe feels fancy and like something you’d order at a restaurant, but this foolproof recipe shows you that it can actually be incredibly easy to make at home.

Get the recipe: Cacio e Pepe

Meal planning isn’t always easy — especially if you’re just getting started. But we’re firm believers that it’s the secret to stress-free weeknight dinners. We want to help you find inspiration and ease some of the pain points that come with getting dinner on the table night after night, whether you’re cooking one or a family of four or five. Every week we share a new meal plan solution specifically customized for you from reader requests or from a guest contributor, for Next Week’s Meal Plan!