It’s about this time of year that we pull out the thick blankets, flick on the heater and crave hearty winter meals. Winter is the season of comfort food, but that doesn’t mean opting for takeaway or frozen meals to make it happen

There’s a stack of reasons why we love one-pot meals here at SmithKit (and we reckon you will too). One-pot recipes are perfect for beginners, and skips the stress of managing multiple pots and pans at the same time.

These simple recipes make preparing home-made meals for multiple people a breeze, cutting down the time spent on prep, cooking and clean-up. Plus, many of our favourite one-pot meals are ready in under an hour (and often even less), helping you to get dinner on the table sooner.

Whether you’re a confident cook wanting to prepare a new recipe or still nailing the basics, these 5 simple one-pot meals are easy, cost-effective and delicious.

In this blog, we’re sharing our favourite one-pot recipes, including:

• Curry Spiced Minced Lamb and Rice Pilaf

• One-Tray Honey Mustard Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Greens

• Greek Lamb and Risoni Bake

• One-Pot Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

• One-Pot Pasta with Broccoli, Garlic and Anchovies

Ready? Let’s get cooking.

One-Pot Recipe 1: Curry Spiced Minced Lamb and Rice Pilaf

Nothing says comfort food like a home-cooked meal infused with aromatic spices. This super simple pilaf recipe uses familiar ingredients you’ll easily find in your local grocery store, and takes just over 30 minutes from start to finish. Plus, you have the choice to switch out what spice paste you’d like to use (depending on what you’ve got in the cupboard).

• Prep time: 15 minutes

• Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 500 grams lamb mince

• 1x brown onion, finely chopped

• 1x red capsicum, de-seeded and finely chopped

• 1x carrot, peeled and finely chopped

• 2x tablespoons of vegetable oil

• 200 grams (1 cup) of basmati rice, uncooked

• 2x teaspoon of chicken stock powder

• 500ml of boiling water

• ½ cup of roughly chopped coriander leaves

• 2x tablespoon of Korma curry paste

Method

1. Fry the mince, carrot and onion until the meat is brown.

2. Add the capsicum and curry paste.

3. Add the rice and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.

4. Pour in the chicken stock.

5. Cover and cook for 15 minutes (stir once or twice during cooking just to make sure it's not sticking) or until the rice is soft.

6. Stir through the chopped coriander.

7. Serve with warm flatbread and a dollop of thick natural yoghurt.

Note: Korma paste is delicious with this recipe but you could use whatever Indian style curry paste you have or prefer. Even a Malaysian style Penang paste would be nice.

One-Pot Recipe 2: One-Tray Honey Mustard Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Greens

Who doesn’t love a plate of hearty roast chicken? This easy one-pot recipe takes things up a notch with a zesty honey mustard glaze that can be prepared in a few minutes. Chop the veggies, pop it in the oven and enjoy within an hour. It’s as simple as that.

• Prep time: 10 minutes

• Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 4x chicken Maryland (roughly 1,200 grams)

• 600 grams of baby chat potatoes, halved

• 1x zucchini, cut into chunks

• 60 grams of baby spinach

• 1x tablespoon of honey

• 4x teaspoons of Dijon mustard

• 2x cloves of fresh garlic, crushed

• 1x lemon, finely grated zest and juiced

Method

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees.

2. Whisk together the honey, mustard, garlic, lemon zest and juice.

3. Place the chicken in your roasting tray and drizzle over the sauce. Add the chopped potatoes and tuck in around the chicken.

4. Roast for 45 minutes.

5. Check that your chicken is close to being cooked - the juices should be running clear.

6. Add the zucchini and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

7. Add the spinach and cook for a further 3 minutes.

One-Pot Recipe 3: Greek Lamb and Risoni Bake

Experimenting with new cuisines doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. In fact, this one-pot Risoni bake captures the best of Greek flavours over six easy cooking steps. For an unexpected pop of vibrant flavour, try sourcing pomegranate seeds to scatter over the top of the dish when you’re serving.

