Ideas for a Newbie Cook

Cooking takes a certain talent and flare. A lot of people decide to order out or eat out because it’s much easier than cooking for themselves. This can become a very expensive habit. What most people don’t realize is that they can save a lot of money by cooking at home, and that cooking can be really easy. Here are some things you can cook at home with five ingredients or less.

Chicken Drumsticks
Making chicken in the oven is one of the easiest things you can cook. A lot of chicken recipes only require that you put everything together in one pan and then pop it in the oven. The prep time is minimal and the cooking time is under 30 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, you can get yourself settled in for the night.

Making paprika chicken drumsticks is one of those easy meals. All you need is the chicken and the five ingredients and you are all set to go. They will come out flavorful and zesty. You can even add some veggies on the side, you will have a delicious meal.

Mini Cheeseburgers
Cheeseburgers are one of those meals that represents all four food groups. The bun is bread and cereal, the lettuce and onions and tomatoes are fruits and vegetables, the cheese is dairy, and the patty is meat and poultry. Also, it’s super easy to make. All you need is meat, cheese, and the fixings.

Make the patties and fry them in a pan or grill them out for about six to eight minutes. Build your burgers and you will have a well-balanced meal. Pair it with a really easy salad to add even more greens.

Salads
Salads are easy to make. There is nothing to cook. Some of the most filling salads have just a few ingredients and are very nutritious. Building salads off of butter lettuce or Boston bib adds a bit of flavor to the salad without the need of dressing. Throw in a few more ingredients like a cheese, an egg, avocado, and quinoa for a tasty and texture-rich dish that will satisfy your hunger.

You don’t have to worry about a flame, a stove, or burning anything. All you have to do is find a healthy salad dressing to round out the palette and sit and enjoy. If you do want to get a bit daring, bake some chicken or salmon in the oven and add it to your salad for some protein.

Salmon
Salmon is chock full of Vitamin A and very good for your eyes, skin, and hair. Salmon is also one of those fish with a natural flavor that is not fishy and can go with just about any side. All you have to cook salmon is pop it into the oven at the correct temperature and when the white albumin comes out of the bottom of the fish, it is ready to come out of the oven.

Roast some brussels sprouts in the oven at the same temperature for about 20 minutes, add some salt, and bake a sweet potato beforehand for about an hour. There you have a meal that is 100% nutritious and only has three ingredients, and takes very little effort to cook.

Baked Pasta
If you are in need of some comfort food, baked pastas are the best. They require just a handful of ingredients and after you mix it all together, you can walk away until the timer goes off. Pastas are filling, good for carb loading if you are going to be working out or running long distance the next day, and they require little effort.

An easy baked pasta recipe is to boil some ziti or your pasta of choice until it is ready and cooked. Next, take a casserole dish and put in the pasta with pasta sauce, sprinkle some cheese over the top with a little bit of basil and bake in the oven until the cheese is gooey, crisp on top and the dish is cooked all the way through. Let cool and then serve.

There are so many more fabulous recipes you can cook, but these are a start. After you get comfortable, get aggressive and try new recipes with a few more ingredients.