Friends recently asked that I include recipes that are both simple and can be made in one pan. While it sounds easy, this combination is actually quite difficult.
Simple meals usually mean meals prepared with a minimum of ingredients. To me this is grilling, but grilling is not possible for many living in winter climates just now, so that knocks quite a few options off the list.
Too bad, because this would even improve on the criteria, simple and one pan. Grilling requires no pan at all.
So, because it is winter, I will not concentrate on grilling, instead I will try to put the unlikely duo of simple and one pan meal together.
This mostly means roasting, braising, and sautéing. All simple cooking methods, generally in one pan.
Surprisingly, I do have a number of recipes that fit this criteria. These are recipes that I have made for our dinners during the week, and while I have a fairly well stocked fridge and pantry, none of them require a long list of ingredients and are truly simple to make.
Roasting
Recipes that are roasted are generally those where the meat and the veg can all be placed on a sheet pan and placed in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Some of these are:
Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Rosemary
Sheet Pan Roasted Tarragon Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken and Panzanella Salad
Braising
Braising is a slow cook method for when you want to put everything into a Dutch oven or your slow cooker, set the timer and forget about the meal until it’s ready. There are quite a few of these, but my favorites are Braised Beef Ribs, Corned Beef and BBQ Baby Back Ribs. You get the added bonus of a twofer meal with corned beef and baby back ribs because you can convert the leftovers into another meal. Just add some BBQ sauce and slider buns for left over ribs or a crunchy baguette and some au jus from the corned beef for another meal.
Sautéing
Sautéing is borderline simple, although the dish tends to be made in one pan. When I prepare a dish that is sautéed, it usually involves multiple steps and may involve a longer list of ingredients because the flavors tend to be a bit more complex. But even though it may take a bit more time, you will not be spending more than 30 minutes in the kitchen. There are countless recipes that fit into this category, but here are the simplest that come to mind.
Chicken and Rice with Root Vegetables
Grenadir Mars (Grenadier Marsh) (which, by the way, is my most popular recipe, globally)
Each of the above recipes do require more than one step, such as sautéing onions and then adding garlic (don’t burn it) and then adding more ingredients. Sautéing also means cooking over low heat for up to an hour, but more often than not for the above recipes, just 15 to 30 minutes.
I have featured most of these recipes on my home page for this publication. Just scroll down and click on the image to get to the recipe. If you don’t see it, then search for ‘simple’ or ‘one pan’ or the recipe name and you should find these and more.
Enjoy…
P.S.
As I add new Simple, or One Pan, (or both) recipes, I will be sure to add these categories so you will be able to search for them.
