Four Delicious One-Pot Meals & What I Cooked Last Week
Recipes made entirely in one vessel, creamy mushroom bisque, chipotle chicken burrito bowls, wonton noodle soup
Hi everyone,
Hope you’re having a great week! If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m going on my book tour in March and April. I’ll be visiting nine cities across the US and would love to meet you in person. You can grab tickets here, and every ticket comes with a signed cookbook.
Also, I’m hosting a TalkShopLive event next Wednesday, February 4, at 7 p.m. ET. I’ll be making wontons, answering questions about the book, and you’ll be able to order signed copies directly through the livestream if you’d like to join. Mark your calendar and come hang out 🤍
My cookbook is organized by day of the week. Each chapter is a day (Monday through Sunday), plus there’s a bonus chapter at the end for simple sides. I’ve always felt the natural rhythm of the week shapes what I want to cook and eat. Early in the week I’m drawn to quick, easy recipes, and by Thursday I’m usually craving something more indulgent. On the weekend, I finally have time for more elaborate but still doable projects, like making bread from scratch.
All the Tuesday recipes are cooked in a single vessel, whether that’s a skillet, pot, wok, or sheet pan. Since it’s still early in the week, I typically don’t have the energy for complicated recipes that lead to tons of cleanup. These dishes come together easily and quickly, with minimal washing up. In that spirit, today I’m sharing four of my favorite one pot, skillet, or sheet pan meals.
First, here’s a recipe for a mushroom bisque I made last week. It’s packed with umami from all the mushrooms and gets a touch of sweetness and depth from a splash of balsamic vinegar. The creaminess comes from whole milk instead of heavy cream. It’s so delicious, and I hope you give it a try!
What I Cooked Last Week↓
Creamy Mushroom Bisque
Made with whole milk instead of heavy cream, this soup is healthy and nourishing. The secret ingredient is balsamic vinegar, which is added at the end for the perfect depth and balance of flavor.
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls
This is a go-to in my house: Chipotle-inspired burrito bowls made with super flavorful marinated chicken. It’s the type of dish you’ll want to make on repeat.
Wonton Noodle Soup
In my family, this is total comfort food. You can make your own wontons or use store-bought to keep it easy—either way, it’s super soothing and delicious.
Four Meals Made Entirely in One Vessel
One-Skillet Baked Ziti ✨
I was so excited when I first tried this dish. It all comes together in one skillet, even making the pasta. As the ziti cooks, it absorbs the flavors of the sauce and sausage (feel free to use another protein you like, such as chicken). You finish the skillet with dollops of spinach and ricotta and a layer of shredded mozzarella for extra cheesiness. It’s such a comforting, cozy meal and perfect for winter.
You can find the recipe here.
My Favorite Healthy Lentil Soup ✨
I’ve been making this recipe for years and years. It’s super healthy and packed with carrot, celery, onion, and spinach, and the lentils make it really satisfying. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens everything. I love serving it with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, which goes so well with the warm spices. Make a big batch so you have lunch for the rest of the week.
You can find the recipe here.
One-Skillet Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Orzo ✨
You probably know by now how much I love creamy chicken and broccoli. This recipe cooks beautifully in one skillet. You start by searing the chicken, then sauté the aromatics, stir in the orzo with milk and chicken stock, and let it all simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Finish with lots of Parm and chopped parsley. It’s so comforting and somehow even better the next day, so save those leftovers.
You can find the recipe here.
Mom’s Sheet Pan Benihana Fried Rice ✨
This is one of the best ways to use leftover white rice. My mom came up with a sheet pan method for her Benihana-style fried rice, so the oven does all the work. You add everything to the sheet pan (rice, seasonings, chopped veggies), crack the eggs right on top, and bake. When it comes out, slice up the eggs and toss everything together just like fried rice. A little drizzle of oil before baking helps create lots of crispy rice around the edges.
You can find the recipe here. (And here’s a variation with shrimp!)
As you can probably tell, all of these recipes make great leftovers, so you’ll have lunch sorted for days. Another reason why I love making one-pot meals early in the week :)
I can’t believe we’re almost a month away from my book being published (eee!!). I can’t wait to meet some of you on tour 🤍
I hope you have a relaxing, wonderful weekend!
Love,
Maxine
Really dig the day-of-week organizing principle for a cookbook, thats actually practical instead of just another arbitrary category system. The Tuesday logic (low-effort, one vessel) maps perfectly to midweek energy dips. Ive been doing something kinda similr with batch prepping on Sundays but never thought about assigning different cook styles to specific weekdays.