23 One-Pot Meal Recipes for Minimal Kitchen Cleanup

No-hassle comfort food is what you deserve

By May 19, 2018

23 One-Pot Meal Recipes for Minimal Kitchen Cleanup
Yuki Sugiura

If you despise doing dishes but love big hearty meals, these stew and braise recipes are for you. Not only will you get a huge and delicious meal, but there’s only one pot to wash (and it can probably just soak until tomorrow right?) so you don’t have to worry about dishes piling up. Anything is possible if you throw it in a big pot, from cajun chicken and sausage gumbo to the meatless yet still hearty cauliflower stew. There’s really nothing better than boiling a big pot on the stove after a long day’s work, so kick back because you don’t have to worry about the dishes with our favorite one-pot meals.

Veal and Kidney Bean Stew (Ghormeh Sabzi)

Fenugreek, an aromatic dried herb, lends a distinctly floral flavor to hearty veal stew. Get the recipe for Veal and Kidney Bean Stew (Ghormeh Sabzi) »

Braised Beef Stew with Garlic Cream

Braised Beef Stew with Garlic Cream

Doenjang Jjigae (Fermented Soybean Stew)

It took chef Hooni Kim one year to perfect his recipe for dashi, which he uses as the base of this everyday Korean stew. Gochujang adds a subtle layer of heat to the broth, and doenjang boosts its richness and silkiness. Get the recipe for Doenjang Jjigae (Fermented Soybean Stew) »

Shanghai Red-Braised Pork with Eggs

Two types of soy sauce and a touch of sugar give this dish—beloved throughout China—its signature glossiness and a deep red-brown tint. Serve the tender pork belly morsels and boiled eggs with a light vegetable, like bok choy. Get the recipe for Shanghai Red-Braised Pork with Eggs »

The Ultimate Pot Roast

A low and slow braise is the best way to transform tough cuts of meat into fork-tender morsels. This version, made with a crosscut whole beef shank, is cooked in white wine and rich homemade beef bouillon layered with vegetables and aromatics for added complexity. Crunchy roasted radishes and a funky flaxseed, herb, and vinegar relish balance the pot roast’s richness with acidity and texture. Get the recipe for The Ultimate Pot Roast »

Basque Seafood Stew

Hearty “bouillabasque”—Darroze’s tongue-in-cheek name for a Basque-style bouillabaisse, in which the fish is cooked separately and then added to a rich, reduced seafood-and-tomato stock—perfectly marries the culinary cornerstones of southwest France: duck fat, seafood, and armagnac. You can grill the fish on grates or a plancha, in the Spanish style, but a stovetop solution works just as well. Serve with aïoli, rouille, or any garlicky mayonnaise, along with some crusty bread. Get the recipe for Basque Seafood Stew »

Gamjatang (Spicy Pork Neck and Potato Stew)

A classic hearty Korean stew made with meaty pork neck, potatoes, and nutty perilla seeds. Sesame seeds cannot be substituted for the perilla in this recipe; seek perilla seed, also called wild sesame seed, out at Asian markets. Optional but recommended: Serve this dish with its accompanying dipping sauce. Get the recipe for Gamjatang (Spicy Pork Neck and Potato Stew) »

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

During cooking, okra exudes a thick liquid that gives this hearty Cajun stew a sumptuous, silky texture; a little filé powder, made from dried sassafras leaves, further thickens and enriches it. But the backbone of this gumbo, and the source of its smoky flavor, is the roux made by toasting flour in hot oil until it is a deep red-brown. Get the recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo »

Mexican Braised Spare Ribs with Squash and Corn

Braise pork ribs with a homey, vegetable-rich sauce with a touch of heat, and use the leftovers for tacos. This is a classic recipe from Mexican cooking sage Josefina Velázquez de León. Get the recipe for Mexican Braised Spare Ribs with Squash and Corn »

Hungarian Braised Beef with Paprika (Pörkölt)

Known everywhere—except in Hungary—as goulash, this stew is made with a generous amount of paprika and cook down until the meat is fork-tender. Get the recipe for Hungarian Braised Beef with Paprika »

Spicy Sichuan “Water Boiled” Fish and Celery

Spicy Sichuan “Water Boiled” Fish and Celery

Celery Root, Carrot, and Potato Gratin

Celery Root, Carrot, and Potato Gratin

Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce (Gulpea)

Florets of cauliflower are stewed in a fragrant garlic-laced tomato sauce of fried onion, spices, and jalapeño in this Afghan dish from Nawida Saidhosin, a home cook and teacher from New York’s League of Kitchens. Get the recipe for Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce (Gulpea) »

Bigos (Polish Pork and Sauerkraut Stew)

Bigos—a Polish stew of pork shoulder, bacon, kielbasa, and sauerkraut—is perfect for every celebration. Get the recipe for Bigos (Polish Pork and Sauerkraut Stew) »

Honey-Braised Lamb Shanks (Mrouzia)

Lamb shanks are braised for hours in a sumptuous sauce of honey, almonds, and raisins in this centuries-old Moroccan dish served at the restaurant Mansouria. Get the recipe for Honey-Braised Lamb Shanks »

Chicken and Onion Tagine (Djej Besla)

Onions stew until soft and sweet in this satisfying one-pot chicken dish flavored with saffron, turmeric, lemon, and olives. Get the recipe for Chicken and Onion Tagine (Djej Besla) »

Chicken and Potato Stew (Guisada al Pollo)

Hearty and filling, this easy chicken stew gets its signature smoky flavor from chipotles in adobo. Get the recipe for Chicken and Potato Stew (Guisada al Pollo) »

Pepper Pot

Colonial Philadelphia, with its busy waterfront, was well influenced by trade from points south. Among the most famous Caribbean culinary imports was pepper pot. The rich, spicy stew of beef, pork, root vegetables, and greens became a staple in Philly, where West Indian hawkers advertised it with cries of “pepper pot, smoking hot!” Today, at City Tavern, a colonial-style saloon, this version is served. Get the recipe for Pepper Pot »

Okra and Seafood Stew (Soupoukandia)

Fish sauce and nutty palm oil flavor this luscious stew, undoubtedly a predecessor of Louisiana-style gumbo. Get the recipe for Okra and Seafood Stew (Soupoukandia) »

Brazilian Fish Stew

This hearty stew can be made with any firm-fleshed white fish, such as catfish or halibut.Get the recipe for Brazilian Fish Stew »

Chicken Arrabiata

This classic chicken arrabbiata embraces summer’s bounty in a simple, one-skillet main. Get the recipe for Chicken Arrabiata »

Jalisco-Style Goat Stew (Goat Birria)

A low-and-slow cooking technique used for this birria, which colloquially means “a mess,” ensures that the meat is fork-tender and the tomatillo broth infused with a rich, meaty flavor. Swap pork for goat, if you prefer. Get the recipe for Jalisco-Style Goat Stew (Goat Birria) »

Irish Stew

In this traditional warming stew from the Emerald Isle, lamb shoulder is rendered spoon-tender by a simmer and then a long, slow bake with plenty of filling potatoes and aromatic carrots and onions. For bright color and a bit of verdant sweetness, green peas are tossed in toward the end of the cooking. Get the recipe for Irish Stew »

MORE TO READ

Want more Saveur?

Get the world's best recipes and kitchen tips in your inbox.

LET'S GO