When I was a kid, a staple dinner in our house was my mom’s favorite one-pot meal, Beef-n-Butter. It was one-pound ground beef, one-half stick of butter, and salt and pepper, fried up in a pan. And boy was it d-e-e-e-licious! It’s pretty hard to beat fat-on-fat when it comes to satisfying a hungry kid.
My parents had been divorced for years, which explains my mom’s desire for quick and easy cooking. But then, around thirteen years-new, my dad found himself a “foodie” wife and I was introduced to a whole new world of food. Fat-based meals were replaced with fresh salads and healthy greek chicken. And while I enjoyed my step-mom’s cooking, I still craved the fast-food style dinners my mom used to make.
Then I grew up and realized that cooking was such a chore! I knew I should eat healthier than fatty beef, but I didn’t have the skills to replicate my step-mom’s meals. Cooking, I decided, would remain an elusive art, worthy of only the best mothers and chefs who could pull it off with ease.
I would never measure up… so to speak. That is until I discovered One-Pot Cooking!
The Miracle of One-Pot Meals
It wasn’t until I moved into an RV that I truly discovered the ease and art of one-pot cooking. I believe the small kitchen space not only improved my cooking process, but also made me a better cook.
The limited storage space requires that I get creative with ingredients. I have learned how to buy multiples of the same things, e.g. meats, vegetables, and starches, and use them for several different meals. This saves money, time and space, making RV cooking easier and fun too!
5 Super Easy One-Pot Meals
Here are five of my favorite one-pot meals. You may notice that I found ways to incorporate both of my mothers’ cooking styles. With some information and a little practice, I think anyone, including you, can be an RV Chef Extraordinaire!
One-Pot Meal #1: Beef (or Turkey) Tacos
This has got to be the easiest of all the one-pot meals. It takes very little time to prepare and is a snap to clean up too. Here’s what you need to serve “street-sized” tacos to four adults.
Ingredients
- One pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
- One packet of taco seasoning
- Eight corn tortillas
- Two – four Roma tomatoes diced
- One bag of Mexican shredded cheese
- One-half onion chopped
- One jar of salsa
- One bunch of cilantro
- Non-stick spray
Instructions
Spray the pan with non-stick spray and heat on medium. Add the beef and mix with seasoning. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the liquid. Lay the tortillas on top of the beef for about a minute until soft. Remove the tortillas and place in a bowl or plate. Scoop beef into the tortillas, and top with the remaining ingredients. That. Is. It!
One-Pot Meal #2: Shrimp and Brown Rice Ramen
This is another simple, one-pot meal that takes very little time to cook. I like to use brown-rice ramen to add additional nutrition to this meal, as regular ramen noodles offer very little nutritional value. The following will serve two adults (with a little extra for left-overs).
Ingredients
- One bag of frozen pre-cooked shrimp
- Two packages of brown rice ramen noodles
- Two Roma tomatoes diced
- One-half onion chopped
- One-half packet of fresh mushroom sliced
- Three cups of chicken or vegetable broth, plus one-cup of water
- Asian spice pack (if it doesn’t come with the noodles)
- One table spoon of olive oil
- Add soy sauce and/or hot chili sauce to taste, if desired
Instructions
Heat the pan to medium and add the oil. Saute the onion and mushrooms in oil until soft. Add the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook for one minute. Then reduce heat to medium. Add the spice pack and shrimp, and cook for an additional two minutes. Add the tomatoes last and boil an additional minute, or until the shrimp are hot. Top with soy sauce and/or chili sauce. So so tasty!
One-Pot Meal #3: Chicken Soup
This is soup like your grandma’s, but made in only a fraction of the time in a pressure cooker. I love pressure cooking because it’s fast, easy and healthy too. Check out this article I wrote about the InstantPot Pressure Cooker, on CampAddict. You can use a whole cut up chicken for this recipe, as you can use the extra chicken for the next dish.
Ingredients
- Whole chicken cut-up
- Six cups of chicken broth
- Two zucchini cut into half-inch slices
- Four carrots cut into half-inch slices
- One onion chopped
- One teaspoon each of salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and garlic powder
- One bay leaf
Instructions
Press ‘Saute’ on the InstantPot. Add oil and let heat for 1-2 minutes. Place the chicken in the pot and brown on all sides. Place the vegetables in the cooker and stir so that they fall to the bottom. Then cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and all the spices, including the bay leaf. Place the lid on the cooker, set the pressure to ‘High’, and set the timer for twelve minutes. After the timer beeps, release the pressure. Scoop chicken, veggies, and broth into bowl. Add additional salt and pepper if needed. Mmmm good!
One-Pot Meal #4: Greek Chicken
The cool thing about this one-pot meal, is that you follow the instructions for the One-Pot Chicken Soup and modify a few things.
Ingredients
Same as the above recipe, but add the following:
- One tablespoon of Greek Calamata olives
- One container of Feta Cheese
- Greek seasoning packet
Instructions
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the chicken and vegetables (do not include broth). Place on a plate and top with one tablespoon Greek olives, one table spoon Feta cheese, and sprinkle with Greek seasoning. This dish does my step-mom proud!
One-Pot Meal #5: Quinoa-Burger Bowl
This one-pot meal blends the best of my mom’s beef and butter dish, but with a healthy slant that my step-mom would admire. Instead of making hamburgers, how about using similar ingredients, and using nutritious quinoa instead of the bun. Here’s how you do it.
Ingredients
- One pound of ground beef
- Non-stick spray
- Half-pack of mushrooms chopped
- One-half onion chopped
- One green pepper chopped
- Two Roma tomatoes chopped
- One can of diced tomatoes
- Quinoa (use enough to serve two)
- Water (base the amount on the amount of quinoa use you — usually listed on the package)
- One teaspoon of salt and pepper, and any other desired spices like paprika or cayenne pepper to spice it up
- Optional: toppers diced avocado, lime, and/or cilantro
Instructions
Spray the pan and heat on medium. Brown the meat for 1-2 minutes. Remove the beef and drain the pan, but leave some juice to saute the vegetables. Add the vegetables and saute 1-2 minutes. Add the can of diced tomatoes and water. Then bring it to a boil. Add the quinoa, and when it’s about half done, add the beef and spices. Cover and simmer until the quinoa is done. You can add any of the additional toppers if desired.
One-Pot Meals Make RV Cooking Easy
There you have it — five one-pot meals that are delicious, nutritious, and easy to make. Try them out and let me know how it goes, or if you have any questions feel free to contact me at More Than A Wheelin’.
Are you looking for more nutritious meals to cook in your RV? Check out this article on healthy RV cooking.
