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Does anyone know other recipes like this - so that no side dish needed?

25 replies

Bonheurdupasse · 28/01/2022 08:36

Hi,

I'm trying to get into cooking a bit more / nicer things.
My issue is that I find it hard to coordinate making a side dish as well as the main dish - even mash - especially during the week!

I know there's the usual one pot or pasta recipes but I'm looking for something a bit more grown-up - so I was delighted when I found this!:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/baked-chicory-chicken-sage-mustard-sauce/amp

But it's the only one I could see! Does anyone know any other recipes that include a / the veg? Even chicory as above Grin

(And aside from risotto which is my default)

Thanks a million!!!!

OP posts:
picklemewalnuts · 28/01/2022 08:41

Tray bake? Varying the seasonings and ingredients so it feels like a different dish.
I do one with tikka powder, chicken, squash/potato/cauliflower/carrots.
Or herby sausages, onions, potatoes, carrots, celery.

What about layering onions and potatoes into the bottom of the pan and roasting chicken above it?

DartmoorChef · 28/01/2022 08:44

Jambalaya is so easy.

Slice chicken breast or thigh meat and brown in a frying pan with sliced chorizo cajun spice. Add sliced onion and green peppers and sliced celery. Cook on a low heat until chicken is cooked (ten mins roughly) then add a pack of ready cooked cajun rice (uncle Ben's or any other will do) pour on a bit of water, add some more cajun spice and cook for another ten mins.

Serve with salad and flat breads

MaizeAmaze · 28/01/2022 08:45

I do Kedgeree with a mountain of frozen peas stirred through for the last 3 mins of cooking. But it involves several pans, so might not be quite what you are after?

We also put peppers, fresh tomatoes and onion in chicken enchiladas (think the box also suggests courrgette?), and then don't serve anything else with them

Lazydaisydaydream · 28/01/2022 08:47

I struggle with getting things ready at the same time but bought a rice cooker and it’s made it so much easier!! Means I can make a big curry and have the rice cook and be ready and waiting whenever the curry is ready.

BuanoKubiamVej · 28/01/2022 08:47

We only eat one-pot things generally. We did a 3 week trial of hellofresh (at full price they are too expensive but the introductory offer is ok value) and chose 9 different one-pot type recipes during that trial. Those we liked we make over and over again and it gave us the confidence to "riff on a theme" and make up our own recipes with similar tricks and techniques but different veg etc. Not all their recipes are one-pot so you need to choose carefully for the ones that suit you.

Lazydaisydaydream · 28/01/2022 08:48

And this Nigella recipe is a brilliant “one pot” dish that is really tasty

www.oprah.com/food/chicken-and-wild-rice-recipe

MaizeAmaze · 28/01/2022 08:49

Didn't think I'd find the recipie online.
We also do this Simply Cook Pasta with spices from the cupboard (cumin, garlic, paprika rosemary) and fresh red pepper in place of the dried.

Westfacing · 28/01/2022 08:57

For a chicken traybake I lay a base of red onions, veg e.g. cubed celeriac, can of chopped tomatoes, and a can of chick peas or cannellini beans, seasoning, then sit the chicken thighs on top.

I don't oil or baste the chicken so that you get the nice crispy roast flavour.

crazyjinglist · 28/01/2022 09:02

There is a recipe book called The Roasting Tin (in fact I think it may be a series of several books) where all the recipes are all-in-one dinners, like one pot ones, but in the oven.

alpinia · 28/01/2022 09:04

Anything from any of the Roasting Tin cookbooks will meet this requirement! On top of that I've not tried a bad recipe from them and they are always simple.

BasiliskFace · 28/01/2022 09:08

Here’s one!
www.mummypages.co.uk/recipes/tray-baked-cod-with-runner-beans-pancetta-and-pine-nuts

Or what about stew and dumplings, you can put carrots in it, and the dumplings are the carb, or just have a casserole with bread as the side.

OperationRinka · 28/01/2022 09:13

Kedgeree made with cooked smoked mackerel rather than raw smoked haddock is essentially one pot (not counting a small pan for boiling eggs). Being able to put the fish straight in instead of cooking it separately is a game-changer and as pp said you can add loads of frozen peas a couple of minutes from the end.

I make beef/chicken thigh stew with loads of potatoes/carrots/leeks in it, and maybe a piece of nice bread to soak up the juices.

123ZYX · 28/01/2022 09:15

This is a great recipe - just make sure you're accurate with rice and stock measurements

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/oven-baked-leek-bacon-risotto

I'd also recommend getting a lidded pan that can go on the hob and in the oven. I have one like this and it makes one pot dinners where you fry things up then put it in the oven (like the risotto above or casseroles) much easier

https://www.dunelm.com/product/neverstick-6-24cm-casserole-dish-1000188443?defaultSkuId=30737633&branchCode=0360&dsc=CookkCasserole+Dishes%5BGOO-LIA-COOK-OVENWARE%5D&gclid=Cj0KCQiAxc6PBhCEARIsAH8Hff3QchTUYY-GYiNoXIIwQLznSu7aAQ34ICIUUXpyJK9XbENsOyiBMcaAqU4EALww_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

onedayoranother · 28/01/2022 09:24

I do Jamie Olivers hit and run chicken (quadruple the paprika though, using hot and smoked). The way you present it will determine the 'grown up' factor. Add potatoes to it if you can't stretch to popping a couple rice packets in the microwave. I also just bought this book which has lots of vegetarian options too.

