Weeknight Meals

Convert this recipe to vegetarian by replacing the chicken with cubes of extra-firm tofu or a 15-ounce can of drained lentils or other beans. Try substituting sweet potatoes for the rice and include eggplant cubes for a truly Indian flair. Notice this recipe does not use water to hydrate the rice because the coconut milk in the curry sauce is enough liquid. I find very little difference between regular and light coconut milk in Glorious One-Pot Meals, so use whichever you prefer. You can find red curry paste in the Asian section of your supermarket along with fish sauce and coconut milk.

Moroccan food has a distinct earthy flavor from the combination of cumin and turmeric. Cinnamon also is a characteristic element here, and raisins add a touch of sweetness. This recipe also works well using lamb or turkey.

My husband declares this dish “insanely good,” and he’s right. While satay is traditionally broiled or grilled, this Glorious One-Pot Meal version retains all the flavor and skips the hassle of threading skewers, basting, and hovering over a grill. I sometimes use bouillon cubes to make stock just because they store well and allow you to make any amount you need. Look for low-sodium bouillon cubes in the health food store. Of course, you can use prepared vegetable or chicken broth instead. Make this recipe hot and spicy by adding a teaspoon of Asian chili sauce or minced hot pepper. Or make it vegetarian by substituting tofu for the chicken. (Be sure to weight the tofu and then blot it with paper towels to remove excess liquid.)

An exceptionally speedy method of producing a healthy and nutritious meal from frozen ingredients, this baseline recipe can be used with a variety of frozen foods. Be sure to keep all ingredients frozen until ready to add to the pot. Try it with frozen fish fillets instead of chicken breasts and Cajun seasoning or salsa instead of teriyaki sauce. In fact, almost any sauce you would use when grilling, such as a barbecue-type sauce or oil-and-vinegar-based salad dressing or marinade, also works well as a flavoring in a Glorious One-Pot Meal. I keep bags of frozen vegetables in my freezer for convenient Glorious One-Pot Meals. I often mix and match frozen corn, peas and carrots, broccoli, and green beans. Frozen hash browns become similar to chunky mashed potatoes when cooked this way. To make your potatoes smoother and creamier, add 1/4 cup of liquid, such as water, wine, broth, or even milk.

You can use boneless and skinless chicken if you prefer. You can even use frozen boneless chicken pieces without thawing them first. And, of course, use any kind of squash you like, or substitute another vegetable. If you don’t have any broth on hand, you can use water, but you will sacrifice some of the distinctive piccata flavor. Stock your pantry with bouillon cubes or a few cans or boxes of broth. If you have some left over, freeze it in a zip-top freezer bag for another Glorious One-Pot Meal. You can drop the broth in as a frozen slab and it won’t change the cooking time.

This tangy dish has an unexpectedly sweet, zesty flavor that is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. I love serving this to company and seeing their surprise when they discover that they’ve been enjoying turnips and parsnips—vegetables with undeserved bad reputations. Personally, I prefer to leave the skins of the potatoes, parsnips, and turnips on and simply scrub them well and remove any eyes or bad spots. I try to use organic produce whenever possible, particularly when using whole fruit. Peeling is always optional in an infused one-pot meal, as vegetable skins add many vital nutrients. On the other hand, I prefer to eat chicken without the skin.

In a pinch, substitute a drained can of diced tomatoes for fresh and any kind of wine for the dry sherry. For light and fluffy couscous, fluff it with a fork and let sit for a few minutes before eating. An easy way to peel an avocado is to halve it lengthwise and remove the pit by striking it firmly with the blade of a knife and twisting slightly to loosen. Then, make a few lengthwise cuts and a few cuts across, making sure not to pierce the skin. Push the avocado inside out and effortlessly knock the cubes of flesh from the skin.

The Marsala and fennel seeds give this recipe the familiar flavor of the classic dish, while the red pepper flakes add a bit of a kick. If you are a fennel fan, double the amount given here. You can grind fennel seeds in a mortar or purchase the spice already ground. Feel free to use any type of fresh or dried mushrooms. Cut dried mushrooms into thin pieces to be certain they will hydrate enough. To presoften particularly thick dried mushrooms, soak them in boiling water for 15 minutes before draining, chopping, and adding to the pot.

This was a popular and exotic dinner party recipe in the “mod” 1960s. My mother-in-law made the traditional version for us recently, and though my husband typically doesn’t like fruit with meat, even he licked his plate clean! I cut the amount of brown sugar called for in the original version immensely because I feel the prunes add a lot of sweetness. You could even omit the sugar entirely and still enjoy a sweet-tasting meal.

