Midweek Meals: Five easy warming one-pot dinners that the whole family will enjoy

Winter is here, the season when one-pot dinners come into their own. From curries to stews, here are five easy routes to dinnertime this week 

One pot dinners are the key to stress-free evenings

One-pot chicken casserole

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

With apricots and green olives, this chicken casserole is sure to be a new midweek staple

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 onions, finely chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• ½ tsp paprika

• 4 chicken breasts, cubed

• 2 peppers, deseeded and diced

• 10 apricots, halved

• 10 stoned green olives, halved

• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

• ½ courgette, chopped

• 300ml chicken stock

• salt

• pepper

• handful of mint leaves, chopped

• brown rice to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large casserole over medium heat.

2. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cumin and paprika and cook for 2 minutes. Stir frequently and add a splash of water if the pan gets dry. 

3. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in peppers, apricots, olives, lemon, courgette and stock. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. 

4. When you are ready to serve, season to taste. Ladle the stew into warmed serving bowls and sprinkle over the mint. Serve with brown rice.

One-pot beef with juniper

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Enjoy this spiced beef dish with a hint of chilli, vegetables and juniper berries for a kick of flavour

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 30 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• generous dash of rapeseed oil

• 1 large onion, finely chopped 

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 2 large carrots, sliced

• bunch of rosemary, left on the stalk 

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp mild chilli powder

• 2 tsp juniper berries

• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 400ml stock

• 600g stewing beef, cut into large chunks

Method

1. Heat the oil over a gentle heat in an oven proof dish, which you have a lid for.

2. Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots and rosemary for 10 minutes, until they have all softened. You can add a knob of butter as well as the oil if you wish.

3. Stir in the cinnamon, chilli and juniper berries.

4. Stir in the flour until it has all combined then add the purée and stock a little at a time so they all blend together.

5. Add the beef to the pot and place into an oven heated to 160°C for two hours. Taste and season.

6. Place back into the oven with the lid removed and allow further cooking, about 30 minutes, until the meat is completely tender and the sauce has thickened.

7. Serve with mash or rice.