When time is tight and the fridge and cupboards look bare, there's no need to panic (or order a takeaway). Instead, delve deep into this brilliant collection of recipe ideas, each of which is super-easy to make and calls for just three ingredients (aside from store-cupboard basics like oil, salt, pepper and herbs). From snacks and soups to main meals and tasty desserts, these simple recipes mean you can go back to basics in the most delicious way.

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 39 fantastic recipes that only use three ingredients.

For the simplest pizza around, preheat your oven to 240°C/220°C fan/475°F/gas mark 9, then roll out ready-made pizza dough and transfer it to a lined baking tray. Scatter crumbled feta over the base, then arrange thinly sliced butternut squash slices on top. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with rosemary and season generously with salt and black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the butternut squash tender. Top with extra feta and serve. 

There’s something about a baked sweet potato that just feels that bit more memorable that a regular jacket spud. Pierce your sweet potatoes with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and season well. Roast in a really hot oven until crisp on the outside and soft in the centre. Meanwhile, set a saucepan with a generous knob of butter over a medium-low heat; once melted, add a good drizzle of runny honey and a teaspoon of chilli flakes. Leave to sizzle for a couple of minutes. Split your baked sweet potatoes open, top with crumbled feta or goats’ cheese and pour over the hot honey butter.

This superb, substantial salad couldn’t be easier to throw together and yet has a real special occasion feel to it. To make tagliata for two, cook two rump steaks in a non-stick frying pan until done to your liking, then leave to rest for five minutes. Season a couple of generous handfuls or rocket leaves with the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and plenty of black pepper and tip onto serving plates. Slice your rested steaks into strips, season with salt and arrange on top of the rocket, then garnish with Parmesan shavings. You could also drizzle with balsamic syrup, if you like.

If you’re looking for a tasty one-pan dish that will go down well with all ages, this traybake won’t disappoint. Arrange sausages in a baking dish with halved new potatoes and wedges of red onion. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Roast in an oven preheated to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7 for around 40 minutes, giving everything a good stir halfway through. Drizzle with a mix of grainy mustard and runny honey, mix again and return to the oven for five minutes more.

Indulgent and comforting at the same time, this creamy soup is brilliantly low on effort. To serve four, pour 24fl oz (700ml) whole milk into a large saucepan, season generously with salt and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the finely chopped florets from a large head of cauliflower, along with a knob of butter. Increase the heat and cook for 10 minutes or so, until the cauliflower is tender. Transfer to a blender and blitz to a thick purée. Divide among bowls and top with crunchy croutons or slices of crispy chorizo.

Avo toast is by no means just a restaurant dish. For a tasty brunch, lunch or even dinner, mash ripe avocados and season with salt and black pepper. Spread over freshly toasted sourdough bread or English muffins, top with an oozy poached egg and enjoy. A scattering of feta cheese, chilli flakes or shards of crispy bacon would all make tasty additions.

To make cacio e pepe for two, cook 7oz (200g) spaghetti or linguine until al dente, draining well and reserving the pasta cooking water. Return the saucepan to a medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of butter. Once melted, sprinkle in 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Heat for a minute or so until fragrant, then add a ladleful of pasta cooking water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, return the pasta to the pan and sprinkle in 1.5oz (40g) grated Parmesan. Stir well, then add 0.7oz (20g) more grated Parmesan, tossing the pasta until you have a smooth, silky sauce. Serve immediately.

A warm new potato salad is a perfect barbecue side and a lovely accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish. To make enough to serve four, cook 18oz (500g) halved or quartered new potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain well, allow to cool slightly, then tip into a serving dish along with a finely sliced red onion and 3 tbsp capers. Drizzle with 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, season generously with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine. You could also sprinkle with chopped dill to serve.

Add interest to a fillet of salmon with a sticky soy glaze. For four salmon fillets, mix together 4 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp runny honey. Brush the flesh of the salmon with the glaze, season well and cook under a hot grill for five to eight minutes (depending on the size of the fillets), until the fish is just cooked through and the glaze sticky and sizzling. 