• Prep time: 20 minutes

• Cooking time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Ingredients

• 1,000 grams of lamb shoulder, diced

• 1x brown onion, chopped

• 2x cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

• 2x tablespoons of olive oil

• 2x tablespoons of fresh oregano leaves

• 400 grams of tinned tomatoes, chopped or crushed

• 4x teaspoons of chicken stock powder

• 1x lemon, finely grated zest and juiced

• 1x cinnamon stick

• 500 grams of dried Risoni pasta

• 1,000 ml of boiling water for the stock

Method

1. Ideally you will use an oven proof saucepan with lid or a casserole dish with a lid. If not then just cover your dish tightly with foil.

2. Heat oven to 180 degrees.

3. Place lamb, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick and oregano in your casserole dish. Season and drizzle over the oil. Use your hands or a spoon to coat everything in the oil.

4. Put the lamb in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and add the chopped tomatoes, stock, lemon zest and juice. Cover and return to the oven for 1 to 1.5 hours (we've made this dish a stack of times and most of the time the lamb is ready after 1 hour). When the lamb is really tender and easily pulled apart with a fork, it’s ready for the next step.

6. Add the Risoni to the lamb and stir to distribute it evenly. Cover pot and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

7. This dish is delicious with a good thick Greek Yoghurt and even scattered with pomegranate seeds if you are cooking this when they are cheap and plentiful.
   
   

   

One-Pot Recipe 4: One-Pot Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

For the ultimate crowd pleasing dish, look no further than this simple one-pot pasta recipe. Ready in less than 20 minutes (yes, you heard us right), this tomato and pesto pasta is the perfect beginner recipe that anyone can master the first time around. Plus, it’ll be ready in half the time it takes to order in (and at a fraction of the cost, too).

• Prep time: 3 minutes

• Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1x punnet of cherry tomatoes

• 1x tablespoon of olive oil

• 1x tablespoon of basil pesto

• 250 grams of dried farfalle pasta (bowtie)

• ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, grated

• 500 ml of boiling water

Method

1. Place the oil and tomatoes in your saucepan and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough to heat the tomatoes and for some of them to start blistering.

2. Add the pasta and pesto to the pot and stir to coat and combine.

3. Add the boiling water and salt. Stir to combine and turn the heat up to high to get the water boiling.

4. Leave it all to boil/simmer for about 10 minutes. You will need to give it a stir every now and then just to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

5. Once the water has been absorbed and the pasta is soft stir through the parmesan cheese and serve.

Tip: If you think your pasta isn't quite ready but the liquid is rapidly disappearing then just add a bit more boiling water. You can use any pasta you like just as long as it fits in your pan and can be covered in the water. Don't skimp on the salt as it's effectively the salty boiling water that is creating your sauce for you.

For lovers of all things cheesy and salty, this recipe is for you. One of our favourite one-pot pasta recipes, this home-made meal is perfect for nights when you don’t feel like cooking. It’ll be ready in under 30 minutes and tastes so good, it’ll become a staple in your weekly meal plan.

• Prep time: 5 minutes

• Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 500ml of boiling water

• ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, grated

• 250 grams of dried farfalle pasta (bowtie)

• 1x tablespoon of olive oil

• 200 grams of broccoli (1x head of broccoli, no stem)

• 2x cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

• 20 grams of anchovies in oil (1 anchovy will weigh roughly 5 to 7 grams)

• ¼ teaspoon of chili flakes (adjust to suit your taste)

• 1x teaspoon of sea salt

Method

1. Roughly chop up the broccoli into small pieces. Roughly chop the anchovies. If you're a lover of salty goodness of anchovies then add a few more.

2. Place the oil garlic, anchovies, broccoli, and chilli flakes into your saucepan and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough for the anchovies to 'melt' and the garlic to cook a little.

3. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to coat and combine.

4. Add the boiling water and salt. Stir to combine and turn the heat up to high to get the water boiling.

5. Leave it all to boil/simmer for about 10 minutes. You will need to give it a stir every now and then just to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

6. Once the water has been absorbed and the pasta is soft stir through the parmesan cheese and serve.

Tip: If you think your pasta isn't quite ready but the liquid is rapidly disappearing then just add a bit more boiling water. You can use any pasta you like just as long as it fits in your pan and can be covered in the water. Don't skimp on the salt as it's effectively the salty boiling water that is creating your sauce for you.

So, there you have it. When it comes to home-cooking, one-pot recipes are one of the best places to start. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or your residents, these easy dishes are a great introduction to the world of home cooking.

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