One Pot Dinner Tips and Recipes
I love one-pot meals. They’re as easy to clean up afterward as soup, even easier to make, requiring no extra steps like blending, and a cinch to serve. Better still, they keep well because their taste improves when the flavors are given time to merge. This makes them great make- ahead- and- heat- up- at- the- last- minute options for busy people. To top it off, the meat choices for one-pot meals are often less expensive than those for regular entrees because the longer cooking times allow for the use of less tender cuts.
Even stews which may require a longer time to cook, don’t need much attention, and with a slow cooker one dosen’t even have to be home. There are a couple of other advantages to these recipes too; they are very forgiving for the novice and allow the adventuresome lots of room to experiment. No type of meal could be more convenient to prepare or fun to make.
For those who have a slow cooker and also for those that don’t I’m including a conversion table. Using this, any one-pot family recipe, or one from a regular cookbook can be converted to the slow cooker and slow cooker recipes can be made by conventional means. There are many, many one-pot recipes out there. If you think about all the stews and chowders, you’ll realize there is no shortage of dishes to try. I’m passing on 4 of my favorites that are a bit “off the beaten track” but simple to make which you might want to try.
CONVENTIONAL COOKING SLOW COOKER LOW SLOW COOKER HIGH
15 – 30 min 4- 6 hrs. 1 ½ – hrs,
35 – 45 min. 6 – 10 hrs. 3-4 hrs.
50 min.- 3 hrs. 8 – 18 hrs. 4 – 6 hrs.
pork stew recipe
PASTA WITH BEEF DOUBE SAUCE: Serves 4—Freezes well
Daube is the French word for stew. This recipe evolved one cold evening while discussing what to have for dinner, and someone said the a beef stew would really hit the spot, but it was late, we were hungry, and stew, even shortcut ones take more time then we were willing to wait, so we experimented, and this was the result.
1 lbs. lean hamburger
1 large onion in medium dice
2 ribs celery in medium dice
12 baby carrots in thin slices OR 2 large carrots in thin slices
½ cup diced green bell pepper
4 oz. sliced mushrooms – or (1) 4oz. cans stems and pieces
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried marjoram
2 cloves garlic sliced
2 envelopes beef bouillon powder
(½)14 oz can diced tomatoes – 3 Tbs. juice reserved OR 1 large OR 2 plum tomatoes diced
1 ½ cups Red wine
1 cup water
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. Red wine vinegar
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes – or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. pasta- preferably a large shaped variety like Conchiglie (shells) or Rioatoni
Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat. Brown beef slightly, add onions, celery and carrots as pink begins to fade, cook until beef is brown @ 3 min. Add pepper, garlic and mushrooms, cook 1 min. Add tomatoes, spices, and bouillon, stir to incorporate, add wine. Cover and cook 30 min. Dissolve the cornstarch in the 2 Tbs. reserved tomato juice, and stir into the sauce. Continuing stirring until sauce thickens. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.
To Freeze—Package sauce only in appropriate plastic containers in desired proportion amounts. Re-heat in the microwave—about 2 mins. covered on high
CINCINNATI 5-WAY CHILI –2 WAYS: Serves 4-6
Usually this is made with beef, but I’ve been using ground turkey or turkey sausage, and we like it better.
1 lb. ground turkey or turkey sausage
(1) 8 oz. can tomato sauce
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 cup hot water
1clove garlic sliced OR equal amount garlic powder
½ tsp. EACH cumin ,marjoram, powdered allspice, coriander, paprika,
1/8 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
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water or tomato juice—even the liquid from the beans
Salt and pepper to taste
(1) 16 oz. can kidney beans- drained
1 large onion in large dice
2 tsp. oil
2 Tbs. butter
½ a 1 lb. box of spaghetti
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese
Brown the meat in a sauce pan, then add all the other ingredients as listed down to the beans. Cover and simmer 30 min. stirring occasionally. Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente, microwave the onion in the oil for 1 min. and open and drain the beans. Check the consistency of the chili and add water or bean liquid if it’s too thick. Toss the pasta with the butter and divide among the plates. Top the pasta with chili, then beans, then the onion and finally the grated cheese. Serve at once.
ALTERNATIVELY: Add the beans and raw onion to the chili with the other ingredients. Simmer 15 min. covered. Uncover and cook 5 min. more. Pour chili into an oven proof casserole and top with:
5 0z. Tortilla chips – overlapping. Sprinkle with, cheese garnish with paprika and bake in a PREHEAYED 400 deg. oven for 10-15 mins. until cheese is melted and golden.
NOTE: The chili “sauce” itself also freezes well, so make extra if you can.
PORK STEW: Serves 4-This can also be made with veal, chicken or turkey – dark meat would be best
1 ½ lbs of pork in 1 inch cubes – leftover works too
2 cups chicken stock
1 envelope beef bouillon granules
½ cup white wine
2 small onions in 8 pieces each
1 large carrot sliced
2 stalks of celery sliced
½ tsp. garlic powder
pinch of cloves
(1) 4 oz. can of mushroom buttons
3 Tbs. butter- divided
Tbs. flour
1 egg beaten
½ cup heavy cream or half and half
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Melt 1 Tbs. butter in a large pot, add meat and vegetables for 2 min. and toss to coat Add the stock, bouillon, wine, mushrooms and seasonings . Cover and simmer for 1-1 ½ hours, until meat is tender and vegetables are cooked. Separately, melt 2 Tbs butter and mix with flour into a paste, then mix with 2 Tbs. cooled stock and add to the pot. Stir until liquid thickens slightly. Whisk beaten egg with cream. Stir in 2-4 Tbs. of pot liquid and then stir mixture into the pot. Add lemon juice, adjust seasonings. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve at once over hot buttered noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. Can also be served in bowls with bread on the side.
CHICKEN MARENGO: Serves 4-6. This is a good way to use the reasonably priced family packs of drumsticks
(1) 3-4 lb. chicken cut into pieces OR equal amount of chicken parts
2 Tbs/ butter
2 Tbs. oil
¾ tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. sliced mushrooms OR (1) 4 oz can stems and pieces
2 medium onions – sliced
(1) 16 oz can diced tomatoes with juice- 3 Tbs. juice reserved
½ cup sliced stuffed green olives
¼ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ cup sherry OR red wine
½ cup chicken stock
2 Tbs. flour
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and sauté over medium heat in the butter and oil until lightly browned. Add the onions and mushrooms and continue cooking until onions are soft and meat is tender. Add the remaining ingredients except reserved tomato juice and flour. Cover and cook on low 30 mins. Mix the flour in the juice to make a paste. Add to the pot and stir over medium heat, until stew thickens- about 3 mins. Adjust seasonings and serve hot over noodles or rice. The addition of (1) 15 oz can of drained lima beans or pinto beans eliminates the need for noodles or rice and makes the recipe truly one-pot.
NOTE: I show this with pinto beans and green beans on the side, but, to save time I often add frozen green beans or another vegetable like broccoli to the pot about half-way through the 30 min. simmering period. Just long enough to render them crisp-tender according to the directions on the package. I also removed the chicken skin before cooking