Bulgur wheat is often overlooked as a salad ingredient but is actually really handy to have in the cupboard, and cooks in around 10 minutes. It's quite bland on its own, so you do need to season it generously. Try serving the grain warm, mixed with chopped cucumbers and juicy, ripe tomatoes or strips of roasted red peppers from a jar (use a little of the oil from the jar to dress the salad). This dish is lovely as a light lunch, though you could make it more substantial by topping with strips of fried halloumi or grilled chicken.

For a substantial snack or tasty side, look to crispy, crunchy, gooey-on-the-inside halloumi fries. For enough fries to serve four, slice a 14oz (400g) block of halloumi into strips. Mix 2 tbsp plain flour with 1 tsp paprika and use to coat the halloumi. Fill a large saucepan up to a third with sunflower oil and heat until a piece of bread turns golden in 30 seconds. Fry the halloumi for two minutes, until golden all over. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt. Serve with a spicy tomato dip.

If you have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer, you can rustle up this tasty soup in around 10 minutes. To make enough soup for one, fry a chopped onion in olive oil until softened, then add 7oz (200g) frozen peas and 10fl oz (300ml) chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for a few minutes, then whizz with a stick blender. Season well and serve.

You can still make tasty chicken wings with a ready-made sauce. Just add the juice and zest of two limes to your chosen sauce, then use to coat the wings, reserving a little sauce to serve as a dip. Arrange the wings on baking trays lined with lightly oiled foil and bake in a hot oven (200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6) until crisp and cooked through, or grill on the barbecue.

Take a sheet of all-butter puff pastry and cover with trimmed, lightly blanched asparagus, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) gap around the edges. Brush the asparagus spears with olive oil, then scatter liberally with grated Parmesan. Bake in a very hot oven (220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7) for around 15 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed up and the cheese has melted. Season with sea salt before serving. If you prefer, you could make four individual tarts, rather than one large one.

You really can make this meal with just three ingredients. Choose your favourite cut of steak and cook to your liking. Top your rested steaks with good-quality, shop-bought herb or garlic butter (or make your own), then flash under the grill, so that the butter starts to melt. For oven fries, cut skin-on potatoes into wedges or large chips. Toss in olive oil, season with salt and bake in a hot oven (200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6) for around 40 minutes, turning halfway.

Simple, tasty and speedy – this dish ticks all the right boxes. Take chicken breast fillets, make a pocket in the centre and add a piece of mozzarella about 2.5cm (1in) thick. Wrap each chicken breast in a slice of Parma Ham, brush with olive oil and season well. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, brown the chicken parcels, then transfer to a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes at 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with lightly blanched greens – asparagus is particularly nice.

Usually served as a snack or starter, tomato bruschetta embodies the Italian spirit of cooking seasonally and simply. The key is in the freshness and quality of the ingredients – in this case, very ripe tomatoes are essential. Halve them and remove the seeds (otherwise your bruschetta will be soggy), tip into a bowl, add a little crushed garlic and drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season well. Rub slices of toasted, good-quality bread with a cut clove of garlic. Pile the tomatoes onto the toast and serve.

Cooking fish in a parcel, or 'en papillote', means that it steams as well as roasts in the oven. Salmon, cod, halibut or any other firm white fish fillets work really well here. Make individual parcels by arranging your fish fillets on squares of baking paper. Top with thinly sliced fennel, lemon slices and a drizzle of olive oil. Season, wrap up to make a parcel, then bake at 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6 for 15 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.

Making your own tomato sauce for pasta is brilliantly simple. Fry a large, finely chopped onion in olive oil over a medium-low heat until softened. Add two crushed garlic cloves, cook for a few minutes, then add a can of plum tomatoes, along with their juice. Crush the tomatoes with the back of a large spoon, season well, then add a pinch of chilli flakes and a pinch of sugar. Allow to cook on a low heat until thickened.

