One Pan Wonders

Sometimes cooking dinner for your family means lots of dirty bowls, pans, and pots, plus time spent washing all of those dishes. But it doesn’t always have to be that way! Below we have gathered some ideas and recipes that strive to only use one pot or pan, hopefully saving you time to instead spend with your family. We’ve divided up the recipes by the type of dish used: Baking sheet, skillet, and Dutch oven.

Skillet
Using a skillet for your one dish meal is probably the easiest of all. Try making a variety of stir fries, which is a dish that involves chopping veggies and possibly meat into similar size pieces and cooking quickly over higher heat. For example, you could cook carrots and broccoli (fresh or frozen) with thin slices of beef and a dash of soy sauce for an Asian inspired meal. Or test out our recipe for Beef and Cabbage. For an Italian spin, make Zucchini and Tomatoes and add ground turkey after step 2 and brown.

Baking sheet
A big baking sheet is like a blank slate for a simple dinner. Have a fajita night by slicing up some peppers and onions, and then chicken into strips. Place onto a baking sheet and toss with oil, salt, and chili powder. Cook in the oven at 400 degrees until chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes. You can even warm your tortillas in the oven by wrapping them in foil and placing next to the baking sheet.

This same idea works with cooking different types of meat cut into smaller pieces with veggies. Try it with pork, green beans, and sweet potatoes, or fish, tomatoes, and squash. Another idea is to make packets on a baking sheet, like these Chicken, Sweet Potato and Carrot Packets.

Dutch oven
A Dutch oven, or large soup pot, is perfect for making filling fall meals, like soups and chilis. Both the recipes for Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup and Lentil, Mushroom, and Swiss Chard Soup involve browning chopped veggies in a pot and then letting it simmer. A great way to make your kitchen smell delicious! Chilis can be even simpler: Brown ground meat with spices (optional), add cans of diced tomatoes, beans, and maybe even corn, then simmer away. Toppings like low fat sour cream, shredded cheese, green onion, and avocado allow your family to personalize each bowl.