One-Pot Meals

“Something about this year makes me feel like: Screw it. I want to eat leftover turkey the way I want to,” says Mister Jiu’s chef Brandon Jew.

Hetty McKinnon’s showstopping tater tot casserole is directly inspired by, and strikingly reminiscent of, tortilla española.

Make this on a Monday and show Garfield what’s up.

Lara Lee’s vegetable nasi goreng combines the beloved Indonesian fried rice dish with sambal matah and a citrusy relish fragrant with lemongrass, ginger, and makrut lime leaf.

Crunchy chicharrones are ideal for soaking up bright tomatillo salsa, taking on an ultimate crispy-gone-soggy chewy texture. 

The combination of corn, soy, and butter is as delicious as it is classic. As Hiroko Shimbo writes in her book Hiroko’s American Kitchen, corn and butter are a common pair in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, where both are produced. Here, the three come together along with pan-fried tofu, scallions, mirin, and sesame oil to make an ultra-flavorful, just-rich-enough vegetarian main. Serve it over rice, a chewy grain like farro or wheat berries, or arugula dressed with rice vinegar and more sesame oil. A crispy fried egg would also be welcome.

Salvadoran chicken braised in fizzy and tangy pineapple chicha from Anthony Salguero of Popoca in Oakland.

My grandma used to make a version of this dish using pork and showers of Parmesan. I have updated it to include ground chicken and miso for a lighter, late-summer dish with equally deep flavor,  but feel free to use whatever ground meat you prefer. Gently poaching the meatballs is not only faster than roasting, but means none of their flavor is lost to a baking sheet.

The key to stress-free stir-frying is all in the prep work. Be sure to chop, slice, and grate everything before even thinking about turning on the stove. Top this dish with fried eggs to put it over the top, but it’s also great without them.

This one-skillet dinner gets deep oniony flavor from lots of leeks cooked down to jammy tenderness.

Cod and other whitefish shine brightest when nestled into a rich bed of aromatics and steamed to tender flakiness.

Adding ginger and soy sauce to caramelized onions gives a bit of zingy punch and intrigue, creating a multidimensional meal that comes together in just one skillet. 

As the chicken cooks low and slow, the green garlic and turns into a crispy crumb topping.

The name says it all. Shrimp with a garlicky, pungent, buttery sauce.

Blistered yet snappy asparagus and crispy pork in a robust sauce.

All the satisfaction of a hearty, rich, bean-based cassoulet with none of the painstaking hours of cooking.

Pancetta, garlic, and jammy slow-cooked tomatoes bring big, concentrated flavor to these brothy clams. 

We took loose inspiration from Hainanese chicken rice to create this weeknight-friendly dish.

A fragrant, sweet-and-sour, perfectly acidic roast chicken. 

Quick, spicy, filling, and made mostly of pantry ingredients, this chili/tortilla soup/frito pie mash-up is calling your name. (Shhh. Listen closely.) 

This soup coaxes big flavors from a short ingredient list. 

This stick-to-your-ribs stew gets heft from creamy white beans and winter squash.

Here, chicken legs are gently oven-braised in puttanesca sauce until nearly falling off the bone. 

With a crispy, toasted top hiding saucy, tomato-y noodles, this one-skillet broken spaghetti dish is anything but one-note.