Does anyone know other recipes like this - so that no side dish needed?
sashh · 28/01/2022 09:57

Loads of things.

Paella, various stews / casseroles / tray bakes/ kedgeree.

I add veg into cottage pie so it doesn't need any veg on the side, frozen peas and corn, carrots etc.

I cook smoked fish with rice in a 50/50 orange juice and water mix, I sometimes add cashew nuts and again a handful of frozen veg. It all goes into the rice cooker.

One for the slow cooker.

Pork ribs - where they are actual ribs not separated - place round the edge of a slow cooker, add choice of veg but I always include butter beans, add passata, seasoning and boiling water.

After a few hours the cartilage will have melted into he sauce and you can pick out the bones, leave for another couple of hours, I tend not to use potatoes but I'd usually have some crusty bread to go with it.

If you do want to cook sides then think about ones that will hapily sit for a while once made / cooked.

Salad s an obvious one but also baked potatoes - they take about an hour in a conventional oven and will happily sit for another hour if you turn the oven down.

If you get a steamer you can cook meat or fish wrapped in foil alongside steamed veg.

AtleastitsnotMonday · 28/01/2022 11:04

Shakshuka is great for this.

pregnantncnc · 28/01/2022 12:20

Not at all what you asked, so I apologise - BUT I struggle with remembering to think about/make a side dish for meals and have found frozen mash to be amazing (the Sainsbury's one in particular) as you just have to microwave it for 5 min and can put as little or as much as you want, same for the bags of microwave rice and the "ready to wok" noodles. Not the best as they use additional packaging of course, but I hadn't thought about using the latter two until I had a gousto box which included them in their 10 min meals and it suddenly clicked.

Also frozen veg is great because you can just chuck it into whatever you're cooking. It isn't the best for eating AS a side, but when you add it to whatever else you're making it's fine (as it doesn't matter if it goes a bit soggy). It also roasts up well if you're doing a tray bake.

UniversalTruth · 28/01/2022 15:34

Rice will keep warm for 10 minutes if you drain, put back into pan, put lid on. If you're feeling fancy, you can put a clean tea towel under the lid.

Also, if pasta is done, drain, put back into pan and add a tiny bit of oil. Add to sauce when you're ready and it will heat back up in 1 min.

raspberrymuffin · 28/01/2022 15:58

I do lots of stewy soupy things where it all goes in one pot with stock, a tin of tomatoes and herbs/spices. We're vegetarian so usually veg, a tin of beans/chopped up veggie sausages (fried first but same pan) and maybe a handful of rice to bulk it out. You can get quite a lot of variety out of that once you've got an idea of when to put things in and how much liquid. I think the original recipe I used was on the back of a packet of scotch broth pulses and then I've just adapted it based on what's in the fridge.

I'm also scaling up by doing a thing in the oven and a thing on the hob. This doesn't involve too much coordination as usually one can wait a few mins for the other, so I put the thing in the oven first then can forget about it until the thing on the hob is done. If the oven thing is ready too early I turn off the oven but leave the door shut. Haven't irreparably burnt anything yet.

A third option not needing a lot of coordination: steaming quick vegetables (spinach, broccoli etc) in a steamer on top of a pan containing slow vegetables (potatoes, carrots etc).

I'm not usually much of a cook but have had to step up recently as DH is unwell and needs to be eating lots of fresh veg (as opposed to cheesy pasta and takeaway pizza which were my usual go to options) and all of the above have kept us reasonably well fed.

ettieb · 02/02/2022 12:21

This is amazing...

realfood.tesco.com/recipes/chimichurri-fish-traybake.html

TheOldLadyOfThreadneedleStreet · 03/02/2022 09:31

Things that help with one pot meals are-

Buy an enormous lidded saucepan and a couple of huge casserole dishes.

You can cook potatoes in a stew rather than separately, just add half an hour before serving.

Baked potatoes are really easy too, and can be cooked in the oven at the same time as a casserole

thickthighs73 · 03/02/2022 09:34

Have you got a slow cooker ?

snowstorm2012 · 03/02/2022 09:43

This is a favourite in our house, very easy and quick...

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/20minute-seafood-pasta

Hope the link works 👍🏼

PeeAche · 03/02/2022 09:55

Adding pearl barley to a stew in the last 45 minutes of cooking eliminates the need for a side dish.

If you don't add pearl barley, the side dish to a stew is bread.

Jamie Oliver's whole chicken tray bakes are a midweek staple here. Sadly, I am not then able to make the chicken go for 68 more meals because I am a failure as a wife and mother. 💁🏻‍♀️

Bonheurdupasse · 04/02/2022 19:59

Thank you so much everyone! (I was getting pretty despondent of my chorizo pasta / risotto "list"...)

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