13 Quick and Easy 5-Ingredient Comfort Food Dinners for Fall

Honey Glazed Chicken
Photo: Adam Vaccarezza

The challenge: You need quick and easy weeknight dinners that don't take a lot of ingredients but still satisfy your craving for fall comfort food.

The solution: Try these hearty recipes that are ready in 30 minutes or less, and take only five ingredients to make (not counting salt, pepper, and oil). Your dinner dilemma is solved!

01 of 14

Four-Ingredient Red Curry Chicken

Four-Ingredient Red Curry Chicken
Culinary Envy

Ready in 30 minutes. Boneless chicken breasts are browned and simmered in a curry-laced coconut cream sauce while you boil rice noodles to stir into the mix. You do what Alex E. did and add broccoli for color and a vegetable component.

02 of 14

Spaghetti alla Carbonara: the Traditional Italian Recipe

Spaghetti alla Carbonara: the Traditional Italian Recipe
Buckwheat Queen

Ready in 30 minutes. "This dish was created in the Lazio region (the area around Rome) in the middle of the 20th century, after World War Two," says recipe submitter ivan zeta. "We don't use cream, milk, garlic, onions or other strange ingredients; we use only guanciale, eggs, pecorino cheese, and lots of black pepper (carbonaro is the Italian for coal miner). This isn't the Italian-American version, it's the real, creamy carbonara and it comes right from Italy, where I live. Buon appetito." You can use thick-cut bacon instead of guanciale (cured pork cheek) with satisfying results (we won't tell).

03 of 14

Honey Mustard Pork Chops

Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Francine

Ready in 30 minutes. You can follow the recipe and prepare this in a skillet, or do what SheShe1987 did and bake it. "Simple yet delish! I followed the recipe except I baked my chops in the oven on 375. My 4-year-old granddaughter ate two, and hubby was in love. I think I have found his new fav pork chop. LOL"

04 of 14

Honey Glazed Chicken

Honey Glazed Chicken
Adam Vaccarezza

Ready in about 20 minutes. Honey-sweetened soy sauce and a hit of red pepper flakes make up the pan sauce for this ridiculously easy dinner. KalenD says, "Super easy and tasty. Make this all the time. We stir fry some zucchini, squash, onions, and red bell peppers. Make some extra sauce to put on these veggies." Then she serves the whole thing over brown rice. So simple and good!

05 of 14

Argentinean Skirt Steaks

Argentinean Skirt Steaks
Photo by thedailygourmet.

Ready in 20 minutes. Recipe submitter LauraT says, "This is the most requested main dish in my house. Everyone loves it and that is a rare thing indeed! These steaks are almost too simple to believe and they turn out great every single time. So tender and flavorful - you just can't mess them up! The adobo seasoning is quite salty, so keep that in mind as you season the steaks."

06 of 14

Sausage and Bow-Tie Pasta Florentine

Sausage and Bow-Tie Pasta Florentine
Photo by biffclaven.

Ready in 30 minutes. Jarred alfredo sauce is your shortcut to this stick-to-your-ribs dinner. The recipe calls for hot Italian sausage, but you could use a milder sausage, if you wish. "This is a home run," says Sally. "Tastes great. Easy and doesn't take long. Great change from using tomato based sauce. Can be a complete meal on it's own or served with great bread and a salad."

07 of 14

Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli

Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli
Photo by Liv.

Ready in 25 minutes. This one's so easy, you won't even need a recipe after the first time you make it. Allrecipes community member bluenoser76 says, "Fast, easy, kid friendly dish. I added garlic, red peppers and sautéed chicken too. It was a hit and was ready in under 30 mins."

08 of 14

A Good Easy Garlic Chicken

A Good Easy Garlic Chicken

Ready in 20 minutes. MAMAJUDD raves, "Highly recommended for the busy mom/dad! What's better than a fast, easy to cook nutritious meal that the whole family loves?! I made this for the first time tonight, and my husband and kids loved it and asked when I will be making it again.

09 of 14

Easy Chorizo Street Tacos

Easy Chorizo Street Tacos
Allrecipes Magazine

Ready in about 20 minutes. For the taco filling, simply sauté crumbled chorizo sausage and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Then fill warm tortillas with the tasty mixture and top with chopped onion and fresh cilantro. So easy!

10 of 14

Roasted Salmon with White Wine Sauce

Roasted Salmon with White Wine Sauce
Photo by Chef Charlie Shunnarah.

Ready in 30 minutes. Feeling a little fancy but don't have a lot of time to cook? Try this simple roasted salmon with a buttery wine sauce. Jullyy4 has a tip for the wine you use: "The key to this sauce is the wine. I used a sweet wine with a slight fruity taste, nothing strong. The wine made the difference. I have never done anything like this and first time cooking salmon. Guests loved the sauce so much they ate it with a spoon."

11 of 14

Balsamic Ravioli

bowl of ravioli drizzled with a balsamic reduction
Allrecipes Magazine

Ready in about 30 minutes. To make this elegant dinner, you'll simply add cooked ravioli (choose your favorite filling) to a skillet with butter and balsamic vinegar, garnishing with toasted walnuts and Parmesan cheese.

12 of 14

5-Ingredient Mexican Casserole

5-Ingredient Mexican Casserole
Rock_lobster

This comforting savory pie preps in minutes and is on the table in 30. This is so easy and really a great meal," says Anonymous. "My husband would eat this every night if I let him. He always requests it."

13 of 14

Smoked Cheese Ravioli

Smoked Cheese Ravioli
Photo by Cristi.

Ready in 25 minutes. No, of course you're not going to make your own ravioli. Just pick up a bag of frozen and a couple of other ingredients from the dairy case, and you'll be feasting on this warm and creamy dish in mere minutes. It got rave reviews from Sas, who said, "This recipe was awesome! It's a very rich dish, naturally, and a little goes a long way. We added a bit of sauted prosciutto on top the first time we made it and it added a nice bit of saltiness. Excellent as written though!"

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