Every tiring and busy day will still need the family to eat and this isn’t always easy. With the effort of the prep, the cooking and the clean up most of us are seeking quick, simple and really tasty dishes to cook. With the help of one-pot dishes, you have the ability to cook all your ingredients in the same pot, skillet or pan. They are simple to cook and take no longer than a typical dish but, the one great thing about these kinds of dishes is the lack of cleaning. One-pot dishes make for a comforting meal and never cost the family an arm and a leg to cook up a healthy and satisfying dish for them to eat.

Why Are One-Pot Dishes So Popular?

The one-pot dish is becoming a major hit at the moment and rightly so; they are unbelievable simple to cook up. You also have the advantage of being able to throw all of your required ingredients in to one pot, pan or skillet where they can cook together to create one of the best flavour combinations out there.

Advantages of one-pot cooking

• Time-saving.
• Almost no washing up.
• Insanely flavourful dishes.
• Highly versatile- use whatever you have on hand in the cupboard.
• Perfect for complete beginners and families in a hurry.
• It is possible to cook healthy dishes with one-pot cooking as you have the ability to combine many grains, vegetables and protein to complete the dish.
• The classic one-pot pasta dish.
• One-pot pasta dishes are one of the most favoured family meals right now because of how quick and easy they are to prepare. There’s no need to boil pasta in a pot and have separate sauce dishes simmering on the stove. Instead you must simply combine everything into one pot.

You will need

• Pasta
• Garlic and onions
• Tomatoes or pasta sauce
• Any suitable vegetables you have on hand (mushrooms, spinach, capsicum…)
• Cheese and herbs
• The release of the starch during the cooking of the pasta along with the other ingredients will help to create a rich and flavoursome sauce, and even add chicken, paneer or sausages to add extra protein.

Hearty one-pot chicken and rice

One of our family’s favourite one-pot meals is chicken and rice, which is delicious and means all of the chicken, stock and vegetables’ wonderful flavours blend together to give the grains of rice their satisfying taste.

Perfect for

• Boneless chicken because of its quick cooking time
• Adding peas, carrots or beans for a nutritional boost
• A low heat to produce fluffy grains of rice.
• A wholesome meal for any family with the hungriest eaters.

Vegetable khichdi

• Khichdi is one of the worlds easiest and finest one-pot Indian dishes that requires rice and lentils and as stated, can’t get any simpler than this!
• Why khichdi is such a success…
• Extremely soft and easy to digest
• Great source of fiber and protein
• Extremely quick to cook (especially with a pressure cooker)

Use your favourite vegetables in this versatile dish

With the added boost of cumin, Ghee, ginger and turmeric this traditional Indian dish will certainly provide a kick of flavour and nutrition.

• One-pot curries
• Curries are yet another excellent one-pot meal as you simply toss all of your meat or vegetable components, liquid and sauces into one pot and allow them to simmer.
• Common curry choices
• Butter chicken curry
• Mixed vegetable curry
• Chickpea curry

Paneer masala

You can either have your chosen curry with rice or chapattis to serve it with.

Homemade soup and stew

• Soup and stew is both perfect one-pot meals that you can cook up when the weather’s cold. They can both be made in just one pot.
• Soup options
• Chicken noodle soup
• Tomato and vegetable soup
• Lentil soup
• Creamy potato soup

If you sprinkle the finished product with herbs and spices you’ll be able to boost your meal to another level.

One-pot fried rice

A one-pot fried rice is perhaps the quickest meal on this list and perfect for using up any stray bits of food and vegetables you may have lingering in your cupboard. Generally the dish only takes around 30 minutes to prepare.

Add to your dish

• Eggs
• Chicken or shrimp
• Peas or carrots
• Soy sauce and garlic
• Spring onions
• This is an excellent recipe if you’re feeling like a bit of variety and what ingredients you have on hand.

Slow cooker and Instant Pot meals

Modern-day cooking apparatuses like slow cookers and Instant pots help to make cooking one-pot dishes and having your meals ready to serve when you get home from work that much easier and a great source of quick family meals.

• Advantages of slow cooker/Instant Pot one-pot cooking.
• Minimize cooking time without needing as much hands-on effort.
• All of the flavours are absorbed through slow cooking.
• Great for stews, soups and curries.
• A perfect option for a busy family at work.
• Tips for success with one-pot cooking.

Use fresh produce

• High quality, fresh protein as well as the use of fresh herbs and spices is key to achieving the optimum health and flavour benefits when creating any one-pot dish.
• Taste test to achieve balance
• When mixing herbs and spices together you must be careful not to have one particular flavour overwhelm the dish but instead have a great balance of flavours.

Don’t overstuff the pot

Having too many ingredients crammed into the pot will prevent each ingredient from cooking evenly. You must use a pan that is appropriately sized for the amount of ingredients.

• Pre-plan if you’re rushed
• If you have a busy schedule the day ahead where cooking is an activity you must make time for you must pre-chop all the ingredients and ensure that they are all available.
• Health and Budget-friendly dishes
• This type of cooking is very budget-friendly, as there will be significantly less waste and the left overs can be used for another dish. One-pot dishes are much healthier than pre-prepared meals and restaurant foods, as the amount of calories, fat and preservatives used are drastically reduced.

Conclusion

Easy one-pot meals are a gift to anyone wanting a simple, delicious, healthy and quick meal for their families. From pasta dishes and curries to one-pot curries, soups and rice dishes and many others there is a one-pot meal out there for anyone, of any cooking level and requires a small input of your time and effort. They are a fantastic way to prepare a satisfying family meal.