The five 5-ingredient meals to make this week

Heads up! The number of ingredients in the recipes below don't include the staples we assume that, at any given time, are in your fridges and pantries. These ingredients include olive oil and butter, bread, milk, flour, vinegars, garlic, chilli, onion, lemon, salt and pepper.

Gnocchi with creamy cheese-and-parsley sauce and peas

This creamy green sauce is a great way to use up frozen peas, as well as any wilty soft herbs you have lying around. Swap the spinach for kale if that's what you have, and serve this on top of your choice of pasta if gnocchi isn't to hand (although making your own is a great weekend project). 
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Number of ingredients: 4
Get the recipe here.

Potato-crusted baked hake with smashed peas

Looking for inspired ways to cook that frozen fish? Well, look no further. This one-pan number is interesting, wholesome and comforting.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Number of ingredients: 4
Get the recipe here.

Easy chicken tray bake – 2 ways

While the grain salad tips the ingredients number up, the handful of basics required to make this chicken makes this a back pocket recipe for sure. If you have the ingredients for the salad, then you should make it, but otherwise serve the chicken alongside some potato wedges or brown rice dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ marinating time
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Number of ingredients: 5 (excluding the optional side salad)
Get the recipe here.

Chicken frikkadels with creamy beans and spinach

This recipe uses chicken meatballs, but you could any meatballs of your choosing here, including falafels if you have them (or made them with all those chickpeas you had in the cupboard). Not into a meatball? Herby pork or chicken sausages would also be a winning substitution here.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Number of ingredients: 4
Get the recipe here.

Tomato bredie with chicken

Tomato bredie might feel like it requires a long list of ingredients, when in fact, it's just chicken and some tins of tomato. Double this and freeze half for a future dinner when you don't feel like cooking.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Number of ingredients: 4
Get the recipe here.