Why One Pot Meals Are So Awesome + A Few Recipes To Try

We love one-pot meals because they are quick-cooking methods and easy recipe ideas for when you don’t have a lot of time.

Mealtime can be hectic, especially if you have a family. By the time you’re home from work, it’s time to cook dinner and bedtime follows closely behind. In the morning it’s breakfast and packing lunches for the day, and the cycle just repeats itself.

So it’s pretty safe to say that we all could use some tips on how to make meal prepping faster while staying healthy, right? That is why One-Pot Meals are so awesome. 

The secret to always having something healthy to eat lies in the prep work. When you come home from a long day and the veggies all need to be chopped, the meat is still frozen, and the dishes aren’t done… it becomes incredibly easy to reach for convenience foods or order take-out.

Just because you’ve used every dish in your kitchen to cook dinner does not mean it’s going to be more delicious… though that’s certainly not a definitive rule. But just for argument's sake, why not cut back on cooking time AND the time spent doing all of the dishes? One-Pot Meals are a great way to whip up something healthy for your family while keeping the dishes to a bare minimum.

Here are a few recipes for you to try out and I think you will love them:

Chicken Noodle Soup

You will only want to make chicken noodle soup this way after you try it. The Instant Pot infuses the flavours and does so efficiently.
The best part? You don’t even need to thaw the chicken beforehand.

Designed for a 6 quart Instant Pot

Ingredients:

• 1 large carrot, diced

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 2 medium ribs of celery, diced

• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

• 1 single chicken breast, bone-in and skin on. Can be frozen solid.

• ½ cup brown rice pasta noodles

• Water to cover

• Unrefined sea salt, black pepper, and herbamare to taste

• Herbs to consider: thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, basil. Add up to 1tbsp total for additional flavour.

Instructions

1. Place your chopped veggies and chicken breast inside your Instant Pot.

2. Fill it to the fill line (⅔ full) with water. Do NOT overfill it. Always put your ingredients in first, then fill it up with water.

3. Add your desired seasoning.

4. Place the lid on your Instant Pot and set the timer for 20 minutes.

5. Once the timer goes off, release the pressure.

6. Once the pressure is released, remove the lid. Then, remove the chicken with tongs and place it on a board.

7. Turn the Instant Pot into Saute and add the noodles. Set a timer following the packaging instructions.

8. Pull the bones out and remove the skin (discard unless desired).

9. “Pull” the chicken meat using forks so that it appears shredded.

10. Put the chicken back into the Instant Pot.

11. Once the noodles are finished cooking, your soup is complete!

12. Enjoy

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Easy Single-Pan Fish Dish

Ingredients

• 1 filet of fish of your choice - enough to feed your family.

• 1 large white onion, julienne

• 1 yellow pepper, julienne

• 1 red pepper, julienne

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 1 large sweet potato, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• Unrefined sea salt, black pepper, lemon slices, avocado, or coconut oil

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°

2. Place a large piece of parchment paper inside a casserole baking dish and put the veggies on top.

3. Season with avocado or coconut oil, unrefined salt, black pepper, and garlic.

4. Place a fish filet of your choice on top of the veggies. Now you could add a couple of lemon slices on top of the fish if you wish, then wrap everything up in the parchment paper. Tuck the paper in under the side so the top doesn’t remain open.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the fish flakes. It will depend on the thickness and density of the piece of fish you choose.

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Tuscan Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 1 jar (8-10oz or so) of marinated sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced

• 1 lb potato gnocchi

• 2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil

• ½ tsp unrefined seas salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 5 cups spinach (packed)

• Freshly grated parm cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°

2. Line a large casserole dish with parchment paper

3. Place the gnocchi on top of the paper then add the oil, salt, pepper, and tomatoes

4. Toss well and spread across the pan in an even layer.

5. Place the pan in the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes. Stir once the timer goes off then set it again for another 8-10 minutes. The total time being 18-20 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven, then add the spinach and toss.

7. Pop it back in the oven for 1-3 minutes, just enough to wilt the spinach.

8. Garnish with the cheese if desired!

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Mealtime does not have to be complicated. If the dishes are daunting you, One Pot or Single Plan meals are going to be your new best friends. There are so few dishes that even the kids won't argue with cleaning them afterward.

One great tip that I love to share with my clients is that if you know you have a busy day ahead of you, prep the meal the night before, then all you have to do is pop it in the oven/Instant Pot when you get home - and then say hello to more time to do other things, like focus on yourself and self-care.

Happy Cooking!