There's no harm in buying a jar of teriyaki sauce. To make a tasty chicken dinner for two, cut 14oz (300g) chicken thigh fillets into 2.5cm (1in) pieces and coat with 1 tbsp corn flour. Set a large, non-stick frying pan with 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil over a high heat. Add the chicken and cook for five minutes, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just cooked through. Reduce the heat to medium and pour over 6 tbsp teriyaki sauce, mixing well. Simmer until the sauce thickens. For extra flavour, serve scattered with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions.

Because lamb is quite a rich meat, it has a natural affinity with salty feta – and this simple recipe takes full advantage of that idea. Cook lamb cutlets under a hot grill for five minutes or so, so they’re crisp on the outside but still pink in the centre. Crumble over generous amounts of feta, season with black pepper (no need for salt, as the feta is salty enough) and serve with wedges of fresh lemon.

These little free-form tarts are a cinch to make. Allow three large tomatoes per person, thinly slice them, then put on a wire rack with kitchen paper underneath. Salt them well and leave for 30 minutes to get rid of the excess water. Cut a sheet of ready-rolled shortcrust pastry into three rough circles, add a spoonful of pesto to the centre of each and layer the sliced tomatoes on top. Fold in the edges of the pastry, brush with milk and bake at 220°C/200°C fan/450°F/gas mark 7 for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is light golden brown.

This tomato pasta dish has incredible depth of flavour. To serve four, roast 2lb 3oz (1kg) cherry tomatoes in a high-sided baking tray. Drizzle with 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, scatter with dried chilli flakes, season with salt and pepper and transfer to an oven preheated to 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3. Roast for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook 11oz (310g) dried pasta and tear a 4.5oz (125g) ball of mozzarella into pieces. When the tomatoes are cooked, add the drained pasta and mozzarella to the baking tray, mix well and serve.

You can rustle up a filling, warming black bean soup in no time. To make three or four portions, tip two 14oz (400g) cans of drained black beans into a saucepan and add 8.5fl oz (250ml) chicken or vegetable stock and a 14oz (400g) can of chopped tomatoes with onions. Season well, add a good pinch of both dried chilli flakes and oregano and bring to the boil. Simmer for five minutes, then blend to a chunky purée.

This easy, comforting dish is ready in around 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. In a shallow, ovenproof dish, mix a pack of shop-bought gnocchi with the tomato pasta sauce of your choice. Top with slices of mozzarella and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted. You could also add a pinch of chilli flakes or Italian seasoning to the sauce.

For a luxurious frittata that will serve four, whisk eight eggs and 4.5fl oz (125ml) single cream together and season with salt and pepper. Set an ovenproof, non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over a medium heat. Pour in the egg mix, then add around 10oz (285g) flaked hot smoked salmon. Cook for two minutes, or until the eggs are just beginning to set. Transfer to an oven preheated to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Cook for eight to 10 minutes, until golden. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Almost effortless to make, all you need for this tasty pasta dish is a packet of linguine or spaghetti, a jar of pesto and some freshly grated Parmesan. The trick, however, is to add a small ladleful of the pasta cooking water to the pasta, along with the pesto. The starch from the water makes the pesto cling to the pasta strands. Finish with plenty of Parmesan.

Take your toastie game up a notch with a double cheese mix. Take two slices of sourdough bread, spread one side of each piece of bread with softened butter and tip 1.5oz (45g) each finely grated mature Cheddar and Parmesan onto a plate. Press the buttered side of each slice of bread into the cheese. Now scatter 1.5oz (45g) more of each cheese on the unbuttered slices and press together to seal (the buttered side should be facing outwards). Cook the sandwich in a non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat for two to three minutes on each side, until golden and starting to crisp around the edges.

For an easy yet elegant pasta dish, stir fresh white crab meat through cooked linguine, adding a little of the pasta water to help make a sauce. Drizzle with olive oil and finish with a sprinkling of dried chilli flakes and a squeeze of lemon. Simplicity (and downright deliciousness) on a plate.

Mac 'n' cheese with three ingredients? Right here! Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. To serve six generously, cook 1lb 2oz (500g) macaroni in 1.25l (42fl oz) whole milk until al dente. Drain the pasta into an ovenproof dish, reserving the milk. Stir 9oz (250g) grated mature Cheddar into the milk, pour over the pasta and mix well. Season generously with salt and black pepper and bake until golden and bubbling.

