Getting into the kitchen after a long day and making a delicious meal (and lotsa mess) is not what most of us want to be doing -- especially once you've changed into your comfies and your favourite show is on.
Luckily there is an easy way around this: one-pan dinners.
These one-pan dinner recipes by Jessica Sepel -- nutritionist, health blogger and cookbook author -- are easy to prepare, make hardly any mess and are packed full of delicious flavour.
1. Roast pumpkin and chickpea one-pan with hummus dressing
By JSHealth.
"I'm obsessed with these easy one-pan dinners -- as simple as throwing some veggies and a protein onto a baking tray and roasting until delicious," Sepel said.
"This is the perfect vegetarian dinner option and so easy. Pumpkin and carrots are great starchy veggies too -- really low GI and full of antioxidants from the beta-carotene."
Serves two as a main, or four as a side.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ pumpkin
- 3-4 carrots
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5-6 mint leaves, torn
- ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- Sea salt
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon hummus
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ¼ cup vinegar (white balsamic, white wine or apple cider)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180°.
- Chop pumpkin into small wedges. Slice carrots thinly. Arrange on baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with sea salt generously.
- Add baking tray to the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes, until golden and slightly caramelised.
- To make the dressing, combine hummus, mustard, vinegar and maple syrup in a small jar. Whisk until combined.
- Remove roasted vegetables from oven and add chickpeas to tray. Drizzle over dressing and top with pepitas, chilli flakes and mint leaves.
2. One-pan healthy chicken pesto pasta
By JSHealth.
"Who doesn't love pesto pasta? I like to use a brown rice, gluten free brand of pasta, which I cook whilst the chicken is sautéing in the pan," Sepel said. "Top with some grated Parmesan if you like."
Serves two.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 organic chicken breasts, cut into thin slices
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
- 2 cups cooked whole grain or gluten free pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 heaped tablespoons good quality pesto
- Basil leaves, to garnish
- Sea salt
METHOD
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the sliced chicken breasts and one tablespoon of pesto to the pan, season generously with salt and sauté until cooked through.
- Once chicken is cooked, add the chopped broccoli and continue to sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
- Stir through cooked pasta and add two tablespoons of pesto.
- Stir and top with fresh basil. Serve.
3. One-pan teriyaki chicken
By JSHealth.
"This one-pan dinner is so simple to make, requires virtually no washing up and tastes amazing," Sepel said. "Not to mention, it is completely nutritionally sound. Enjoy."
Serves two.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 organic chicken breasts
- 1 head broccoli
- 2 carrots
- 1 eggplant
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
Marinade:
- ¼ cup tamari sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180°.
- Chop carrots and eggplant into slices. Chop broccoli into florets. Arrange vegetables on a lined baking tray, leaving space for the chicken breast.
- Drizzle vegetables with olive oil (or olive oil spray) and salt generously.
- Add chicken breast to the middle of the tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- To make marinade, whisk all marinade ingredients together until smooth.
- Spoon two tablespoons of marinade over each chicken breast. Spoon remaining marinade over vegetables.
- Place pan in oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve with brown rice, if desired.
4. One-pan healthy fish and chips
By JSHealth.
"Fish and chips is such a classic summer meal. There's nothing better after a day at the beach, but often the oils and batters used can be high in saturated fats. So I created a healthy version for you guys, as a one-pan dinner, of course," Sepel said.
"Crispy parsnip and sweet potato chips paired with a simply roasted white fish, plus the most divine herb-nut topping."
Serves two.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 fillets white fish (e.g. John Dory or Ling)
- 1 sweet potato
- 2 parsnips
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 cup mixed herbs (parsley and basil are best)
- ½ cup almonds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180° degrees.
- Chop sweet potato and parsnips into thin wedges and arrange on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle over coconut flour. Season with sea salt. Roast in oven for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the herb-nut topping, finely chop mixed herbs with almonds. Add one tablespoon olive oil and a generous pinch of sea salt and continue to chop until combined.
- After 25 minutes, remove sweet potato and parsnip from oven and add the fish to the pan. Spoon over the herb-nut topping.
- Return tray to oven for a further 20 minutes, until fish is cooked and wedges are golden.
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