Spinach

You’ll love making and serving this earthy medley of colors, textures, and flavors on a rainy spring evening.

This soup features a slew of compatible ingredients made even more companionable in a mildly curried broth.

Cooked cornmeal makes a delightfully dense soup base. Serve this meal-in-a-bowl with a bountiful salad and crusty bread.

Millet, an exceptionally nutritious if rather bland grain, is used to great advantage in this soup, where it has an opportunity to soak up all the spicy flavors.

Once you’ve got the squash baked, this Japanese-style soup comes together quickly, and is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. Use chopsticks for “slurping” the noodles.

This recipe has a Middle Eastern flair and is great as a vegetarian main course or a side dish for a larger meal. The lentils provide all the protein needed for a complete meal. Bulgur is a form of wheat (the wheat berries are steamed, dried, and ground) often used when making veggie burgers or tabbouleh. You can easily prepare this meal without the bulgur; just be sure to omit the water as well.

I couldn’t resist adding what is perhaps my favorite salad dressing to a Glorious One-Pot Meal. And, boy, was I glad I did, because besides the ease of using a prepared sauce, this was a vegetarian dinner that the whole family loved. Frozen spinach works well in this recipe—just try to break the block into smaller chunks before adding to the pot. If the spinach has thawed, go ahead and squeeze out the water. If it is still frozen, don’t worry about it. Find arame seaweed at Asian markets or health food stores.

I love the depth of flavor offered from the blend of fresh and roasted red peppers here. These sweet notes play off the salty feta for a delicious contrast.

Tempeh is a soy-based product with a nubby texture. Tahini, or sesame paste, is commonly used in the Middle East as a dressing for falafel (fried chickpea patties) and is an ingredient in hummus and other dishes. Tahini separates when stored; be sure to mix it well before using. Both are easily found at natural food stores (look for tempeh in the refrigerated section next to the tofu). I never peel beets for Glorious One-Pot Meals. Instead, I scrub them well with a brush and use a veggie wash to rinse away any residual grime. Then I simply slice them and toss them in the pot. Try golden beets in this recipe for a change from the typical red ones. They’re just as sweet but won’t color your entire meal red.

This is a mac-and-cheese you can actually feel good about serving. Substitute any vegetables you prefer to boost the nutrition of this meal far beyond any boxed version bought at the store. Traditionally, American-style macaroni and cheese is made primarily with Cheddar cheese, but personally I’m a fan of using mozzarella and Monterey Jack. Of course, you can mix and match any combination of cheeses in this meal. Nondairy cheeses perform about as well as real cheeses in Glorious One-Pot Meals, although I usually look for those listing casein as an ingredient for that cheesy gooeyness that’s more like the real stuff. Casein might be a problem for vegans and those with mild dairy allergies, so keep this in mind. You can use much less cheese than I recommend and the dish will still turn out pretty cheesy. If you find it is too rich, try using harder, lower-fat cheeses such as Swiss, provolone, or Parmesan. Enjoy experimenting with your favorite cheeses. Some noodles and cheese may form a crusty layer along the bottom and lower sides of the pot. While my husband enjoys crunching these tasty strips, stirring well to coat the noodles with water when building the pot and paying careful attention to when the aroma first escapes the oven will help you avoid this.

While my mother wouldn’t be caught dead serving jarred marinara sauce, I’ve found quality organic brands speed up prep time and taste as good as homemade. Sometimes I’ll doctor the sauce with fresh tomatoes, zucchini, or green peppers from the garden. Or I’ll add roasted green chiles (available frozen, canned, or fresh in the fall) or red pepper flakes for a flavor boost. If using a nondairy cheese, be aware that brands containing casein retain more of the creaminess associated with real cheese than those without. While the presence of casein shouldn’t affect most lactose-intolerant people, it is an animal product and could cause those allergic to dairy to have a reaction. Instead of using prepared marinara sauce, you could stir the herbs directly into a can of crushed tomatoes and pour this mixture over the layers of eggplant.

