One-Pot Meals of the World
Hungary simmers gulyás in a kettle, West Africa builds jollof in one pot, Lebanon cooks lentils and rice under a heap of browned onions, and Dublin braises sausages and potatoes into coddle. America made its own one-pot dinners: red beans and rice on a New Orleans Monday, jambalaya, Lowcountry Hoppin' John and the macaroni goulash of the Midwest. Every one here cooks in a single pot, feeds four to eight for a few dollars a serving, and is written step by step.
One-Pot Red Beans and Rice
New Orleans' Monday classic made for a weeknight: smoked sausage, the onion, pepper and celery "trinity," canned red beans and long-grain rice all simmered together in one Dutch oven, ready in an hour.
Creole Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
New Orleans' "red" jambalaya: browned chicken thighs, smoked sausage, the trinity and crushed tomatoes simmered with long-grain rice in one Dutch oven, then finished in the oven so the bottom never scorches.
Nigerian Jollof Rice with Chicken
West Africa's famous party rice: parboiled rice simmered in a fried pepper and tomato base with curry powder, thyme and bay, sealed under foil, with browned chicken drumsticks steaming on top in the same pot.
Hoppin' John (Lowcountry Peas and Rice)
The South's New Year's Day pot, made the old Charleston way: dried peas simmered with smoky bacon, then raw rice cooked right in the bean broth and steamed until every grain is seasoned. Three ingredients, about a dollar a serving.
American Goulash (One-Pot Macaroni and Beef)
The school-cafeteria favorite made at home in one pot: ground beef, peppers and onion in a tomato sauce with a little paprika, uncooked elbow macaroni simmered right in it, and cheddar melted over the top. Forty minutes.
Hungarian Gulyás (Goulash Soup)
The real goulash, the herdsmen's soup: beef chuck sweated with onions in lard, seasoned with Hungarian paprika, garlic and caraway, simmered in water with peppers, tomato, carrots and potatoes until tender. No pasta, no flour.
Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta Fazool)
Italy's poor man's pasta and bean soup the Italian-American way: onion, garlic, oregano and chile in olive oil and butter, hand-crushed tomatoes, broth and red kidney beans, with small pasta cooked right in the pot. Done in 45 minutes.
One-Pan Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
The pasta that made "one-pot" famous: dry spaghetti, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced onion, garlic, basil and olive oil all go into one wide pan with cold water and boil for about 10 minutes into their own glossy sauce. Meatless, 25 minutes.
Mujaddara (Lentils and Rice with Browned Onions)
The Levant's thrifty lentil and rice pilaf in one pot: a mountain of onions browned slowly in olive oil, half saved for the top, the rest cooked with cumin, coriander, brown lentils and rice. Meatless, with a cool lemon yogurt on the side.
Spanish Lentejas with Chorizo (Lentil Stew)
Spain's everyday lentil stew, the dish Don Quixote ate on Fridays: a grated sofrito of onion, carrot, tomato and garlic in olive oil, brown lentils and potatoes simmered with bay, then slices of chorizo and sweet pimentón stirred in at the end.
Virginia Brunswick Stew
The thick Southern tomato stew two states claim: bacon, onions, potatoes, butter beans and corn simmered with chicken thighs until the potatoes melt and the chicken shreds, all in one pot, with crackers or cornbread alongside.
Dublin Coddle
Dublin's Saturday-night pot: browned pork sausages and thick bacon layered with sliced onions, parsley and potatoes, covered with stock and left to braise low and slow in the oven in the same pot until everything is meltingly soft.