I made 6 five-ingredient vegan meals — here’s what was worth repeating

Some weeks, the grocery list gets away from me. Between recipe testing, family dinners, and the occasional late-night snack attack, I find myself juggling 17 different jars of spices and half a dozen sauces that never quite make sense together.

So I gave myself a challenge: six meals, six days, five ingredients each. No more, no less. The goal? To see if plant-based cooking could stay simple without slipping into bland.

Here’s what I cooked, what worked, what flopped—and which recipes I’ll be repeating.

1. Smoky chickpea tacos

The first night, I leaned on my family roots: tacos. Chickpeas may not be what my grandmother spooned into tortillas, but they crisp up beautifully with a little garlic and smoked paprika. A mound of crunchy cabbage on top? Instant weeknight fiesta.

Recipe

Serves 2–3

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tsp smoked paprika 
• 4–6 small tortillas 
• 1 cup shredded cabbage (or slaw mix)

Method

1. Mash chickpeas roughly with a fork. 
2. Heat a skillet with a splash of oil; sauté garlic until fragrant. 
3. Stir in chickpeas, paprika, salt, and a few spoonfuls of water. Cook until warmed and slightly crisped. 
4. Pile into tortillas with cabbage. Add hot sauce or lime if you’ve got it.

Verdict: These were crunchy, smoky, and lively—absolutely worth repeating.

2. Tomato-coconut curry

Curry is my go-to comfort food, so night two felt like cheating. Lentils, tomatoes, and coconut milk do most of the heavy lifting. The trick? Letting it simmer until it thickens into something velvety enough to spoon over rice.

Recipe

Serves 3–4

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced 
• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed 
• 1 can crushed tomatoes 
• 1 can coconut milk 
• 1 tbsp curry powder

Method

1. Sauté onion in a pot until soft. 
2. Add lentils, tomatoes, curry powder, and 2 cups of water. Simmer for 15 minutes. 
3. Stir in coconut milk; cook until lentils are tender and curry is thick. 
4. Serve with rice or flatbread.

Verdict: Cozy and filling, though it begged for cilantro or ginger. I’d tweak this one before making it again.

3. Zucchini fritters with lemon yogurt

By midweek, I was craving something crisp. Enter zucchini fritters. The magic is in squeezing out every drop of liquid before frying—the difference between soggy pancakes and golden-edged marvels.

Recipe

Serves 2–3

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, grated 
• ½ cup chickpea flour (or all-purpose flour) 
• 1 flax “egg” (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water) 
• 1 lemon (zest + juice) 
• ½ cup non-dairy yogurt

Method

1. Squeeze excess water from zucchini with a towel. 
2. Mix zucchini, flour, flax egg, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. 
3. Heat a skillet with oil; spoon batter into rounds, pressing slightly. Cook until golden on both sides. 
4. Stir lemon juice into yogurt for dipping.

Verdict: Crispy edges, tangy sauce, and a snackable vibe. This one’s staying in my rotation.

4. BBQ jackfruit sandwiches

Pulled pork used to be a staple at my family’s taquería. These days, jackfruit is my barbecue muse. Tossed with onions and a punchy sauce, it practically melts into the bun.

Recipe

Serves 2–3

Ingredients

• 1 can young green jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed 
• ½ onion, sliced 
• ½ cup BBQ sauce 
• 2–3 sandwich buns 
• Pickles, to serve

Method

1. Shred jackfruit with fingers or a fork. 
2. Sauté onion until soft, add jackfruit, and cook a few minutes. 
3. Stir in BBQ sauce and simmer until sticky. 
4. Pile onto buns with pickles.

Verdict: Juicy, messy, and crowd-pleasing. But the flavor depends on your BBQ sauce, so choose wisely.

5. Creamy avocado pasta

This was the quickest dish of the week. Think of it as guacamole meeting spaghetti: bright, silky, and surprisingly filling. Perfect for summer nights when the stove feels like a punishment.

Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 8 oz pasta of choice 
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Cook pasta until al dente, reserving ½ cup cooking water. 
2. Blend avocado, garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. 
3. Toss pasta with sauce, loosening with reserved water if needed. 
4. Top with red pepper flakes or basil if you have them.

Verdict: Green, glossy, and refreshing—definitely worth repeating.

6. Sheet-pan maple mustard tofu

The finale was all about balance: maple syrup and mustard over tofu and vegetables. Roast until caramelized, and you’ve got a tray dinner that feels both indulgent and wholesome.

Recipe

Serves 3–4

Ingredients

• 1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed 
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 
• 2 tbsp maple syrup 
• 2 carrots, sliced into sticks 
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Whisk mustard, maple, 1 tbsp oil, salt, and pepper. 
3. Toss tofu and vegetables in sauce on a lined sheet pan. 
4. Roast 25–30 minutes, stirring once, until tofu is golden and veggies caramelized.

Verdict: Sweet, savory, and deeply satisfying. This sheet-pan trick is staying in my back pocket.

Lessons learned from five ingredients

By the end of the week, I realized five ingredients don’t have to mean five flavors. The real difference came from:

1. Pantry staples as sidekicks. Salt, pepper, oil, and rice weren’t counted toward my limit, but they made everything work. 
2. Techniques that multiply flavor. Roasting, searing, or simply squeezing out zucchini water transformed humble ingredients. 
3. Leaning into seasonality. When vegetables are at their peak, you don’t need a dozen accents.

Why it matters

Keeping meals simple isn’t just about saving time—it’s about impact.

• Health: Quick, balanced recipes make it easier to stay plant-based day to day. 
• Climate: Fewer ingredients mean less food waste and a lighter footprint. 
• Community: Simplicity invites more people into the kitchen. When plant-based cooking feels doable, it spreads.

Final bite

Six meals later, my fridge felt lighter, my dinners came together faster, and I discovered new favorites I’ll happily cook again. The chickpea tacos, zucchini fritters, avocado pasta, and maple mustard tofu made the cut.

The takeaway? Five ingredients are plenty—if you give them room to shine.

So here’s my invitation: try your own five-ingredient challenge. Let your kitchen surprise you. And when you pull a tray of caramelized tofu from the oven or bite into a smoky taco, remember: sometimes less really is more.