I love a one-pot meal, and whether you're a single person who wants something easy to throw together or a parent struggling to prepare a big meal for a full family, it's an elegant solution.
Unfortunately most one-pot meals advertised as such aren't that great, but there's no reason why that needs to be the case. Here are 22 one-pot meals perfect for weeknights.
One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
To all the Italians screaming at their screens right now, I fully admit that this is not an authentic Italian pasta by any definition, but… so what? Expect a baked pasta texture, not something al dente, and save the basil leaves until the very end for freshness.
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One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
Cherry tomatoes do most of the sauce work here, collapsing around short twists of pasta while the cooking water turns starchy. Crush a few against the pot once their skins split, but leave some whole for sweet bites among the noodles. The basil goes in after the heat is off. Boiling it from the start leaves dark threads and a duller smell, which wastes the main reason to buy fresh basil for such a short ingredient list.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper and stir for 30 seconds without browning the garlic.
- Add tomatoes and salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring and crushing some softened tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
- Add fusilli and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady uncovered simmer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup water a few tablespoons at a time only if the pot gets dry before the pasta is tender. Simmer until the sauce clings to the twists rather than pooling like soup.
- Remove from the heat and fold in basil and Parmesan. Rest for 2 minutes, loosen with any remaining measured water if needed and divide among 4 bowls.
One Pot Chicken and Rice
One-pot chicken rice recipes are common around the world, and for good reason. Consider this recipe a very basic template; as long as ratios are maintained, feel free to sub out veggies and spices.
One Pot Chicken and Rice
Whole boneless thighs sit above the rice as it steams, giving you a proper piece of chicken instead of meat that disappears into the grains. Pat the thighs dry and give one side a few undisturbed minutes against the pot. You don't need to brown every surface. A tight lid and a quiet burner matter more once the rice is added, because a hard boil can scorch the bottom while the upper grains are still chalky. Let the covered pot rest before fluffing around the chicken.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat chicken dry and season with paprika, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown chicken on one side for 5 minutes; transfer it to a plate while still partly raw.
- Lower the heat to medium, add onion and carrot and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then rice and remaining salt for 1 minute.
- Pour in broth and scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a simmer and nestle chicken browned-side up on the rice, adding its plate juices.
- Cover tightly, reduce to low and cook for 18 minutes without stirring. Scatter frozen peas around the chicken, cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more until rice is tender and the thickest thigh reaches 165°F.
- Remove the pot from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. Fluff rice gently around the thighs and serve 1 thigh with one-quarter of the rice and vegetables per portion.
One Pot Mac and Cheese
A little effort can deliver a mac and cheese way better than the one that comes in the blue box. The Cheddar provides the flavor, and as chefs sometimes reluctantly admit, American cheese really does provide a smooth texture.
One Pot Mac and Cheese
Small shells catch the cheese sauce without asking you to boil and drain a separate pot of pasta, and cooking them mostly in water before adding evaporated milk keeps the bottom easier to manage. A modest amount of American cheese helps the cheddar melt smoothly; take the pot off the heat before the cheese goes in, then stop stirring as soon as the sauce looks even rather than chasing an extra-thick finish that will stiffen on the way to the table.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine shells, 3 cups water and salt in a 5-quart Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently so shells do not stick together.
- Add reserved water in 2-tablespoon increments if the bottom becomes dry before the shells are nearly tender. Leave about 1/4 cup starchy liquid in the pot rather than draining it.
- Stir in evaporated milk and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until the shells are tender and the liquid lightly coats them.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in American cheese, then cheddar in 3 additions, followed by mustard and pepper, until smooth.
- Rest for 2 minutes and stir again. Loosen with any unused measured water a tablespoon at a time if needed, then serve immediately in 4 bowls.
One Pot Chili Mac
The principle of chili mac is simple: Instead of a starch on the side, cook some pasta right there in the chili. Macaroni is used here, but substitute any compact pasta shape, like penne or fusilli.
One Pot Chili Mac
Chili mac should taste like chili with pasta in it, so the spices get a short cook in the beef drippings before any liquid arrives. Kidney beans and a spoonful of tomato paste give this pot more body than a thin beef-and-noodle sauce. The cheddar is a finish, not the entire personality. Keep the macaroni moving as it cooks and stop while a little sauce still flows between the noodles; they'll absorb more during the short rest.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef and onion in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, breaking the meat into small crumbles and cooking it to 160°F. Spoon off excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add beans, tomatoes with juices, broth and salt. Bring to a boil, stir in macaroni and reduce to a steady uncovered simmer.
