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1. pasta
2. canned san marzano tomatoes
3. basil
4. onion
5. parmesan cheese

= pasta pomodoro. exactly 5! (again, not including olive oil & s/p)

short pasta
beans
tomato puree
sage
garlic

This gives you pasta e fagioli, as eaten with joy throughout Tuscany :)

There is also 'Peposo':
beef
crushed tomatoes
garlic
(for this one you actually need to count salt and pepper as ingredients, to get five!)

Pasta, fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella.

To change the dish, the fifth ingredient can be shrimp, chicken, shallots, scallions, olives, garlic, green peas, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, sausage or bacon.

The fresh basil could be subbed with oregano, tarragon, thyme, marjoram or parsley; or you could use a dried herb, a spice mix, or even a hot pepper. If you use a dried herb, you'd need to start it with the tomatoes rather than tossing it in at the last second with the mozzarella.

The cheese could be feta for a mediterranean flavor, or you could grate just about any other cheese on top for serving. If you use the fresh mozz, you cube it and add it just after the pasta meets the sauce. Toss it through and serve.

Or take the cheese out and use two of the optionals.

If your spice of choice had a cajun flavor, you could put this over rice instead of pasta. Or use coucous, bulghur, or anything else that sounds good.

I guess the only thing I didn't offer a substitute for was the tomatoes. That's easy. Use a pesto instead. Okay, pesto is a blend of inredients, but if you just happen to have some on hand, it feels like one ingredient. Hmmm, I suppose you could also sub mushrooms for the tomatoes, and maybe use a creamy substance instead of the cheese. Like mushrooms and sour cream....

So how many recipes is that. Can you tell that I'm hungry and I haven't decided what I want yet?

- toasted bread rounds
- leftover roast beef /or/ pastrami /or/ corned beef
- horseradish
- mayo
- fresh rosemary

mix the h-r, mayo and chopped fresh rosemary with LOTS of cracked pepper, spread generously over th toasted rounds and top with the beef! This is one of my favourite default meals when served with steamed veggies like green beans, spinach or asperagus :)

Good luck!

tortellini, ravioli, OR gnocchi
+ chopped veggies (I used zucchini & onion, but you could do just one or whatever is on hand)
+ chicken broth
+ crushed tomatoes
+ cooked chicken, cut into pieces
=
filling soup. you could always sub out the meat for extra vegetables (if 5 is set in stone for some reason), but either way, soup :)

*whole chicken
*potatoes (sweet, regular, both, or any other root veg combo)
*garlic
*rosemary

Olive oil, s & p.

You've got a one-roasting-pan-meal of roast chicken & root veg.

Oh, and since I just posted a recipe:

*scallions
*sesame oil
*spinach
*bay scallops
*white miso paste

miso soul with spinach and scallops.

Japanese curry rice
- Japanese curry bricks
- beef
- potatoes
- carrots
- celery

Chili
- beef
- beans
- celery
- tomatoes
- chili powder

Tempura
- tempura batter mix (flour)
- egg
- water
- your choice of what you want deep fried (shrimp, shredded cabbage, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, etc.)
(oh crud, the dipping sauce -- soy sauce and lots of grated daikon)

(really simple) Okonomiyaki
- flour
- egg
- shredded cabbage
Sauce
- tonkatsu sauce
- mayonnaise

Yes, I hate onions. :P

Thanks for the topic...I found it quite the mental exercise to consider what could be done with only 5 ingredients and on the flip side how limited you can be as well.

@dbcurrie...I was thinking cheeseburger while reading the all the responses only to find out you'd beaten me too it...good job :)

A couple of my 5 ingredient ideas...other than cheeseburgers...

Pita Bread...cut into wedges and toasted with olive oil and black pepper

Dip for Pita Chips: Cannellini Beans pureed with Olive oil, roasted garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, salt and thyme or rosemary.

makes for a nice light meal that goes great with a glass or two of wine.

Pie Shell, Eggs, Cream, Asparagus, Fontina = simple Quiche...obviously you can make hundreds of combinations by substituting ingredient X for the asparagus and cheese Y for the Fontina...I'm always amazed at how simple some dishes are.

-Brown 1/2# of lamb sausage, then cut into coins. Set aside.
-Sautee a diced large onion (does olive oil count as an ingredient?)
-Add one large can of diced tomatoes
-bring to boil then set to simmer
-Add sausage, one large can of white beans, and a bag of frozen spinach
-Simmer for 20-30 minutes

Arugula sauteed in olive oil, salt, pepper
seared sea scallops
deglaze pan with sherry
add butter & garlic

pile Arugula on plate
place sea scallops around pile
drizzle pan sauce of garlic/sherry/butter over scallops

Whoops, that wouldn't work -- skip the butter so you can use stock.

I got one: French Onion chicken and the 5 ingredients INCLUDE two side dishes. Here they are:

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
French onions
1 egg
green beans
brown rice

Hillary
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