One pot meals are a huge hit these days because of their effectiveness. Everything is cooked in one pot so you don't have to be all over the place juggling several different things & the real kicker, waaaay less dishes to clean up! This is just one version of a quick one pot meal (it came together in about 25 minutes). I'll share my ingredients, but it's more of a guideline on how to pull something together with what you have. Each of these ingredients can be changed according to personal preference. Use what you like or whatever is in your fridge.
Here's the general outline:
Cook your starch/grain, then the meat followed by the aromatics. Add in the veggies to cook until done then combine everything together with the sauce & top with a fresh element.
Meat- something that can be cooked easily in pan: ground beef, chicken, or turkey, bacon, any type of sausage (ground or in links), chorizo
Starch- pasta, rice, or any other grain like quinoa or farro
Aromatics- onion, garlic, ginger, shallot, celery, scallions, chilies, leeks, etc.
Vegetables- mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini and any other squash, peppers, carrots, peas, asparagus
Sauce- red pepper paste, marinara, teriyaki, vinaigrettes or dressings, romesco, pesto
Fresh element- arugula or spinach, any herbs likes parsley, basil, cilantro
This style of meal is great for quick dinner and it usually makes leftovers that can be eaten for lunch or dinner the next day. I always try to make at least 2 meals worth of food when I cook so that I can more or less kill 2 bird with one stone. I also use this meal as a way to add in collagen peptides. It's an odorless & tasteless powdered collagen that dissolves easily in almost any liquid. Any dish that has sauce or liquid always gets a scoop or 2 of this Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides just as a way to incorporate more into my diet. Collagen has so many health benefits; give it a google if you want to learn more!
{Makes 4 servings}
INGREDIENTS
4 links chicken sausage cut into chunks or slices
2 cups cooked orzo pasta
chicken stock
red pepper sauce
half a large red onion diced
8 oz cremini mushrooms chopped
1 bell pepper diced (any color works)
2-3 cloves garlic minced
2 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch chunks
arugula
kosher salt
black pepper
cooking oil (avocado is my choice)
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Start by boiling the pasta in salted water. Cook until just under done. It will finish cooking in the pot with all the other ingredients.
***Use a large dutch oven or deep saute pan that can hold all of the other ingredients. It might be easier to boil the pasta in a separate pot depending on what size pots & pans you own.
2) Once the pasta is cooked, drain it & run cool water over it to stop the cooking. Normally you would never rinse pasta, but it might over cook since it has to sit while the other components cook.
3) On medium heat cook off the chicken sausage in a little bit of oil until the pieces are golden brown. Remove to a paper plate.
4) Add more oil to the pan if necessary and pour in the diced onions, peppers, and chopped mushrooms. Season with a sprinkle of salt & an cook down until everything is softened.
5) Add in the minced garlic & zucchini. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the zucchini pieces start to become tender.
6) Add the orzo & chicken sausage back into the pot along with about 1/2 cup of the red pepper sauce. Add more sacue if needed.
***The kind I used is from Trader Joe's, but any store bought sauce or homemade kind you like will work.
7) Stir to combine everything & if the sauce looks too thick, use chicken stock to thin it out. Continue cooking until the zucchini & pasta are done, and everything is heated through. This will only take a few minutes.
8) Turn off the heat, toss in a few handfuls of fresh arugula & stir to combine. The residual heat will wilt the arugula. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as necessary.
10) Serve with lemon wedges and parmesan cheese.
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