- Cook for 11 to 14 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes and adding reserved water a little at a time if the sauce becomes too tight before the macaroni is tender.
- Remove from the heat and rest for 3 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls and scatter cheddar evenly over the hot portions so it softens.
One Pot Beef Stroganoff
I'll start with the bad news: those nice slices of steak that you get in a stroganoff simply aren't going to hold up in a one-pot dish. The good news is that ground beef works remarkably well as an alternative, for a fraction of the mess (and the cost).
One Pot Beef Stroganoff
Ground beef makes sense in a pot of stroganoff because it can stay with the noodles for their whole cook without turning into tough strips of steak. Mushrooms still need their own few minutes after the beef browns so their released water can evaporate. Leave the sour cream until the burner is off. Stir some hot sauce into it first, then fold that mixture back into the noodles for a smooth finish with a little tang rather than pale clumps floating in boiling broth.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef and onion in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, breaking up the beef and cooking it to 160°F. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
- Add mushrooms and cook for 6 minutes until their liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add broth, Worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in egg noodles and reduce to a lively uncovered simmer.
- Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring gently and adding reserved water in small amounts if the noodles are not tender before the liquid reduces to a coating sauce.
- Remove from the heat and wait for bubbling to stop. Mix sour cream with 1/4 cup hot sauce from the pot in a small bowl, then fold it back into the noodles.
- Rest for 2 minutes and divide among 4 bowls; keep the finished sour-cream sauce off the boil.
One Pot Jambalaya
The word "one-pot" is a bit redundant here, as jambalaya should always be one pot. Start with the aromatics, and then slowly add ingredients to ensure that the chicken is cooked through while the shrimp remain tender.
One Pot Jambalaya
A wide Dutch oven gives the onion, pepper and celery enough room to soften before the rice goes in. Andouille supplies smoke, chicken makes the pot substantial, and shrimp wait until the grains are almost ready. Adding all three proteins at the beginning would punish the shrimp for having the shortest cooking time. Drain the tomatoes into a measuring jug before adding broth so the rice receives a controlled amount of liquid instead of whatever happened to be in the can.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add andouille and chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times so some surfaces brown.
- Add onion, bell pepper and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, thyme, cayenne and salt for 30 seconds.
- Measure the reserved tomato juices into a jug and add only enough broth to reach 2 3/4 cups total liquid. Stir rice and drained tomatoes into the pot, then pour in that measured liquid.
- Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and cook over low heat for 18 minutes without stirring.
- Nestle shrimp into the surface, cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until shrimp are opaque and reach 145°F, chicken reaches 165°F and rice is tender.
- Remove from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. Fold gently to distribute the shrimp and serve in 6 bowls.
One Pot Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Alfredo is a perennial Italian-American crowd pleaser because of just how over-the-top it is. The rich, creamy sauce is the heart and soul of the dish, and so while other pastas might suffer from the one-pot treatment, Alfredo seems right on brand.
One Pot Chicken Alfredo
Penne gives chicken Alfredo a sturdy shape that can handle cooking directly in broth before the dairy joins it. The chicken pieces should be small enough to finish with the pasta, but not so tiny that they shred when you stir. Use freshly grated Parmesan. The coarse shelf-stable powder can leave this short sauce sandy, and boiling harder won't fix it. A brief rest off the heat thickens the coating without reducing the cream into something greasy.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally; it will finish cooking with the pasta.
- Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in broth, scrape the bottom and bring to a boil.
- Stir in penne, reduce to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 9 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 2 minutes. Add a little reserved water if the pot gets dry.
- Stir in milk, cream and nutmeg. Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes until penne is tender, chicken reaches 165°F and the sauce remains loose enough to flow between the pieces.
- Remove from the heat, stir in Parmesan in 3 additions and rest for 2 minutes. Loosen with any remaining measured water if necessary and divide among 4 bowls.
One Pot Taco Pasta
Turkey is the protein of choice here, but I think beef would also work. Shells are definitely the best choice here to contain the gooey mix of meat, vegetables, and sauce.
