Five easy one-pot meals to cook up during finals week


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Sari Castro | Daily Trojan

Sari Castro | Daily Trojan

  1. Chicken with roasted potatoes

Ingredients

  • Coconut oil
  • Baby potatoes (as many or as few as you’d like)
  • 1 tablespoon honey mustard
  • 1½ teaspoons thyme
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Process

  1. Place a small baking pan in the oven. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Carefully remove pan from oven. Coat pan with coconut oil (spray). Add potatoes to pan; bake at 400° for 15 – 20 minutes.
  3. Combine coconut oil and next five ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
  4. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
  5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and the chicken to cook for five minutes. Turn chicken over; drizzle chicken evenly with about 2 tablespoons mustard mixture.
  6. Add chicken to the baking pan; bake at 400° for another 15 – 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken is done.
  7. Add remaining mustard mixture and seasoning.

Enjoy!

  1. Ground beef and pasta casserole

Ingredients

  • Onions (half of large)
  • 1/2 bag of baby carrots
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon of 21 Salute seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound extra-lean ground sirloin (or meat of your choice)
  • 3½ cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 6 tablespoons basil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  • Pasta of your choice
  • 1 (26.46-ounce) carton strained tomatoes (such as Pomì)
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Process

  1. Place onions in a food processor (or blender); pulse until finely chopped. Add carrots; pulse until finely chopped.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°.
  3. Heat skillet over medium heat, then add ingredients in the following order cooking after each addition: oil; onion mixture; garlic; seasoning and beef.
  4. Stir in stock, 4 tablespoons basil, tomato paste, vinegar, pasta, and tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil; cook for 13 minutes or until pasta is almost done while stirring frequently. Add remaining salt.
  5. Arrange mozzarella over pasta mixture. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano; bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until pasta is done. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil.

Enjoy!

  1. Spinach and pasta

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Baby tomatoes, diced
  • 1½ cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Pasta of your choice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 10 ounces fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Process

  1. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and add oil.
  2. Add onion and garlic until it starts to brown.
  3. Add tomatoes, stock, oregano,and pasta, in that order. Bring to a boil.
  4. Stir to submerge noodles.
  5. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and until pasta is done.
  6. Uncover, add salt.
  7. Add spinach in batches, stirring until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; let stand for five minutes.
  8. Sprinkle with cheese.

Enjoy!

  1. Spicy Chicken stew

Ingredients

  • 5 small potatoes cut in cubes
  • 1 can of corn
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • Half a bag of baby carrots
  • 1/2 onion cut in thick slices
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup bottled salsa
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Boneless chicken thighs
  • 2½ cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
  • Corn tortillas, cut into strips
  • Chopped fresh parsley

Process

  1. Place first six ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Stir in salsa and next three ingredients (include ground black pepper). Place chicken on top of vegetables, and add broth. Cover and cook on high for four hours.
  2. Remove chicken from slow cooker; shred with two forks. Return chicken to slow cooker. Stir tortilla strips into stew. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
  1. Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 1½ cups chopped seeded poblano peppers
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 10 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2½ cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
  • 1¾ teaspoons salt
  • Baby tomatoes, diced
  • 3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 (8.8-ounce) packages precooked brown rice
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Process

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for two minutes on each side. Remove from pan; let stand for ten minutes. Slice across the grain.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add remaining oil.
  3. Stir in flour; cook for 25 minutes, stirring frequently with a whisk until the color of melted semisweet chocolate.
  4. Stir in next four ingredients. Increase heat to medium-high; cook for three minutes.
  5. Add stock and next four ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Add chicken and shrimp; cook for three minutes. Stir in vinegar, black pepper, and rice; cook for one minute.
  7. Top with green onions.

Enjoy!