# Quick, Easy, One Pot Meals



## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Fall is almost upon us. The days are getting chilly and getting shorter. I don't know about you, but this is when I like to whip up some quick and easy meals that are warm and filling. Over the years I've developed a few standards, most of which lend themselves to variations, and can be made with standard pantry ingredients. Here's an old standby - maybe you've got one or two such meals you'd like to share. I've included the specific brands I use.

*Black Bean Chipotle Chile*

1 TBS good olive oil
1 15-oz can Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes with chilies
1 15-oz can Whole Foods Organic black beans rinsed and drained *OR* Eden black soybeans
1 15-oz can Whole Foods Organic red kidney beans, rinsed and drained *OR* Eden red kidney beans
1pkg frozen corn kernels ( Frozen Corn Taste Test)
Chili powder from Trader Joe's
1 tsp or more dried red chili peppers
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 or 3 chipotles in Adobo sauce, finely minced, plus some sauce (La Torre brand - available on Amazon)
1/2 cup or so diced green Bell pepper
About 1 cup finely diced onions 
1 or 2 med cloves garlic, minced
red wine vinegar

Sweat the onions in the olive oil, then add the garlic. As soon as garlic becomes fragrent, add the tomatoes, stir a bit, then add the Bell pepper, the chile pepper flakes, the chile powder, the chipotle and sauce, the cumin and the oregano, stir a bit, then add the beans and the corn stir and heat through, and finally add a dash of red wine vinegar and cook for a minute or two more.


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## smokeychef (Sep 10, 2008)

It looks like a great recipe, I'll be sure to try it, but I think I'll add some Beef, lamb, pork , or chiicken to it. Maybe a combination of a few, but in my opinion (being from Texas) beans don't belong in chili, but like the recipe is named " Black bean and chipolte chili" It sounds very good, and I'll be sure to try it. Thank you for the inspiration for a cold winter meal.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Thanks. Let me know how you like it.

I make a very similar recipe - a quick look tells me it's the same except for the addition of 1-lb fresh ground turkey (50/50 dark and white meat), but of course other meat can be used. Just add some oil and brown the turkey and pretty much follow all the other steps. While I've not tried it with cubed pieces of meat, I see no reason why it can't be used.

I use the turkey because it's inexpensive, fresh, easy to use, is lower in fat & cholesterol than beef, which is important to me, and, just as important, because my cat loves it and it's better for him than beef or pork.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

That's what I love most about fall - long slow cooking. It's just too hot in the summer to bother with it, but now that it's fall I love to celebrate my long missed casseroles, soups, and roasts. 

I believe beans have their rightful place in a chili. My favorite kind of chili is ground beef, with green bell peppers and kidney beans. Topped with raw onion and shredded cheese. Gotta go toast my cumin!


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

You posit something that's almost a contradicition in terms, Shel. When you look at them as a group, most "one-pot meals" are based on braising or considerable simmering. Which means long, slow cooking. 

So, while they may be easy, they're not necessarily quick. Unless you're a Rachael Ray/Sandra Lee afficionado.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Well, you may be right in that _"most"_ one pot meals are time consuming - I don't know because I never ran the numbers. However, I do know that many can be quickly put together. I've been making simple, easy, and quick meals for myself for years - many using one pot or a skillet - long before I ever heard of Rachael Ray.

Coincidentally, a friend and I were talking about this very subject a few months ago. She has a fairly large cookbook collection, and she showed me several books devoted to just such meals - one was even called 30 Minute Meals (or something similar) and was published long before Rachael Ray came on the scene. There are many such recipes in her diabetic and Weight Watchers cookbooks, and there's a small magazine (forget the name of it right now) that's chock full of quick and easy one pot and one skillet meals, some of which I make every now and then.

It should also be noted that there aren't that many RR recipes that are truly "one pot." Crockpot meals, while not quick in one sense, are quick in that the cooking needn't be tended, so throw some stuff in the poyt in the morning and it's ready when you come home. Essentially, that's pretty quick.

So, I think I'd have to respectfully disagree with you that such meals are a contradiction.


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## amazingrace (Jul 28, 2006)

I absolutely love one pot meals, and so does DH. Our favorite is probably beef stew. I usually do it in the pressure cooker, but sometimes in the crock pot. Either way, it's not complete without dumplings or some crusty bread. A little tossed salad on the side is nice, but we don't always want that.


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## willie24 (Aug 13, 2008)

Yes it is that time of the year here for the one pot meals. Chicken stew & dumplings tomorrow night and my wife's favorite - Cioppino for our anniversary dinner on Saturday.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Just for the heck of it, I did a web search for one pot meals. There's a lot of information and recipes out there. Some take a while to prepare and others can be on the table in fifteen minutes.

One Pot Meals - Recipes for One Dish Stews and Other Meals
One-Pot Cooking
Glorious One-Pot Meals


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Sure, some one-pot meals take a lot longer than others to prepare and cook. My version of blackeye peas with hamhocks is tasty, but I wouldn't call it quick and easy. On the other hand, boiling some sketti then topping it with just butter, diced fresh tomatoes and grated parm is technically a one pot meal, and it is pretty quick and easy. Same for bringing some beef broth to a simmer, throwing in some sliced mushrooms a couple of coarsely chopped green onions and a good dash of soy sauce to make a quick and easy soup. I often make a version of a sausage cioppino that requires minimal prep and maybe 30 - 45 minutes to cook.

But I do like it when fall arrives here in the northern hemisphere and having the oven on, or a long simmering pot on the stove is something pleasant, not another source of unbearable heat. Yesterday I made a big batch of beef chili for tuesday's final dinner hike of the season, the pan was on the stovetop for maybe 4 - 5 hours all together from start to finish. Hope the hiking folks like it.

mjb.


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## hostchecker (Sep 24, 2008)

that sounds not bad . 

Thanks


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