You’re crunched for time. Welcome to the club.
But crunched for time doesn’t have to mean skimping on meals. For some of the quickest, tastiest dishes, it only takes one pot (or skillet) to get the job done. That means less time prepping, cooking and cleaning up.
Culinary students will find these one-pot meals to be simple, efficient and full of flavor, values that any consumer would appreciate.
Here are five to get you started:
Lemon-rosemary chicken with broccolini
A classic roasted chicken and broccoli dish would almost seem too easy.
Instead, use broccolini, a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli that has longer stalks and smaller florets. Further, plain chicken gets you only so far, so rub a mix of rosemary, garlic, parsley, mustard, salt and pepper onto chicken breasts before placing on a cooking sheet with light oil.
Throw broccolini, lemon slices, onions, red potatoes and peppers onto the pan and cook at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-35 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Sprinkle any additional spices and seasonings and serve hot.
Pastalaya
Combine the joys of pasta and jambalaya with the appropriately named pastalaya. A big, hearty meal that appeases many types of crowds, pastalaya uses pasta instead of rice – everything else is mostly the same, though customizable to whatever taste you seek.
Using either chicken or sausage as the meat, cook in vegetable oil over the stove until brown. Add in minced garlic, choice of seasoning mix, diced tomatoes, broth, peppers, thyme and, of course, pasta.
Place the lid on pot, turn the heat to high and let boil for 10 minutes. Once done, let it cool down while mixing in green onions and cream.
Tasty!
Beef and mushroom stroganoff
Stroganoff is a dish that’s great for beginners, as it can be made in a variety of ways and is fairly difficult to mess up.
For a one-pot recipe, beef and mushroom are great additions since they have similar temperature and cooking requirements as pasta and cream – just place everything into a pot and cook for 20 minutes.
After mincing and cooking garlic, add in ground beef and mushrooms. Give it five minutes and they should begin browning, which is your cue to mix in flour, beef broth and egg noodles. Bring the pot to a boil and place the lid on. Within 10 minutes, you’re practically done.
Simply stir until most the liquid is gone, and you’re ready to serve.
Sweet potato and white bean stew with roasted sausage
In just 45 minutes, you can have a nutritious, healthy and filling meal that’s packed with veggies, legumes, meat and plenty of seasoning.
Sweet potato and white bean stew is a great option in winter as it really accentuates the cozy, comfort food vibe we all love.
Combine two diced sweet potatoes, one sweet onion, garlic, salt and pepper together on a roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Next, cover the veggies with broth, eight sausage links, Swiss chard and white beans and bake for 10 more minutes.
Finally, butter up baguettes and toss them in the oven for eight minutes.
That’s it. You’re done.
Baked cod and chorizo
There’s nothing like fresh fish, boiled potatoes and ground mexican sausage.
Taking just 40 minutes to serve four, this meal requires very little prep and very few ingredients. Cook chorizo (with 1 tablespoon of oil) over the stove until brown, then add sliced Yukon potatoes, leeks, salt and pepper.
After 10 minutes, place cod on top of the potatoes and chorizo and transfer the skillet to the oven, heated to 400 degrees. After 20 minutes, sprinkle parsley and serve hot.
One-pot meals are the way to go, today and tomorrow. So refine your skills starting now.
