Recipes with Long Ingredient Lists

I don’t know if I’m just being lazy, feeling overwhelmed or if it’s the minimalism in me, but I always tend the shy away from recipes that seem to have a list of ingredients as long as my arm.

I’m constantly looking for new recipe ideas (usually one pot wonders) or anything that’s quick and easy really. However, I often find that recipes have a lot of ingredients. Looking at a recipe that has a list of fifteen plus ingredients makes me shudder and upon experiencing this again recently I decided it might make for an interesting discussion.

The minimalist in me freaks out at the thought of having to buy multiple ingredients that I may not end up using very often and as a result become dust collectors in the pantry. Space is valuable and I hate seeing my pantry, or fridge for that matter, full of jars with only one spoonful of product removed. It’s also the minimalist in me that sees long ingredient lists and thinks of all the extra chopping and measuring that will be involved, thereby increasing preparation or cooking time and as I’ve mentioned many times, time is a precious commodity and something I value greatly.

The frugal girl in me likes to avoid buying lots of ingredients in order to reduce the grocery bill. Having to buy lots of ingredients can often mean that particular recipe results in an expensive meal. This can be chancy when it comes to a new recipe as it may not work out or may be something I end up not liking. Further, if as mentioned above some of these ingredients are unusual and therefore not used frequently, I may end up having a pantry full of expensive ingredients and not a lot to show for it (except for a lower figure in my bank account).

Yes, when it comes to cooking I like simplicity. Short ingredient lists and few methodical steps. I’m definitely not a fan of spending hours over the stove or wasting money and space by buying unnecessary ingredients that I may never use again.

Am I alone in my quest for simple, minimalist and frugal recipes? Am I the only one who avoids recipes with ingredient lists a mile long?