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No mess, no fuss – easy but delicious one-pan, one-tray or one-pot meal recipes

No mess, no fuss – easy but delicious one-pan, one-tray or one-pot meal recipes

Being confined to our homes for the last couple of months has lead to a lot more cooking and, for a while there, we really embraced our extra time to expand our recipe repertoire. We're starting to get to the point, however, we're pretty tired and craving something delicious, but super easy. Not just when it comes to prep, either – we also don't want much to clean up. To help you maximise on flavour and your free time, we've found five one-pan, one-tray or one-pot meal recipes so you can skip the washing up and get back to your Netflix binge.


Baked chicken with tomatoes and garlic
For our first recipe choice, you’ll need a cast-iron oven-proof frying pan or skillet. You start by searing your chicken thighs until they are crispy and golden, then amp up the juice factor by tucking ribbons of kale and plump fresh tomatoes (we like to use cherry toms) in and around the chicken. Season to your heart’s content, place in the oven for 30–40 minutes and voila! You’ll have a hearty meal and only one pan to wash. If you’re feeling a touch more enthusiastic and don’t mind one more pan, this dish is delicious atop mashed potato or creamy polenta.
Image: Brooklyn Supper

One-pan salmon with cream and artichokes
You want to eat – and you want to eat now? This one-pan salmon can be in your mouth in a mere 20 minutes, including prep time. You’ll need a large frying pan and just one extra plate to rest the salmon on during cooking. This dish has the perfect balance of cream, freshness and salt (hello, caper friends) to perfectly complement the richness of the salmon, and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. As a bonus, the recipe calls for half a cup of wine – and you wouldn’t want to waste the rest of the bottle, right?
Image: Taste

Burrata and broccoli sheet-pan dinner
This recipe comes from Lindsay Maitland Hunt’s book Healthyish, via A Cup of Jo. It’s the perfect simple vegetarian weeknight dinner, great for meal prep, or can be served as a side to protein if you’re feeling fancy. For those non vegetarians out there, don’t turn away – this recipe is packed with taste and texture, with crunchy croutons and oozing burrata over a bed of broccoli, capsicum and artichokes. A whole lot of goodness and only one baking tray to wash.
Image: A Cup of Jo

One-pan zucchini and three-cheese lasagne
We had you at the words ‘three-cheese lasagne’, right? Better yet – this recipe only requires one oven-proof pan and has only four simple steps. While Half Bake Harvest’s recipe calls for ground spicy Italian sausage, regular beef mince works just as well – just add chilli flakes when you’re cooking down your tomatoes if you want a hit of heat. Serve with a glass of red (again, you’ll be opening a bottle for ‘cooking’) and some crusty bread, and you’ve got yourself a no-mess Italian feast.
Image: Half Baked Harvest 

Roast chicken with potatoes and olives
There is something extra special about warm olives. Sure, we know that chicken is the ‘hero’ of this dish, but it’s the oven-baked olives that really make it. The most difficult part of this recipe is making the super-simple spice mixture – which, in fact, isn’t difficult at all. After that, all you need to do is throw the seasoned chicken, potatoes and olives on a baking tray for 35–45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, the chicken skin is crisp, and those olives are juicy and warm. Sprinkle with some parsley and lemon zest for freshness and you’re ready to go.
Image: Bon Appétit

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