3 one-pot recipes to make cleaning up easy

If you've ever cooked a meal before, you’ll be well-versed in just how quickly the number of dishes in the sink can multiply.

From one measuring jug and two saucers, you’ll find a mountain of plates, cutting boards, knives, spoons and forks that need scrubbing.

To cut down on this tedious task, one-pot meals are a deliciously effortless solution to all your cleaning up woes.

With all the ingredients simply tossed into a single pan, you won’t have to worry about spending an hour washing, rinsing, drying, and putting away dishes and cutlery.

From creamy carbonara to tender chicken on a bed of spicy rice – these meals were made to impress. As a bonus, nearly anyone can make them as they require minimal kitchen skills, but pack a flavourful punch. So, grab your pot and let’s get cooking.

3 delicious and easy one-pot meals:

Spicy chicken and rice

By @ariellaslist

Tender morsels of spiced chicken and fluffy rice, enriched with flavours of paprika and stick, this mouth watering dish is too impressive to pass up on. Plus, the cooking time is way under an hour – so you’ll be feasting in no time.

Ingredients

Chicken wings or drums or thighs

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups rice

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 205°C.

Warm stock with a little paprika in a pot.

Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.

Heat an ovenproof skillet with oil, and brown the chicken on both sides.

Remove chicken.

Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until soft.

Add diced tomato and cook, stirring until thick.

Stir in the rice then the hot stock.

Mix and bring to a boil. Add the chicken on top.

Cover the skillet (can use aluminium foil) and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for 10 more minutes, or until the rice is done.

Chicken Alfredo

By @foodwithindia

Everyone loves pasta, but making it can sometimes be a major schlep.

From boiling the noodles just right, to making the sauce and chopping all the ingredients – although it’s a scrumptious meal, it can seem daunting. This one-pot meal will change your mind on that, as it uses simple pantry staples and takes minimal effort.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, diced

500ml milk

300g linguine (or dried pasta of your choice)

150ml double cream

100g cheddar cheese

Parmesan

Fresh parsley

Directions

Season the diced chicken generously with salt, and sear in a pan with a dash of olive oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning once.

Pour in the milk and set on a medium-high heat. Add the pasta and submerge completely. Allow to cook for 8-10 minutes, until al dente.

Pour in the cream and grate in the cheese (recipe shown uses 100g cheddar and 20g parmesan on top).

Stir, and season with salt and black pepper. If using, garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Sicilian Fish

By @lily_soutter_nutrition

From packets of ramen to microwave meals, usually quick dinners are fattening, unhealthy and absolutely packed with preservatives.

This fish dish not only looks super impressive, but it requires only 5 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cooking – making it enticingly easy to whip up on a whim, and delectable to eat.

Ingredients

7-8 large tomatoes (about 700g)

2 large red onions

3-4 hake fillets

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 small bunch of thyme

200g jar green olives

Olive oil, salt, and pepper as needed

Directions

Heat the oven to 200°C.

Add the sliced garlic to a 20x30cm roasting tray. Slice the tomatoes in half and add them to the tray, on top of the garlic. Cut the red onion into wedges, then scatter it between the halved tomatoes.

Add the thyme bunch to the tray, then drizzle over roughly 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season the veg with salt and pepper. Cover the tray with foil and place it in the oven.

Roast the veg, covered, for 10 minutes. Then remove the foil and roast for 12 minutes. Remove the veg from the oven.

Place the fish fillets on the veg, drizzle them in a little oil and season them, then place the tray back into the oven for 8 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.

Serve immediately.

This originally appeared on IOL