This Glorious One-Pot Meal is a take on a traditional Indian dish. Consider changing it up with chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli in place of chickpeas, white potato, and cauliflower. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties and may be helpful for people suffering from internal swelling of joints or nerves, as with fibromyalgia, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

Tofu is like a sponge and will absorb whatever flavors you give it if you squeeze it dry first. I often sandwich the block of tofu between several layers of paper towels and then set the Dutch oven on top to press out as much liquid as possible. If you’re not into tofu, substitute eight ounces of ricotta cheese. Using freshly grated nutmeg is always a treat. I keep a few whole nutmegs in a jar and simply run one across a Microplane grater. Save the rest of the nut in a jar so it will be fresh and aromatic the next time you want it. A whole nutmeg can last a year or longer. Try to break a block of frozen spinach into pieces before adding it to the pot, and realize that it will add some liquid as it melts. Let the pot sit for a few minutes with the lid off before serving to allow the polenta to absorb any extra liquid.

Convert this recipe to vegetarian by replacing the chicken with cubes of extra-firm tofu or a 15-ounce can of drained lentils or other beans. Try substituting sweet potatoes for the rice and include eggplant cubes for a truly Indian flair. Notice this recipe does not use water to hydrate the rice because the coconut milk in the curry sauce is enough liquid. I find very little difference between regular and light coconut milk in Glorious One-Pot Meals, so use whichever you prefer. You can find red curry paste in the Asian section of your supermarket along with fish sauce and coconut milk.

Once, when I was visiting Paris, my friend Emile from Gabon, Africa, made this dish for me. I was amazed that cooking with peanut butter could be so good.

All of the ingredients in this festive meal can be found in your pantry or freezer, making it a convenient wintertime treat. However, try to break up a frozen block of ground meat before adding it to the pot. There’s no need to defrost a package of frozen spinach. Let it sit on the counter to soften while preparing other ingredients. Cut it into chunks using a sharp knife, then stir the chunks into the meat mixture. Fresh spinach can be chopped slightly and mixed with the meat, or kept whole and layered on top.

Quinoa is not only a complete protein, providing all the essential amino acids, it’s also gluten-free. This light and delicate grain has a delicious nutty flavor that is perfect for summer weather. The type of chile is up to you. For a milder flavor, choose an Anaheim green chile; pasillas or jalapeños will give more of a bite. You may use spinach rather than kale or chard. If you find that your greens emerge browner than you’d like, move them down a layer and top with the bell pepper instead.

Turkey sausage—especially the hot and spicy kind—is excellent in this dish. Wild mushrooms add a hearty flavor that complements the sausage, but common white mushrooms do just fine here as well. To use dried mushrooms, place in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and steep while you prepare the rest of the ingredients (ten to twenty minutes). When softened, drain well and slice. If using frozen spinach, try to break the block into a few pieces to spread around in the pot. If it is simply too hard to break, don’t worry. It will still cook fine, although you may find you need to cook the meal another five to ten minutes for the polenta to soften completely. As always with these recipes, use your nose as your guide.

I love the rich, decadent sensation of scallops in my mouth, but you can make this recipe with any kind of seafood, fish, or poultry For a south-of-the-border kick, add a tablespoon of tequila to the sauce mixture and sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped cilantro before adding the spinach. Be sure to liberally coat the inside of the lid with oil so that the spinach will not dry out and stick.

Adapted from a recipe out of Guam, the bananas give this meal a tropical flavor that my mother and mother-in-law both love. Be sure to cut any brown spots off the bananas before slicing. Sweet potatoes and yams range tremendously in size. You may be able to use all of a medium sweet potato in a single meal. However, if it is ten inches or longer, use only part of it. To make this dish even spicier, add a diced fresh jalapeño or serrano pepper to the onion layer at the bottom.