We are mastering frugality and efficiency with this list of over 40 Weight Watchers friendly recipes that require just 5 main ingredients (or less) to make!

This list is an answer to three common struggles we hear about fairly often here at Meal Planning Mommies:

1. MONEY… I need to cut back on how much I spend on groceries. Do you have any recipes that are good for people on a budget?
2. TIME… I don’t have a lot of time to make dinner each night. Do you have any quick and easy recipes for people who don’t have a lot of time?
3. HEALTH… I am trying to stick to my Weight Watching goals, and I am having a hard time knowing what to cook. Do you have some simple recipes you would recommend I try?

Whether you are trying to save money on groceries, you need to get dinner on the table in a flash, or you are trying to watch what you eat, this is the perfect list for you!! When you just need a few ingredients for dinner each night, it simplifies meal planning and cooking, which means less stress.

If you are trying to cut back on stress, you are going to LOVE this list.

A couple of rules to this list… what makes the cut?

I will be honest, there are A LOT of recipes on the MPM blog that use 6 or 7 main ingredients that I really wanted to share on here. I opted to leave those recipes out to keep the list simple and to make sure the list served the purpose I originally set out to accomplish: save money, save time, and provide easy WW friendly recipes.

Having said that, there are a few seasonings that I decided not to count as “main ingredients” because they are the ones I figured you probably already have in your pantry/fridge.

I did not include these ingredients in my list of “5 ingredients”:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• Cooking spray
• Garlic
• Common seasonings (i.e. chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, etc.)

I put garlic in everything. 🙂 (It’s always in my fridge. That’s normal, right?) I figured most people already have salt, pepper, and oil in their kitchens, and I didn’t want a recipe not to make the list because I seasoned it with a little salt and pepper. I knew you would understand. 😉

I have broken up this list according to the number of Weight Watchers Smart Points they are per serving. I did this so you could plan out your week a little easier. For me, I mix recipes that are lower in Smart Points (like the Mayo Garlic and Herb Chicken for 1 WW SP) in with recipes that are higher in Smart Points (like the Honey Teriyaki Steak and Vegetables for 5 WW SP) to balance out my week.

One week of dinners off of this list might look like this:

Sunday: Easy Baked Tilapia (served with canned peas) – 2 WW SP

Monday: Tomato and Cheese Ravioli Soup – 4 WW SP

Tuesday: Meaty Vegetarian Chili (served with fresh fruit) – 1 WW SP

Wednesday: Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole – 5 WW SP

Thursday: Grilled Chicken Seasoned with Sweet & Spicy BBQ Rub (served with canned green beans) – 1 WW SP

Friday: Sweet Teriyaki Pineapple Pork Chops (served with canned corn) – 5 WW SP

Saturday: Egg Salad Sandwiches (served with a basic salad) – 3 WW SP

If you are looking for free printable meal planning pages or grocery list pages, you can stop over HERE and print off some of our blank templates, and then come back to this list to fill them in!

With no further ado, here is our list of WW recipes that require 5 main ingredients or less…

Recipes that are 5 main ingredients or less and are
1 WW FreeStyle Smart Points

Grilled Chicken Seasoned with Sweet and Spicy BBQ Rub – 1 WW SP

Crunchy Chickpea Snack – 1 WW SP

Simple Mexican Chicken Soup – 1 WW SP

Mayo Garlic and Herb Chicken – 1 WW SP

Meaty Vegetarian Chili – 1 WW SP

Grilled Garlic Parmesan Shrimp – 1 WW SP

Dijon Garlic Shrimp – 1 WW SP

Recipes that are 5 main ingredients or less and are
2 WW FreeStyle Smart Points

Slow Cooker Chicken and Green Beans with Vinaigrette – 2 WW SP

Simple Marinated Chicken – 2 WW SP

Onion Chicken and Potatoes – 2 WW SP

Spinach Feta Egg White Scramble – 2 WW SP

Easy Baked Tilapia – 2 WW SP

Chicken and Gravy – 2 WW SP

Recipes that are 5 main ingredients or less and are
3 WW FreeStyle Smart Points

Potato Crusted Butter and Herb Tilapia – 3 WW SP

Egg Salad Sandwiches – 3 WW SP

Best Steak Ever – 3 WW SP

Double Seeded Chicken and Roasted Broccoli – 3 WW SP

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef for Sandwiches – 3 WW SP

Brown Sugar Garlic Glazed Chicken – 3 WW SP

Alisha’s Favorite Pork Chops and Carmelized Onions – 3 WW SP

Baked Chicken Nuggets – 3 WW SP

Cream, Ham, and Peas on Toast – 3 WW SP

Recipes that are 5 main ingredients or less and are
4 WW FreeStyle Smart Points

Maple-Glazed Chicken and Carrots – 4 WW SP

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken – 4 WW SP

Mediterranean Turkey Coleslaw Wraps – 4 WW SP

Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken Pockets – 4 WW SP

Tomato and Cheese Ravioli Soup – 4 WW SP

French Fried Chicken – 4 WW SP

Baked Cod with Creamy Parmesan Mayo spread – 4 WW SP

Molasses Glazed Ham Steak – 4 WW SP

Skinny Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu – 4 WW SP

Italian Shredded Beef -4 WW SP

Turkey Tomato Unwich – 4 WW SP

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas – 4 WW SP

Skinny Salsa Joes – 4 WW SP

Pork Chops with Honey Dijon Mustard – 4 WW SP

Recipes that are 5 main ingredients or less and are
5 WW FreeStyle Smart Points

Honey Teriyaki Steak and Vegetables – 5 WW SP

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole – 5 WW SP

Mexican Tortilla Skillet – 5 WW SP

Crunchy Asian Mandarin Orange Salad – 5 WW SP

Reuben Chicken – 5 WW SP

Grilled Cheese and Maple Bacon Sandwiches – 5 WW SP

Sweet Teriyaki Pineapple Pork Chops – 5 WW SP

Turkey Jack Quesadillas – 5 WW SP

Chicken Chili Phyllo Poppers – 5 WW SP

Recipes that are 5 main ingredients or less and are
6 WW FreeStyle Smart Points

Grilled Pork Chops with Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms –  6 WW SP

Balsamic Peppercorn Steak – 6 WW SP

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi – 6 WW SP

Autumn Apple and Onion Pork Chops  – 6 WW SP

Toasted Beef and Blue Cheese Sandwiches – 6 WW SP

Plus, here’s a BONUS:

If you liked this list, you are going to love this new feature on MPM. I made a new category on Meal Planning Mommies! Sounds exciting, right? 😉

From now on, I will be marking recipes that use 5 main ingredients or less. By creating a new category, I will be able to add a special list on our recipes page. If you are ever looking for WW recipes that have 5 ingredients or less, you can go to this link that will take you to our full (ever growing) list.

If you liked this list you are going to LOVE our list of main entrées that are all 3 WW FreeStyle Smart Points or lower per serving! Check it out now!