Quick and easy comfort foods

With just four ingredients you can make a five minute pizza. Cover a tortilla lightly with passata (tomato puree), grate a cheese of your choice and you can add whatever topping you want. Place it under a hot grill for three minutes and it’s good to go.

For an easy but slightly more substantial meal, teriyaki chicken is a great option. Firstly, cook chopped up chicken on a pan until it is golden brown on both sides. Then add a half cup of soy sauce and a half cup of brown sugar to the mix, stirring regularly at a lower heat for 3 minutes. Serve with boiled rice and enjoy.

A stir fry is always an easy food to make in a short amount of time. Chop chicken and broccoli into small chunks and cook the chicken in a pan or wok until golden brown on both sides. Boil noodles while the chicken is cooking and add to the pan once soft with the broccoli. The dish is versatile and you can dress it up using any spices or sauces you want. Salt and soy sauce are a safe choice but chilli flakes, garlic powder and worcester sauce add much more flavour.

Another classic low effort meal would be mac and cheese. Bring a large mixing bowls worth of milk to a boil before adding in a bowl of pasta. Continue to cook, stirring until the pasta is cooked then add a bowl of grated cheese mixing until the cheese has melted.

If you want something that can work as a breakfast or dessert, a quick and easy option are three ingredient pancakes. Whisk two eggs and two cups of milk together until combined, then add in two and a quarter cups of white self raising flour continuing to mix until the batter is smooth. Heat a pan on low medium and add a third of a cup of batter per pancake. Cook for two minutes and flip, leaving it on the pan till the bottom is golden brown.

Five ingredient chocolate chip cookies are another comfort snack that can be whipped up within 20 minutes. Pre-heat an oven to 175 degrees Celsius and mix three cups of flour, three quarters of a cup of sugar and two eggs. When uniform add in a cup of butter and chocolate chips. Spoon the dough onto a baking sheet, keeping them about 3 inches apart, then bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Five ingredient brownies are also a tasty quick treat. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius and grease a 9-by-9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, combine a half a cup of flour, a cup of sugar and a third of a cup of cocoa powder. In another small bowl, whisk together a half a cup of butter and 2 eggs. Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Bake for 25-30 minutes and then leave to cool for five more.