5 One-Pot Recipes for When Doing Dishes Is Just Not an Option

Chicken curry, minestrone soup, and more dishes that keep the focus on enjoying your meal and away from a sink full of dirty pots and pans.
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Photo by Alex Lau

Hatred of dirty dishes is a commonality between all humankind. So when I say to you, world, that you can annihilate the post-meal mess by cooking an entire dinner in one pot, you best be getting excited. Senior food editor Rick Martinez developed a week's worth of simple recipes, from chicken curry to pastrami fried rice, any one of which can be cooked in a single pot. Better yet? He's narrowed it down to a 15-item grocery list that (along with the items in your expertly stocked pantry—no really, make sure you have these) allows you to make all five recipes. That is what's up. That and all the dishwashing time and artisanal-scented dish soap money you'll be saving.

Everything You'll Need:

16 oz. pastrami
2 large onions
2 medium onions
1 acorn squash
1 bunch basil
2 15-oz. cans butter beans
1½ cups salted, roasted cashews
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 Tbsp. finely grated peeled ginger (about three 1" pieces)
2–2½ cups all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
2 cups sauerkraut
7 large eggs
4 oz. coarsely grated Swiss cheese (preferably Jarlsberg)
2 celery stalks

You've made it through the grocery store with a compliment on your shirt from an old lady named Gladys and only a minor verbal altercation with the dude behind you at the checkout line. Apparently, no one taught him about personal space. With groceries triumphantly in hand, it's time to get home and start cooking. These ingredients will last for the entire week, so make sure you keep the leftovers for the next night's recipe.

Monday: Ginger Cashew Chicken Curry (Step-by-Step, Recipe)

Photo by Alex Lau

It turns out that you don’t need a blend of obscure spices to arrive at that invigorating explosion of flavor that curry brings to the table. You really just need some fresh ginger, chile paste, and a bit of Kanye West to bump around to in the kitchen. Thickened with a bit of flour, this sauce is great over rice, but you could honestly just get after it with a spoon. No judgment if you do. (Make extra rice to use on Friday!)

Tuesday: Acorn Squash Minestrone (Step-by-Step, Recipe)

Photo by Alex Lau

Ah yes, minestrone. The staple of every soup menu in every neighborhood Italian joint in the country. While we've still got the beans and tomato-y broth going on, we upped our game a bit with some salty pastrami and sweet acorn squash. This beautiful soup, with layer after layer of flavor, is ridiculously easy to make. You're basically just throwing things in a pot and figuring out how to take a picture of it. You can handle that, right?

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie with Sauerkraut and Acorn Squash (Step-by-Step, Recipe)

Alex Lau

Flaky golden crust is a marvelous thing to behold, especially when you make it yourself. Don't be intimidated. It's a simple process that only uses a few ingredients, and underneath lies a creamy savory portion of tender chicken, onions, celery, and sauerkraut. Making this one to impress a date is a strong move. It's not every night someone makes you a chicken pot pie. Also, a date on a Wednesday night? Good for you.

Thursday: Reuben Dutch Baby (Step-by-Step, Recipe)

Photo by Alex Lau

The Dutch baby is the ultimate lesson in one-pot success, and to make your situation even better, this one tastes like a reuben. With heaps of pastrami above and below the fluffy, pillowy dough, this Dutch baby will make your cast-iron skillet your favorite thing in your kitchen.

Friday: Pastrami Fried Rice (Step-by-Step, Recipe)

Photo by Alex Lau

Crispy pastrami. Fatty cashews. Fresh basil. Fried eggs. Tender onions. We don't need soy sauce here. There's plenty going for us already. Fried rice is one of the easiest "throw together" meals in existence, and this version is certainly a refresher course in switching things up a bit. This is not take-out fried rice. This is something better.

Try two other awesome meal plans here and here