All you need for this quick dish is a pack of shop-bought gnocchi, butter, fresh sage leaves and grated Parmesan. Cook the gnocchi until tender, then drain, keeping back a few tablespoons of the cooking water. Melt a generous knob of butter in a frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the sage leaves and fry for a minute or so, then stir in the gnocchi and reserved cooking water. Add plenty of Parmesan, mix well, then simply season and serve.

A smart idea for using up bananas that are turning brown is to freeze them, peeled, ready to make ice cream in the future. For one generous serving of banana and chocolate ice cream (or two smaller ones), blitz three frozen bananas in a blender with 3 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tbsp chocolate almond milk until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and dust with a little extra cocoa powder, or top with chocolate pieces.

The secret to making rich and creamy ice cream with ease (and without an ice cream machine) is condensed milk. To make enough ice cream to serve six to eight people, chill a 12oz (350g) can of evaporated milk in the fridge overnight. Pour the chilled evaporated milk into a bowl along with 21fl oz (600ml) double cream and whisk until thickened. Next, whisk in two 14oz (395g) cans of condensed milk. Once well incorporated, transfer to a freezer-proof, lidded container and freeze for at least six hours. Remove from the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving to ensure the ice cream is soft enough to scoop.

Make these peanut butter cookies once and you’ll come back to them time and time again – they’re so simple to prepare you can get the kids involved too. Mix 7oz (200g) of crunchy peanut butter and sugar in a bowl, add an egg and a pinch of sea salt. Bring the mix together to make a dough, then beak off little pieces, form into a ball, place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and flatten with a fork. Bake at 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 5 for 12 minutes, then allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for two days.

You can't beat a fine, lacy crêpe for an almost instant dessert or brunch. To make 12 pancakes, put 3.5oz (100g) flour, two large eggs and 10fl oz (300ml) milk in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk to a smooth, thin batter. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. Set a frying pan over a medium heat and wipe a little oil over the base with kitchen paper. Drop a small ladleful of the batter into the pan, swirling to coat the base evenly in a thin layer. Cook for two minutes, until golden on the underside, then flip and cook for a minute more. Transfer to a low oven while you cook the remaining batter.

Desserts don’t get much easier – or more elegant – than affogato. You can keep things really simple and just trickle a shot of hot, rich espresso over creamy vanilla ice cream, then serve. A dusting of crushed amaretti biscuits, toasted pistachios or crumbled shortbread will give the pud a nice bit of textural contrast, and layering the ice cream with Morello cherry compote makes it even more delicious. 

To make six light and airy and chocolate mousses, first separate three eggs. Put 7oz (200g) chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl with 4.5fl oz (125ml) tepid water and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and leave for five minutes, then stir in the egg yolks and a pinch of sea salt. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add 1.8oz (50g) caster sugar, until the whites are stiff and glossy. Fold a spoonful of egg white into the chocolate mix, then quickly fold in the rest. Divide between six serving dishes and leave to set in the fridge for at least three hours, or overnight.

Buttery, sweet, chewy and sticky, flapjacks are so simple to make. Put 11.5oz (330g) porridge oats in a large bowl. Melt 7oz (200g) diced unsalted butter in a saucepan set over a low heat. When the butter is fully melted, add 6 tbsp golden syrup, stirring until well combined. Remove the pan from the heat and pour over the oats, mixing really well. Tip into a lightly greased 23cm (9in) square baking tin and cook in an oven preheated to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, then cut into squares and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Using ready-rolled shop-bought shortcrust pastry makes easy work of this impressive dessert, which is a real treat served with whipped cream or ice cream. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Shape the pastry into a rough circle and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Core and slice (no need to peel) four or five eating apples and arrange over the pastry, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) border. Fold the edges of the pastry in, scatter with cinnamon and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, then bake for 30 minutes.

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Last updated by Emily Shardlow-Price.