These recipes are made with three ingredients only. Yes, three ingredients is all it takes to make these delicious side dishes. Why shlep to the grocery store for extra ingredients when you can make these recipes with ingredients you most likely have at home? I’m all for recipes that require minimum effort but taste delicious. These dishes are staples at my house and can be prepared in minutes. Cooking shouldn’t be a stressful time. Minimize the effort needed while still having a delicious taste.
The benefit of having so few ingredients in a recipe is that it’s harder to mess it up. Honestly, measuring is optional. Measure with your heart and you’ll be all good. While I usually go down the “sweets” and “dessert” route, this week’s recipes are all savory and perfect for your next family gathering, dinner or holiday meal.
Let’s start with my all-time favorite: crispy chickpeas—so crispy you can hear that crunch down the block. I make these crispy chickpeas at least four times a week. They’re a great salad topper, snack to eat by themselves or a topping for your next rice/poke bowl. My favorite way to eat them is on top of salads. Salads are not the same without them, trust me. They’re a healthier, high-protein and delicious crouton. I usually make two to three portions every time and store the rest in the fridge in an airtight glass container. Salads are my go-to lunch, and having these prepared ahead of time makes the prep time so much quicker.
This is your chance to experiment. Try seasoning them up a bit differently using your favorite spices. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, try making honey-roasted crispy chickpeas instead.
Some notes about this recipe: I air-fried my chickpeas, but if you don’t have an air fryer or air fryer mode, then bake at 375 F for 12-15 minutes. I used seasoned salt and that gave these chickpeas the perfect flavor. If you don’t have seasoned salt, then you can use a spice blend you like or just go basic with salt and pepper. And attention, health conscious people: These chickpeas are also made with minimum oil, so eat up!
Super Crunchy Chickpeas
Ingredients:
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas
- Spray oil
- Dash of salt—I used seasoned salt
Instructions:
- Wash, drain and dry the chickpeas,
- Lay them on a baking sheet on a piece of parchment paper.
- Spray with oil.
- Season with your go-to seasoning.
- Air fry at 400 F for 12-15 minutes.
- Let it cool and enjoy!
Next we’ve got smashed potatoes. Not mashed potatoes, but smashed potatoes. If you haven’t tried smashed potatoes yet, take this as your sign to do so. They’re so easy to make and come out crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and oh so delicious.
To keep this recipe under the three-ingredient title, I went simple with the ingredients. All you need are small potatoes, sauce of choice and salt. You can take it up a notch and top these smashed potatoes with cheese. For that, you’ll want to follow the same steps and after around 15 minutes of baking, top the potatoes with shredded cheese. You can make these smashed potato pizzas, too, by using marinara sauce as the sauce and topping with the cheese midway through baking.
Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 15-20 small potatoes
- 1 cup of your favorite marinade/sauce
- Salt
Instructions:
- Place a pot with water on medium heat. Wash your potatoes and boil them until they’re soft (until you can pierce them with a fork).
- Place them on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Then, cover the potatoes with another piece of parchment paper.
- With a glass cup, smash the potatoes.
- Remove the parchment paper from on top and brush the potatoes with your marinade/sauce of choice and sprinkle some salt on top.
- Air fry at 400 F for 20-25 minutes or bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes until crispy.
Optional: Serve with a side sauce and enjoy.
Chicken wings aren’t only reserved for the Super Bowl. They’re so easy to make, flavorful, and personally one of my favorite ways to eat chicken. These chicken wings are so fun to eat and just as fun to make. You can level them up by making them spicy and hot with Sriracha sauce and jalapenos. Or sweet with honey and maple syrup. You do you, and make these chicken wings something you’d love to eat!
Easy Crispy Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
- 6-8 chicken wings
- 1 cup sauce of choice
- Salt
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 F
- Mix the chicken wings and the sauce; let them marinate.
- Lay out the wings on a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 1 hour at 425 F, flipping every 20 minutes.
- Serve with sauce to dip. Enjoy!
Tali Chobara is a recipe developer who loves creating recipes that take minimal effort, yet taste delicious. She started her Instagram account @behindthesnack back in 2019 and has grown it to 75,000 fans who all share the same love of easy and delicious recipes.