One Pot Taco Pasta
Ground turkey, green chiles and corn give this taco pasta a different character from the beef-and-bean chili mac, with pepper Jack melted into the sauce instead of cheddar scattered over it. Use small shells that will trap the filling, and choose canned green chiles rather than a jar of thin salsa so the measured broth can cook the pasta predictably without an unexpectedly watery finish.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add turkey and onion and cook for 8 minutes, breaking the meat into fine crumbles and cooking it to 165°F.
- Stir in garlic, cumin, chili powder and oregano for 30 seconds. Add green chiles, corn, tomato sauce, broth and salt and bring to a boil.
- Stir in shells, reduce to a steady uncovered simmer and cook for 11 to 14 minutes, stirring frequently from the bottom.
- Add reserved water a few tablespoons at a time if the sauce gets dry before the pasta is tender; finish with a loose coating sauce.
- Remove from the heat and stir in pepper Jack until melted. Rest for 3 minutes and divide among 5 bowls.
One Pot Lasagna Soup
I love a good lasagna, but a properly made version is an extended affair. This gets you the flavors and the ingredients, and while it's no substitute for a well-layered lasagna, it's a serious time-saver.
One Pot Lasagna Soup
Lasagna soup keeps the broken noodle edges and creamy ricotta that make the baked dish worth eating, without asking you to stack a pan. This one uses Italian sausage in a tomato broth that stays spoonable after the noodles cook. Break regular lasagna sheets into rough pieces before they go in. Stir especially well during their first few minutes so the flat pieces don't glue themselves into a stack at the bottom, and add the ricotta mixture to individual bowls instead of dissolving it into the entire pot.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown sausage and onion in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, breaking the sausage into small crumbles and cooking it to 160°F. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, broth, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer for 8 minutes.
- Add broken noodles and simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes until tender, stirring frequently during the first 5 minutes to separate the pieces.
- Mix ricotta and Parmesan in a small bowl while the noodles cook.
- Divide soup among 6 bowls and top each with one-sixth of the ricotta mixture and mozzarella. Let the cheese soften in the hot broth before eating.
One Pot Sausage Pasta with Peppers
Sausage and peppers go great together, and you do have quite a lot of freedom in terms of what sausage you choose here. Most Italian sausage in the US has a pretty strong fennel aroma, but it can be fun to play around with different styles of sausage that you might have available to you.
One Pot Sausage Pasta with Peppers
Peppers need to soften before the dry pasta joins this pot, otherwise the noodles can be ready while the vegetables still taste raw. Crumbled fennel sausage spreads through the sauce and leaves enough fat to cook the onions without another pour of oil. I like rigatoni here because its wide tubes hold both meat and sweet pepper strips. The tomato sauce should cling inside those tubes rather than settle in a watery ring around the bowl.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown sausage in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 7 minutes, breaking it into crumbles and cooking it to 160°F. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
- Add peppers and onion and cook for 7 minutes until softened at the edges. Stir in garlic and oregano for 30 seconds.
- Add tomato sauce, broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in rigatoni and reduce to a steady uncovered simmer.
- Cook for 13 to 16 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 2 minutes and adding reserved water in small amounts if the pot becomes dry before the pasta is tender.
- Remove from the heat and stir in Parmesan. Rest for 3 minutes and divide among 5 bowls.
One Pot Chicken Fajita Rice
Part of the reason people order fajitas is the sizzling plate they come out on, but chances are you don't have one at home, and you don't want your kids to risk 3rd degree burns. A fajita rice bowl delivers all the flavors instead.
One Pot Chicken Fajita Rice
Fajita rice needs recognizable strips of pepper and onion, so cut them thicker than you would for a soup base and give them a short start with the chicken. Cumin, smoked paprika and lime make the pot taste different from plain chicken and rice; keep the cheese to a thin layer melted under the lid so it doesn't hide the vegetables or turn the rice into a sticky cheese paste before you can fluff it.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cumin, paprika, chili powder and salt and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add peppers and onion and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and rice for 1 minute.
- Pour in broth and scrape the bottom clean. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook for 18 to 20 minutes until rice is tender and chicken reaches 165°F. Remove from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.
- Fold in lime juice gently, scatter Monterey Jack over the surface and cover for 2 minutes to melt. Serve in 4 portions with the pepper strips distributed evenly.
One Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo
Orzo might work better than any other pasta in a one-pot context. Lemon, chicken, and spinach come together for a light, refreshing meal perfect for summer.
One Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo
This is creamy orzo with chicken, not chicken soup with a little orzo drifting through it. Stirring releases enough pasta starch to make the broth cling, and feta adds a salty finish without a cup of cream. Use lemon zest as well as juice. The zest keeps its fragrance in the thick sauce while the juice supplies the sharper edge. Spinach goes in near the end so its leaves stay recognizable instead of breaking down through the entire cook.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add shallot and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in garlic and orzo for 1 minute.
- Pour in broth, scrape the bottom and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often and adding reserved water a little at a time if the orzo sticks before becoming tender.
- Fold in spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Check that chicken reaches 165°F and the orzo is tender in a thick, flowing sauce.
- Remove from the heat and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and feta. Rest for 2 minutes, loosen with any unused measured water if needed and divide among 4 bowls.
One Pot Spanish Rice
Spanish rice; not Spanish, but always good. The most classic version, from Mexico, is a simple tomato rice, but adding fresh Mexican chorizo, crumbled up into the pan, and beans makes this a complete meal.
One Pot Spanish Rice
This is the tomato-seasoned rice often called Spanish rice on an American home dinner menu, made substantial with Mexican chorizo and pinto beans. Use raw Mexican chorizo rather than firm cured Spanish sausage so it breaks into the rice. Drain excess fat after browning. The rice should pick up its red color from tomato paste and sausage seasoning, while measured broth supplies the moisture it needs without a can of extra tomato juice upsetting the ratio.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook chorizo and onion in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat for 8 minutes, breaking the sausage into small crumbles and cooking it to 160°F. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
- Add green pepper and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, cumin and rice for 1 minute.
- Add broth, beans and salt and bring to a simmer. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 18 minutes without stirring.
- Scatter peas over the rice, cover and cook for 3 minutes more until the rice is tender.
- Remove from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. Fluff gently to distribute the chorizo, beans and peas, then serve in 5 bowls.
One Pot Shrimp Scampi Pasta
I hesitate to even call this a pasta dish, but if you think of it as an Italian-themed seafood stew, it becomes a lot easier to wrap my head around. As with any shrimp dish, they should be just barely cooked through.
One Pot Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Shrimp don't need to spend twelve minutes waiting for spaghetti to cook, so they go into this garlic-butter pot only when the noodles are nearly tender. A little white wine reduces before the broth arrives, leaving flavor without a raw alcoholic edge. Keep the sauce loose as you add the shrimp. It needs enough moisture to circulate around them, and the pasta will take up another small drink while the lemon and remaining butter are folded in off the heat.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper and stir for 30 seconds without browning.
- Pour in wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil.
- Stir in broken spaghetti and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often to separate the strands. Add reserved water in small amounts if the noodles become dry before they are almost tender.
- Fold in shrimp and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, turning the shrimp through the sauce until opaque and 145°F, with tender spaghetti and a little liquid still flowing around it.
- Remove from the heat and fold in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lemon juice, zest and chopped parsley. Toss until the sauce coats the strands and serve immediately.
One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini
Tortellini in Italy are very much a special-occasion food, given how difficult they are to make from scratch, and so a decent-quality refrigerated version is forgivable. In lieu of the traditional pork filling, adding kielbasa fulfills a lot of the same function.
One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini
Refrigerated tortellini need far less cooking liquid than dry pasta, and treating the two alike is how a creamy dinner turns into accidental soup. Browned kielbasa gives this short pot a smoky base before the filled pasta steams in broth and cream. Spinach folds in at the end. Use cheese tortellini with a short package cooking time, keep the simmer gentle and stop when the filling is hot and the pasta edges have softened without opening up.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add kielbasa and onion and cook for 6 minutes until the sausage edges brown and the onion softens.
- Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then add broth and cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add tortellini, cover and simmer gently for 4 minutes. Uncover and stir carefully, adding reserved water only if the bottom is becoming dry.
- Add spinach and pepper and cook uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes until the tortellini filling is hot, pasta is tender and spinach has wilted; follow any longer minimum package cooking instruction.
- Remove from the heat and fold in Parmesan. Rest for 2 minutes until the sauce coats the pasta, then divide among 4 bowls.
One Pot Cajun Pasta
Andouille sausage and shrimp are a match made in heaven, and take on a new twist with this creamy pasta dish. The word "Cajun" might be questionable here, but it's worth trying.
