Cooksister: One-pot wonders
The lockdown might have had you cooking up a storm, terwyl almal by die huis was, and maybe you even ran out of meal ideas.
But at some point sal jy een pot kos gemaak het.
The beauty of a one-pot meal is that it saves you time en skottelgoed at the end of a busy day.
If you are still working from home, I’m sure you can agree it’s easy to lose track of time – as jy jou kop kry dan is dit etenstyd and you haven’t even chopped an onion yet!
All it takes is a few pantry staples, whatever fresh ingredients you have in the fridge and in no time dinner is on the table and everyone is happy (hopefully).
Usually, you’d opt for a one-pot meal, want jy wil nie hê die kos moet ver gaan nie, which means less time spent cooking.
Leftovers are easily stored in the fridge because only one pot was used.
You can also easily jazz up gisteraand se kos by adding a few side dishes if you don’t smaak having the same meal again.
Stews and pastas are regular go-to meals in my home and if you have many mouths to feed, then these dishes are also great budget busters.
Perhaps one of the trickiest things to get right with this style of cooking is getting the right consistency of your sous and spices, but that depends on your personal taste.
There is much to love about one-pot cooking and less time in the kitchen means more time for the things and the people who matter.
Recipes:
Greek meatballs in one-pan tomato sauce
Knorr
Ingredients
12 10% fat beef meatballs
1 onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
400g tinned chopped tomatoes with olive oil and garlic
1 tablespoon liquid beef stock concentrate
50g reduced-fat feta cheese
5g basil
Method
Cook the meatballs in a non-stick pan for 6-8 minutes, then add the onion and fry a further 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cumin and Knorr stock with 100ml water and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Season with black pepper.
Meanwhile cook some rice according to pack directions.
Serve the meatballs on a bed of rice, and garnish with the feta cheese.
One-pot creamy lemon chicken
Knorr
Ingredients
600g skinless boneless chicken thigh fillet
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 chicken stock pot dissolved in 250ml boiling water
1 teaspoon dried oregano or dried thyme
1 lemon, sliced
80ml reduced-fat crème fraîche
1 teaspoon runny honey
Method
Heat some oil in a saucepan and fry chicken until lightly browned.
Add garlic and fry 1 minute. Add the stock, herbs and lemon. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken and whisk in crème fraîche and honey.
Boil and reduce until slightly thickened.
Replace chicken and reheat.
Serve with cooked pasta or rice.
One-pot sausage and spicy bean stew
Knorr
Ingredients
500g sausages, chopped into small chunks
1 red onion, chopped into 2cm pieces
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 herb infusion stock pot
50ml barbecue sauce
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
400g tinned mixed beans, washed and drained
Optional:
5g chopped parsley
10g chopped spring onion
10g chilli pepper, finely chopped
Method
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish.
Add the sausage and fry for 5 minutes until the sausage starts to brown.
Add the chopped onion, (chilli) and garlic and fry for 3 minutes more or until the onion becomes translucent.
In a bowl whisk together 300ml water, barbecue sauce and smoked paprika.
Pour this over the sausage.
Add the Knorr herb infusion stock pot and bring everything to a boil. Add cherry tomatoes and mixed beans and stir.
Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to a medium-low and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally as needed.
Remove from heat. Garnish with parsley and/or spring onions if liked.
One-pot mac and cheese
Food Network
Ingredients
4 cups whole milk
340g elbow macaroni (about 3 cups)
225g mild cheddar, shredded (about 3 cups)
85g part-skim mozzarella, shredded (about 1 cup)
55g cream cheese, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Large pinch cayenne pepper
Large pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
Method
Put the milk and macaroni in a medium saucepan.
Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep the macaroni from clumping, then cook, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is tender and the milk has thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese, butter, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and 1½ teaspoons salt, and stir until smooth, thick and creamy.
Serve hot.
(The dish will thicken as it cools; thin it out with hot water if desired.)
Chicken Spaghetti
Ree Drummond (Food Network)
Ingredients
1 whole raw chicken, cut into 8 pieces
28g thin spaghetti, broken into 5cm pieces
2½ cups shredded sharp cheddar (any cheese will do)
¼ cup finely diced green pepper
¼ cup finely diced red pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Two cans cream of mushroom soup
1 medium onion, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 170°C.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add the chicken pieces to the boiling water and boil for a few minutes, then return the heat to medium-low and simmer, 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken and 2 cups of the chicken cooking broth from the pot.
When the chicken is cool, remove the skin and pick out the meat (a mix of dark and white) to make 2 generous cups.
Cook the spaghetti in the same chicken cooking broth until al dente. Do not overcook.
When the spaghetti is cooked, combine with the chicken, mushroom soup, 1½ cups cheese, the green peppers, red peppers, onions, seasoned salt, cayenne, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth, adding an additional cup if needed.
Place the mixture in a casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or bake immediately until bubbly, about 45 minutes.
(If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).
megan.baadjies@inl.co.za