Doing the cooking is fun. Doing the cleaning, though? A different story. Making food is a great opportunity to relax and let your culinary imagination go crazy, but the mess of dishes waiting for you in the sink isn’t a sight most of us look forward to. Though cleaning (especially in the time of quarantine) is an activity some people find soothing, washing a pile of dishes after making a meal can be quite daunting.
Since everyone is stuck at home (again), some of us have turned to old habits—like making homemade meals. The option to get food delivered is still there, enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) be damned, but there’s nothing like chowing down on something straight off the burner.
Since none of us are in a hurry, here are a few one-pot or one-pan recipes you can try whenever you feel so compelled.
Pasta
Pasta, and not just mac and cheese, is one of the pinnacles of comfort food. Andrew Rea (a.k.a. Binging with Babish) has compiled a few one-pot pasta recipes for your “weeknight pleasure.” The pasta recipes Babish compiled are some comfort food favorites: a red sauce pasta with loads of cheese, a lighter fennel, chicken pasta, and a decadent beef stroganoff.
If you’re in a rush, your best bet is likely to be the red sauce pasta. It’s no fuss, doesn’t require an oven, and there’s not a lot of resting involved.
Chicken curry
Thai chicken curry could be a pain to make, but this recipe by Alexandra’s Kitchen is pretty straightforward. The prep is minimal (like dicing tomatoes, onions, and portioning out your chicken), and all of the magic happens on the stove and in the oven. It also makes a lot of chicken curry, so you can just reheat the leftovers in the microwave (hello, meal prep!).
Cajun cauliflower rice
This recipe from PaleoHacks uses cauliflower rice and chicken breast instead of regular rice and a more decadent cut of meat. That doesn’t mean you should strictly observe the instructions, though. This recipe is versatile in the sense that you could swap out the chicken breast for any protein choice (salmon is the first thing that comes to mind).
This recipe takes less than a half-hour to make, so there’s not a lot of waiting separating you and a good meal.
Spiced beef rice
If you have a spice rack to be proud of, this beef rice dish will make use of it. Masala is a key ingredient in this recipe, but you can always add in your favorite spices. Again, slicing, dicing, and stirring the pot is the most work this 30-minute recipe requires.
This dish calls for beef stock, which is usually sold in liquid form outside the country. If you don’t have any homemade stock lying around, you can just dissolve a cube of beef bullion in a few liters of water and it’ll be good to go.