One Pot Cajun Pasta
Cajun pasta earns its place with smoked sausage, shrimp and a peppery cream sauce, rather than another chicken dinner with a shake of seasoning on top. The shrimp join the cavatappi late enough to stay plump. Use the separate spices listed here instead of substituting the same amount of a salty seasoning blend. That keeps the heat adjustable and prevents the reduced broth, sausage and Parmesan from concentrating more salt than you intended.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook andouille, pepper and onion for 6 minutes until sausage edges brown and vegetables soften.
- Stir in garlic, tomato paste, paprika, thyme, cayenne, pepper and salt for 1 minute.
- Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in cavatappi and simmer uncovered for 9 minutes, stirring frequently and adding reserved water if the pot becomes dry.
- Fold in shrimp and cream and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes until shrimp reach 145°F and the pasta is tender; keep a little flowing sauce around the noodles.
- Remove from the heat and stir in Parmesan. Rest for 2 minutes and divide among 5 bowls.
One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Chicken parm is a favorite in Italian-American homes, but deep-frying is always a mess. Toasted breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan help provide the crunch that would otherwise be missing.
One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Toasted breadcrumbs give this chicken Parmesan pasta the crunch that a pot of tomato sauce usually lacks. Toast them first in the same Dutch oven and hold them on a plate while the chicken and pasta cook. That small detour is worth it. The chicken stays in tender bite-size pieces rather than pretending a saucy pot can preserve the crust of a fried cutlet. Melt the mozzarella under the lid, then add the crumbs to each serving so they stay dry until the fork reaches them.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add panko and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until golden; transfer to a dry plate and mix with 2 tablespoons Parmesan once slightly cooled.
- Add remaining oil to the same pot and raise the heat to medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in garlic and oregano for 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and broth, scrape the bottom and bring to a boil.
- Add rotini and simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often and adding reserved water if the sauce becomes dry before pasta is tender and chicken reaches 165°F.
- Remove from the heat and fold in the remaining Parmesan. Scatter mozzarella across the top, cover and rest for 3 minutes until melted.
- Divide among 5 bowls and scatter the toasted breadcrumb mixture over each portion just before serving.
One Pot Goulash
For some, American goulash is a nostalgic comfort food, and for others, it's a horrendous chimera of a dish. If you're in the former camp, this should scratch the Middle American itch.
One Pot Goulash
American goulash is a beef-and-macaroni pot, and I want the tomato and paprika to come through before any cheese does. This version leaves the cheese out entirely. Green pepper, a little Worcestershire and a bay leaf build a sauce that tastes rounder after a short simmer, while the elbows go in only for their own cooking time instead of swelling through the whole process. Pull the pot off the burner while the sauce is still loose enough to move when you tilt it.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef, onion and green pepper in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 9 minutes, breaking the beef into small crumbles and cooking it to 160°F. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, paprika and oregano for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire, bay leaf, salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes.
- Stir in macaroni and cook at a steady uncovered simmer for 11 to 14 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
- Add reserved water a little at a time if the sauce becomes dry before the elbows are tender. Keep the finished sauce loose enough to flow around the pasta.
- Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf and rest for 3 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls.
One Pot Chicken and Dumplings
The dumpling-drop technique is a great way to turn a wide variety of soups and stews into a complete meal. The addition of cornmeal works well with the chicken.
One Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Cornmeal gives these drop dumplings a lightly nubby surface and a yellow center, which suits the thick chicken gravy beneath them. Keep the spoonfuls small enough that steam can cook their middles before the outside becomes heavy. The lid needs to stay on. Lifting it repeatedly dumps the heat the dumplings depend on, and a thick gravy underneath is less forgiving than a pot of freely boiling water. Cut one dumpling open at the end and check for a fluffy center with no wet stripe.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook for 6 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add chicken, thyme, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 4 minutes, stirring. Sprinkle with the 3 tablespoons gravy flour and stir for 1 minute.
- Gradually stir in broth and the 1/2 cup gravy milk. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken reaches 165°F; fold in peas.
- Whisk dumpling flour, cornmeal, baking powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stir in the 1/2 cup dumpling milk and oil just until a soft dough forms.
