In the depths of winter, we crave rich, warm soups and hearty stews. And perhaps we’d like to spend our time curled up with an enjoyable book or out on a walk in the snow. But we still need fuel, and one-pot meals are the answer.
One-pot meals are really one-pot wonders. They often take simple, even mundane, ingredients and transform them into something sublime. Some come together quickly. Others can simmer away on the stove while we turn our attention to other pursuits. They all satisfy us when we come in from the cold. There’s a ton of reasons why one-pot meals are so great.
Think of your favourite stew. Using one pot to sauté onions or other aromatics and then to sear meat builds up a rich flavour base that is released and incorporated into the dish by adding tomatoes or liquids, like wine, stock, or coconut milk. Gentle simmering allows the flavours to meld into something truly special.
And most of the time, the stove is doing the work. That stove is working less hard than it would be with four burners and the oven going with five separate dishes. So, you’re saving on energy costs as well.
From a nutritional standpoint, one-pot meals provide an excellent opportunity to increase the nutritional content of what you eat, especially by adding vegetables. It’s easy to rev up a soup with a handful of grains, some veg from the fridge, or beans from the cupboard.
One-pot meals are delicious and—bonus!—they lend themselves to batch cooking. What a fantastic way to make dinner for now and next week. Typically, meals like this freeze well or are easily reheated the next day. In fact, sometimes, they are even better the next day.
These dishes also offer you the flexibility to organize your time as you wish. If it suits you to cook dinner on Saturday morning and have a free run at the day―one-pot meals are your best friend.
Read on to explore these six one-pot wonders that have what it takes to nourish you on chilly winter days and nights. They’re quick and easy, and they bring together simple ingredients, magnifying their flavours, all while keeping the dishwashing to a minimum.