# Your best 3 ingredient dish **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2014, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583 "2014-11-25T11:17:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/21 "2014-11-25T17:15:20Z")
Ham hocks and black-eyed peas. 1. Black-eyed peas 2. Ham hocks 3. Bay leaf Plus water, and seasoning to taste. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/22 "2014-11-25T19:26:56Z")
1. Saute a **sliced onion** Add 1 can of **italian seasoned stewed tomatoes** Add 1 pound of\*\* shrimp \*\*and heat through 1. \*\*Hamburger \*\*- form into patties and fry. Drain grease and add 1 can of **Cream of mushroom sauce** Serve with mashed taters (e.g. Bob Evans refrigerated) 1. 1 pound **Bob Evans hot sausage** , brown and drain Mix in 1 block of **Velveeta cheese** Serve with 1 bag of **tortilla chips** ---
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/23 "2014-11-25T19:59:22Z")
Slice onions and mushrooms. Cook. Then put over cooked rice and serve. It is very tasty as the onions give a lot of flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/24 "2014-11-25T20:02:09Z")
ham, cheese, bread. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/25 "2014-11-25T20:23:07Z")
Pour one gallon of honey into one gallon of water and stir until dissolved, while heating. Heat to 170 degrees and then hold at that temperature for fifteen minutes. Pour three gallons of cold water into a sterilized 6 gallon fermenter. After the honey/water has been at 170 degrees for 15 minutes, pour into the carboy. Pitch a Belgian ale yeast and apply fermentation cap. Once fermentation has slowed, siphon into a 5 gallon carboy and reapply fermentation cap. Wait a couple weeks until the fermentation has stopped and bottle. Allow to age for a while (months) and then drink your mead. For a two-ingredient favorite, just put 5 gallons of pasteurized, no-preservatives-added apple juice into a fermenter, pitch your yeast and proceed as above, for some hard cider. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/26 "2014-11-25T20:48:01Z")
Chop a sweet onion and throw it in a saucepot on medium/medium-low with a pat of butter. Cover for 15-20 minutes. Remove lid and add a bit of salt. Stir regularly. Salt and pepper a steak. Melt another pat of butter in a skillet. Pan-fry to your preferred doneness. Plate with the caramelized onions on top. ---
**Author:** ![justmeetee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@justmeetee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justmeetee)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/27 "2014-11-25T20:48:58Z")
Follow directions for dumplings on Bisquick box. Insert tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese into center of each dumpling and cook in tomato soup. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/28 "2014-11-25T20:51:02Z")
peanut butter, fluff, bread ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/29 "2014-11-25T20:59:42Z")
> [@Whitney\_Harper](#): > > Slice onions and mushrooms. Cook. Then put over cooked rice and serve. It is very tasty as the onions give a lot of flavor. Hey, that was going to my contribution. Use butter (quite a bit) to cook the onions and mushrooms and add soy sauce. Very tasty! Sort of a a variation of a NYT Sunday Magazine “FOOD” recipe. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/30 "2014-11-25T21:53:48Z")
Parmesan toast. Slice crusty Italian bread an inch thick. Grate some real Parmesan until you have about a quarter cup for each slice of bread (use a microplaner), and heap it into a mound the circumference of a slice of bread. Pour some olive oil into a nonstick skillet and heat it. Dip one flat face of a slice of bread in the oil just to dampen it all over. Press the oily bread face into the mound of parmesan, pressing to get the cheese to stick. Place the bread into the skillet cheesy side down in the hot oil and fry until the cheese is melty, crusty, and a light golden brown. Flip it and toast the naked side too. A couple of slices of this would make a perfectly cromulent lunch all on their own. A bowl of tomato soup on the side wouldn’t hurt, though. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/31 "2014-11-25T22:08:30Z")
Toasted/grilled thick sliced sourdough, slather mayonnaise, thick slices of fresh garden tomato, pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper on top. [This stuff right here. It’s my summer farmer’s market breakfast.](https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/306854_404318212937205_560615669_n.jpg?oh=e6ab74c2e009e2216366f7362a03bdf5&oe=5511E1A2) ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/32 "2014-11-25T22:11:13Z")
Kielbasa stew: Brown chunks or slices of kielbasa, put in boiling water with green beans (especially the flat Italian ones) and red potatoes or chopped Idaho potatoes. Simmer till the potatoes start to fall apart. Okay, I put chopped onion and celery, too, but you don’t have to. Season liberally with salt and pepper and maybe a dollop of grainy mustard, and eat with lots of bread and butter. It is not fair to count butter or onion or celery or bell pepper as ingredients since they go in almost everything. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/33 "2014-11-25T22:18:50Z")
Sweet potato, sausage, greens. Chop up into casserole dish, cook covered until done. Mild white fish (perch, cod, tilapia) cut into chunks. Saute briefly with coarsely-chopped bell pepper until browned, add coconut milk and basil, simmer until done. Red lentils, carrots, curry spices. Simmer together until done, about 45 minutes. Grated carrots, basmati rice, Thai peanut sauce. Can of chick peas, one good tomato chopped, seedless cucumber, and salad dressing of your choice. I have tons of 3-ingredient dishes! Optional seasonings might be fresh basil, grated ginger, hot peppers, garlic, onion, etc. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/34 "2014-11-25T22:25:11Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Chop a sweet onion and throw it in a saucepot on medium/medium-low with a pat of butter. Cover for 15-20 minutes. Remove lid and add a bit of salt. Stir regularly. Salt and pepper a steak. Melt another pat of butter in a skillet. Pan-fry to your preferred doneness. Plate with the caramelized onions on top. For caramelizing, standard yellow or white onions actually give a better result than the sweet varieties. They’re not “sweet” because they have more sugar, they’re sweet because they have less of the pungent flavonoids. These compounds break down and mellow out during caramelization, giving a richer, more flavourful result. Sweet onions, lacking these compounds, can be more bland. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/35 "2014-11-25T22:29:09Z")
How about (and appropriate for the season)…? 1. Green beans 2. Cream of Mushroom Soup 3. French’s fried onions ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/36 "2014-11-25T22:43:38Z")
Back when orange roughy (fish) was available: Spread cooked white rice in a baking dish. Lay orange roughy filets on top. Pour a bottle of oyster dressing over the top. Bake until fish is done. This is insanely delicious and even better the next day if you have any leftovers. You just smush the pieces of fish down into the rice and mix together. I’ve tried it with halibut and cod, and it’s not bad. The orange roughy cooked into nice big, smooth chunks. It was really the best. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/37 "2014-11-25T22:45:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Back when orange roughy (fish) was available: If you can’t find orange roughy, I hear you can use slimehead. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/38 "2014-11-25T22:46:11Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > For caramelizing, standard yellow or white onions actually give a better result than the sweet varieties. They’re not “sweet” because they have more sugar, they’re sweet because they have less of the pungent flavonoids. These compounds break down and mellow out during caramelization, giving a richer, more flavourful result. Sweet onions, lacking these compounds, can be more bland. Dammit! I’ve been doing it wrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/39 "2014-11-25T22:49:59Z")
Steak sandwich, meaning a steak between two other steaks. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583/40 "2014-11-26T01:30:27Z")
Sausage, baked beans and fries\*. \*translated from the UK English ‘chips’ out of respect for the US board. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-3-ingredient-dish/705583.md?page=3)