6 reasons to love one-pot recipes / Jill Silverman Hough

My mom was a good cook and made lots of good food, but my favorite dinners were ones that came out of a big Le Creuset pot that simmered on the stove. I still adore one-pot recipes and make them regularly. Here’s why you should too.

1. They’re easy to make.

Yes, sometimes soups, stews, and other one-pot recipes—like this Seafood and Andouille Jambalaya—involve cutting and chopping more than a few ingredients. But once that’s done, the cooking part is typically easy and relatively hands-off, just adding ingredients and giving the pot an occasional stir.

2. They’re easy to clean up.

Hopefully obviously, with a one-pot recipe, there’s only one pot to wash.

3. They’re a whole meal.

In other words, usually you don’t need a side dish. Maybe a hunk of bread—or, in the case of something like Chicken Posole Verde or mom’s Sierra Chicken Stew, a tortilla—but that’s it.

4. They fill your house with yummy smells.

This is especially true of long-simmering one-pot recipes, like pot roast, brisket, or Wine-Simmered Beef Stew with Carrots, Mushrooms, and Onions.

5. They’re warm and comforting and hearty and satisfying.

In other words, perfect for when it’s rainy and dreary and cold outside. Like now.

6. Love and appreciation.

A one-pot recipe might not remind you of your mom like it reminds me of mine. But I’ll bet that you, too, have delicious memories of someone or something that get stirred up when there’s something wonderful simmering on the stove. And making a one-pot recipe can be a great way to revel in your appreciation for that someone or something.

Which may be the best reason to love one-pot recipes of all.

One-pot recipes to cozy up to this winter:
Seafood and Andouille Jambalaya
Wine-Simmered Beef Stew with Carrots, Mushrooms, and Onions
Chicken Stew with Potatoes, Carrots, and Peas
Chunky Beef and Syrah Chili
Sierra Chicken Stew
Chicken Posole Verde
Herbed Pumpkin Risotto with Aged Balsamic
Simple, Satisfying Minestrone Soup