Dazzle your guests with one-pot wonders

Let’s be honest: no one likes doing the dishes. Unfortunately, the reality of the looming adulthood that lies before each of us forces the matter when it comes time to cook a dinner that is anything beyond pita and hummus. Envisioning a satisfying home-cooked meal invariably comes with visions of a sink piled high with skillets, pots, and pans of all kinds, but it doesn’t have to be that way. As the weather cools, turn to these three hearty recipes, all distinctly different yet sharing one shining quality: they are made with only one pot.

One-Skillet Vegetable Fry
As with many of these recipes, the base of this recipe is the vegetables that you choose. Follow my lead or forge your own path — whatever combination you stumble upon will be satisfying and filling.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 can of corn
Cooked noodles
Feta cheese
Avocado
1 egg per serving (optional)

Directions:
1. Sautée onion, zucchini, and squash in olive oil until cooked, about five minutes.
2. When cooked, add the noodles and the corn to the pan and let everything cook together for roughly five minutes.
3. Distribute the mixture into bowls.
4. Fry the eggs individually in the pan.
5. Assemble: mixture on bottom, egg on top of that, half of a sliced avocado, then feta cheese on top.

One-Pan Mexican Meal
Filling, spicy, and everything you want at any given time of the day, this dish can be served up for breakfast after a late night out, an inspired lunch on an otherwise sad Monday, or a nice dinner to round out your day.

Ingredients:
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1 can of tomatoes
1 tsp of garlic powder and cumin
1 cup of quinoa
1 cup of chicken broth
Cheddar cheese
1 egg per serving

Directions:
1. Put the first six ingredients in the pot and cover. Let it cook for 20 minutes.
2. Put the bean mixture in bowls and top with cheddar cheese. Set aside to melt.
3. Fry the eggs individually in the pot that you just used.
4. Serve the eggs on top of the melted cheese, then top with a little more cheese if you’re feeling adventurous.

Chili
Pick your poison with this one. Whether or not you decide to include the meat, this recipe will fill you up and fuel your journey to an easy clean-up in one go.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 pound of turkey or ground beef, if you’re using meat
1 can each of garbanzo beans, black beans, corn, and kidney beans
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp each of chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin, then add to taste

Directions:
1. Sautee the onion and garlic in a few glugs of olive oil until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the turkey or beef or tofu or nothing, if that’s how you’re swinging. Brown thoroughly.
3. Add the beans and the tomatoes. Stir everything together and then add all of the spices.
4. Add the tomato sauce and the water. Stir, then cover and let simmer for 30–45 minutes.
5. Taste to make sure that it is well spiced, then serve with a dollup of sour cream and a hunk of bread.
Pro tip: slap some plastic wrap on top of the pot, and you don’t even need a leftover container.