- Drop dough in 10 equal mounds over the gently simmering gravy, leaving gaps between them. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Check one dumpling by splitting its center; cook covered for 2 to 3 minutes more if any wet dough remains. Serve 2 dumplings with one-fifth of the chicken and gravy per portion.
One Pot Beef and Broccoli Noodles
Beef and broccoli work so well together in Chinese takeout. For this recipe, I strongly recommend experimenting with different Asian noodles, with lo mein working especially well.
One Pot Beef and Broccoli Noodles
Ground beef keeps these noodles in one pot without the batch searing that thin steak usually needs, and its small crumbles work their way between the broccoli florets. Ginger and a measured soy sauce mixture give the broth direction before the noodles absorb it. Put the broccoli in after the spaghetti has softened. It needs a few minutes of steam, not the whole pasta cooking time, and its stems should still have a little resistance when the sauce is ready to coat everything.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 7 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles and cooking it to 160°F. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic and ginger for 30 seconds. Add broth, soy sauce and brown sugar and bring to a boil.
- Stir in broken spaghetti and simmer uncovered for 7 minutes, stirring often to separate the strands. Add reserved water in small amounts if the bottom becomes dry.
- Fold in broccoli, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes until noodles are tender and broccoli is bright green and just tender.
- Mix cornstarch with the 1 tablespoon cold slurry water. Stir into the pot with rice vinegar and simmer uncovered for 1 minute until the sauce lightly coats the noodles.
- Remove from the heat and fold in sesame oil. Divide among 4 bowls and serve immediately.
One Pot Mushroom Gnocchi
Gnocchi work so well when you want to balance rich or intense flavors with something soft and simple. Packaged gnocchi are fine here, but making gnocchi on the weekend isn't hard at all, and they freeze well- perfect for restaurant-quality gnocchi even on a weeknight.
One Pot Mushroom Gnocchi
Shelf-stable potato gnocchi can cook in a shallow pool of sauce because they need much less hydration than dry wheat pasta. Let the mushrooms release their water first so that small pool stays under your control. The gnocchi should be tender and pillowy, not dissolved at the edges. A short covered simmer followed by spinach and Parmesan makes a meatless bowl with enough mushroom flavor to stand on its own, and it doesn't need an oven finish or a second pan to brown the dumplings.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their released liquid evaporates and some edges brown.
- Add shallot and cook for 2 minutes, then garlic and thyme for 30 seconds.
- Pour in broth and milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Add gnocchi, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 4 minutes.
- Uncover, stir carefully and add spinach and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until spinach wilts and gnocchi are tender throughout, adding reserved water only if the sauce becomes dry.
- Remove from the heat and fold in Parmesan. Rest for 2 minutes and serve in 4 bowls while the sauce still flows between the gnocchi.
One Pot Mexican Quinoa
I'm personally not the biggest fan of quinoa, but a lot of people I know adore it, and I get why. Not only is it a refreshing change from pasta or rice, but it's also healthier, and it plays well with spice, as in this recipe.
One Pot Mexican Quinoa
Quinoa makes a useful one-pot dinner when the beans, corn and tomatoes go in with it instead of being treated as toppings for a separate bowl of cooked grain. Rinse it thoroughly to remove the dusty bitterness some brands carry. Drain the tomatoes and count their juice as part of the cooking liquid. Black beans make the finished pot substantial without cheese, while a final squeeze of measured lime juice brightens the cumin and smoked paprika without turning the grains wet.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes until softened at the edges.
- Stir in garlic, cumin, paprika and salt for 30 seconds, then add rinsed quinoa and stir for 1 minute.
- Measure reserved tomato juices into a jug and add only enough broth to reach 2 cups total liquid. Add that liquid, drained tomatoes, black beans and corn to the pot.
- Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and cook over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes until quinoa is tender with visible curled germ rings and the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. Fold in lime juice, fluff gently and divide among 4 bowls.
The liquid ratio for cooking pasta in one pot
You'll notice that the carb-to-water ratios in these recipes vary pretty widely, and there's a reason. Different carbs absorb water at different rates and in different amounts, and the additional meats and veggies can have a huge impact too. Basically, what you're looking for in most one-pot dishes is a mac and cheese texture, so play around with that goal in mind.
Building flavor in one pot without browning in batches
I think the key to good one-pot cooking is to slowly add ingredients, from the ones that take the longest to cook to the ones that take the least. This ensures a dish that feels like a great stew, not a bowl of slop.
