We all know the drill. Dinner time is approaching fast, the kids are being difficult, and there is a mountain of washing up in the kitchen. It happens to all of us.
Over time, our household has accumulated a list of one pot meals that we love. They’re quick and easy to prepare, they require minimal ingredients, and don’t take ages to cook. Our 17 month old loves them, and so does my husband and extended family. What’s more, they’re packed with healthy ingredients. Win win!
We love this one! It uses just 5 major ingredients, and some spices I guarantee you already have in your food cupboard. It took less than half an hour to make from start to finish, and was practically inhaled by my very picky toddler. It’s so creamy, and makes for perfect comfort food that you don’t have to feel bad about. It also does very well in the freezer, so its the ideal meal to batch cook and defrost later!
This recipe is by Jessica In The Kitchen. It’s not only vegan but gluten free (which is ideal if, like me, you have multiple family members with allergies. Jessica posts lots of recipes that are fit for those with allergies, so if you’re an allergy mum like me, you should check her out!
Trust me, if you’ve got a child who’s a picky eater (or more than one!), you will love this recipe. The brilliant thing about fajitas is that you can so easily customise them! While this recipe calls for specific vegetables, we’ve used just about every vegetable we can think of, and our little monkey has gobbled it all up! This recipe uses vegan ingredients for the marinade, so you can make the fajitas vegan, vegetarian or full of meat. You can even use gluten free wraps if you have Celiac disease like me. We love sheet pan meals because you pop it all in the oven together and forget about it, which is brilliant if you have little people to keep an eye on!
This recipe comes from Show Me the Yummy.
Do your kids panic when they see anything green on their plate? Are they basically vegetable-phobic? In our household, anything with cheese is a winner, but anything that’s green gets left behind. This one pot enchilada pasta has the best of both worlds. It uses beans and pulses as the source of protein, so you know they’re getting healthy food, but to your little ones, it probably won’t feel like it. It’s also topped with a healthy portion of cheese, which in my experience will always make it attractive to little ones! Like the fajitas, we love this recipe because it’s so customisable!
This recipe comes from the wonderful Peas and Crayons
Had a rough day and craving take-away, but need to feed the kids too? This one is for you. This chicken chow mein can be prepared and cooked from start to finish in half an hour. It uses spaghetti rather than fancy noodles, which you’re more than likely to find in your cupboard!
We use low sodium soy sauce and chicken stock when making this recipe as we are feeding our little one too, but if you’re making this solely for adults, feel free to omit this step!
In our experience, spaghetti is usually a winner in the toddler department, so we often have a spaghetti dish once a week. This recipe is great as it contains lots of veggies (but they’re covered in a flavourful sauce, so your little might not mind that much!).
This recipe hails from The Recipe Rebel
5. Italian Chicken and Vegetables
We LOVE Italian food. I love it even more when my daughter eats her vegetables! This recipe is super easy, super simple and very customisable. I love that it only takes twenty/thirty minutes; it’s the perfect food for your ‘oh my goodness, how is it nearly dinner time?’ moments.
This dish is also ideal for those nights when you desperately want something light to eat! As much as I love pasta (and often call my daughter the carb queen) I want her to learn that meals without it can be tasty too!
This recipe does call for 2 tbsp white wine OR stock. We use stock and have found it to be just as tasty! Find this recipe at Sweet C’s.
Do you love a good one pot meal? Have you got any great ideas that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
endardoo
Some lovely recipes there, and even some for our newly-vegetarian daughter! #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Thank you! We are trying to cut down on our meat consumption, so they’re definitely handy!
endardoo
I’ll definitely try some of them!
Lydia C. Lee
Def making the vegan curry. My vegetarian teen is a pain and I end up eating it. I’m almost vegetarian now just to avoid food waste. So it has to be something that sounds tempting to me too! #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
The vegan curry is my favourite on this list!
A Rose Tinted World (@ARoseTintdWorld)
Love a one pot meal – even more if it can be done in a slow cooker! Will try some of these! #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Ooh I love a slow cooker meal! Hopefully these work well for you!
tiredbutcraftymummy
I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a dinner rut lately so I’m definitely ready to welcome some new ideas. I’m hoping my boys would like the enchilada pasta! #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Pasta is always a hit here! Let us know how it goes!
Malin - Sensational Learning with Penguin
I love the look and sound of no.1 and no.3! (We’re a vegetarian/pescatarian family, so don’t eat chicken.) I think hubby and I would both love them, especially the chick pea curry, yum! Thanks so much for linking up with #KCACOLS, hope you comeback again next time x
twicemicrowavedtea
I love an easy one pot meal but I always end up making the same thing. You’ve given me a bit of inspiration here! #kcacols
ambitiousturtle24
I have bookmarked this to refer back to! As a disabled mum, the slow cooker is my best friend as by tea time I need to save what reserves I have left to tackle bed, so doing the main meal prep when I’m at my best in the day is key. Thanks so much for sharing! #KCACOLS
Mummykind
I think the slow cooker is a godsend for everyone! But that’s great that you are able to get some use out of this post! Thank you for commenting
Tracey Carr
I’m a vegetarian and my daughters eat very little meat so I would definitely give the chickpea curry a try. It looks absolutely delicious! #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
We’ve been trying to up our vegetable intake recently – the chickpea curry is amazing because you can pop other vegetables in there too! We love chickpeas and broccoli! Glad you enjoyed
Kelly-Anne Combes
One pot meals are the best, aren’t they? These are always my go to when it comes to making meals from scratch! Thank you so much for joining us for #KCACOLS and we hope see you next time!
Paige Piper
Thanks Kelly-Anne
Vegetable Rice in 15 Minutes - Mummykind
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