This is an easy dish, perfect both for chilly nights and for when you have an abundance of vegetables. Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian. This is the dish hunters would make from whatever was available after a day of hunting and foraging. Use any vegetables you wish—try cubed eggplant, sliced carrots, green beans, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower florets. Orzo is rice-shaped pasta, but bow ties (farfalle) also work well in this meal. For a heartier flavor, substitute dry white wine for the water plus part of the tomato liquid, and use chicken on the bone. If using fresh herbs instead of dried, use one tablespoon of each.

Larb is traditional Thai comfort food. The mint adds a clean jolt of flavor to this casserole-type meal. My cousin Abi lived in Thailand for a time and helped me fine-tune my version of this classic dish. Typically, the meat and rice are served over raw cabbage, but we think this style is pretty tasty as well. You can use serrano, Anaheim, or almost any other kind of chile pepper if you can’t find a jalapeño. Of course, your meal will be as spicy as your chile. Consider adding 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil or cilantro to the mint mixture for a slightly different taste.

The spicy tropical tastes of the Bahamas can be yours without leaving home! As in all the recipes, there’s no need to peel the potatoes; in fact, the skin is the most nutritious part, so save yourself the trouble and leave it on. And try this meal with sweet potatoes rather than white, or substitute pork for the chicken. Use seitan (a wheat product found near the tofu in the refrigerated section of your health food store) for a vegetarian alternative.

Once, when I was visiting Paris, my friend Emile from Gabon, Africa, made this dish for me. I was amazed that cooking with peanut butter could be so good.

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) has a light, nutty flavor with a wonderful texture that makes it fun to eat. Quinoa is the only grain that is a complete protein. It was the staple food of the Incas in Peru, who called it “the Mother grain.” Find it near the rice or in the bulk food section of a health food store or your grocer’s natural foods aisle. Store it in an airtight jar. Use your family’s favorite type of sausage to make this recipe a real winner. Our current favorite is an organic chicken-feta sausage that we find in our regular grocer’s freezer. There is no need to thaw frozen sausages; just be sure to separate them before adding them to the Dutch oven. Try this recipe with toasted buckwheat groats, also called kasha, for a change in flavor.

For me, this flavor is reminiscent of the south of France, along the Côte d’Azur with its crystalline blue waters. Of course, fresh herbs would be fantastic here if you have them. If using fresh herbs, use one tablespoon of each.

All of the ingredients in this festive meal can be found in your pantry or freezer, making it a convenient wintertime treat. However, try to break up a frozen block of ground meat before adding it to the pot. There’s no need to defrost a package of frozen spinach. Let it sit on the counter to soften while preparing other ingredients. Cut it into chunks using a sharp knife, then stir the chunks into the meat mixture. Fresh spinach can be chopped slightly and mixed with the meat, or kept whole and layered on top.

I always keep jars of organic marinara sauce in my pantry for convenient Glorious One-Pot Meal options, including this easy version of pasta with meatballs. Use whatever type of ground meat you prefer: beef, pork, turkey, chicken, or even soy or other meat substitutes. Make a quantity of meatballs in advance and freeze them individually on cookie sheets. Then drop the frozen balls into a plastic storage container and keep in the freezer for spur-of-the-moment Glorious One-Pot Meals.

Summer is tomato time; be sure to try the new heirloom varieties. In winter, I usually find that Roma, or plum, tomatoes are the most flavorful. Oil-cured olives will add other notes, but use water-packed olives if you’re looking to cut back on fat. Make a quick broth with part of a bouillon cube. Purchase bouillon from health food stores for versions lower in sodium and other preservatives. An easy way to trim exactly the right amount from the bottom of an asparagus stalk is simply to grab an end in each hand and bend until it snaps. It will break at the point where the stalk becomes less woody.

This is a variation of a traditional Indian curried lamb dish called roghan josh. Typically this dish calls for mixing heavy whipping cream into the tomato sauce, but this version retains all the taste without the extra saturated fat. If you want, add two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream or milk to the tomato sauce and cook as directed. Turkey tenderloin or beef stew chunks make wonderful substitutions for the lamb in this recipe. The lentils can be omitted entirely, or you can use couscous instead (see the chart on page 8 for recommended couscous and liquid amounts). The lentils in this recipe will emerge al dente; for softer lentils, use canned and omit the half cup of water.

My young children won’t eat the scallions in this recipe, so I leave them whole and remove them before serving. But I’m nonetheless pleased to know I’ve added another flavor to their taste memory that will increase the spectrum of their eating preferences and habits over a lifetime. The mildest types of fish-and thus more acceptable to non-fish or picky eaters-are the flat white fish: flounder, sole, even haddock or tilapia. This is one time when it is okay if the pieces of fish overlap or are even frozen together. It is rare for me to use butter in a recipe, but in this particular case I think it gives the fish a smoother mouth experience, which might be less offensive for difficult or timid eaters. You certainly can use olive oil, or just skip it altogether