Recipes: 10 One-Pot Dinners The Family Will Love

If you’re looking for a simple way to make delicious family meals, check out Leo’s favourite hassle-free one-pot dinner recipes. From tasty traybakes and tagines to a one-pot roast, these ten meals will be instant family favourites.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (fan oven) and prep the vegetables: wash, trim and cut to size depending on cooking time.

Next, take a lined baking tray. In a bowl toss the prepped ingredients with olive oil, until lightly coated in the oil, lightly season with a little black pepper (if using). I do this for each vegetable, you will use less oil overall and the vegetables will be evenly coated.

Then layer the tray bake: place the four salmon fillets, skin side down and top with the pesto crumb.* Then scatter the butternut squash around the salmon pieces and place in the oven. Cook for 30 mins, or until the fish fillets are completely cooked through and the vegetable are beautifully roasted. Halfway through cooking I scatter over the broccoli, lightly coated in oil and cook for the remainign 15 mins. The broccoli doesn’t need as long in the oven. Once everything is nicely cooked through, remove from the oven.

I dish up the fish and vegetables on a big platter; I also remove the salmon skins and discard them. Scatter with fresh herbs and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

For the pesto crumb

Combine the breadcrumbs and pesto in a small bowl, until you have a fragrant green breadcrumb “paste”

Top each salmon fillet with a tablespoon of the mix, pressing the mix down onto the flesh of the salmon fillet, trying not to scatter breadcrumbs onto the tray

Preheat the oven to 190C (fan oven). Prep the potatoes: wash, trim (I don’t peel as there is so much nutrition under the skin), quarter and in a bowl toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

In a mixing bowl bowl toss the chicken thighs and halved lemon with olive oil, sweet paprika, dried oregano and lightly season with a little black pepper.

Then take a lines baking tray: place the eight chicken thighs (skin side up) on the tray, with the lemon halves. Scatter the potatoes and cherry tomatoes around the chicken pieces; making sure the chicken skin is visible (so that it can crisp up during cooking).

Place in the preheated oven and cook at 190C (fan oven) for 10 mins; then lower the temperature of the oven to 180C (fan oven) for a further 50 minutes. A total of 1 hours cooking time. If you get time – check halfway and baste the chicken pieces with the juices in the bottom of the tray. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes.

I serve this on a big platter, squeezing over the juices from the cooked lemons and scattering with fresh herbs.

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, pepper, squash, and sweet potato. Fry for 3 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin. Fry for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, lentils, apricots, stock, and tomato puree.

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the lentils are soft. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.

Method

Heat the oil in a wide frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Add the red chilli flakes and orzo and stir.

Add the halved tomatoes, puree and stock. Stir and bring up to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Remove the lid and bring back up to the boil. Crack the eggs on top, cover again and simmer for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle over the cheese, cover and cook for 3 minutes until the cheese has melted and the whites are set. Sprinkle with basil.

Method

Soak the clams in a bowl of cold water, leave for about 5 minutes while you slice the fish, then discard the open or cracked clams and drain the rest.

Cut the monkfish and salmon into 1cm slices, and slice the squid into rings the same width.

Warm the butter and oil in a large pot or pan with a lid, then, over a high heat, toss in the fish and squid and stir them around until they begin to go opaque.

Add the clams and white wine, then clamp on the lid, shaking the pot over the heat, and let it all cook for about 3 minutes.

Lift the lid, avoiding the steam, and pour in the sherry. Cover again and then leave for another 3 minutes or so, shaking it about every now and then.

Serve the seafood in the pot, sprinkling with the chopped chives if preferred.

Heat a splash of oil in a pan and brown the chicken legs and thighs all over, then remove to a plate.

Peel and dice the onion then in the same pan, sweat the onion until softened, before crushing in the garlic and adding the spices.

Allow to cook for about 2 minutes, then stir in the rice, dates, honey and browned chicken.

Cover with water and bring to the boil before allowing to simmer, covered, over a medium heat for 30 minutes, or until the rice and chicken are cooked through.

Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, then pick, roughly chop and scatter over the coriander leaves, to serve.

Tear the sourdough into chunks, and pick the basil leaves.

Combine the feta cheese, tomatoes, olives, sourdough and a splash of oil in a baking tray.

Season, then pop it into the oven for 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender and the feta is golden at the edges.

Scatter over the basil and serve.

Use a small, sharp knife to make at least 30 small, deep, incisions all over the lamb. Halve the garlic bulbs, so at the top the cloves fall away and at the bottom, they remain attached. Peel and slice the tops that have fallen away and keep the other halves for later. Use your fingers to push the slices into each slit.

Next, pull off small sprigs of rosemary and thyme, keeping the stalks on, and poke them into the slits, too. Can be done a day ahead, then cover the lamb and chill. Remove from the fridge 1 hr before roasting.

Sit each potato between the handles of two wooden spoons and cut widthways at 3mm intervals – the spoon handles will stop you slicing all the way through. Slot a bay leaf into the middle slit of each potato. Tip the potatoes into a large roasting tin with the halved garlic bulb and the rest of the rosemary and thyme. Drizzle with half the oil and season, then toss to coat and turn the potatoes so they’re all cut-side up.

Nestle the lamb in the middle of the tin, pushing the potatoes to the outside, then rub the lamb with the rest of the oil and the lemon juice and season generously.

Roast for 1 hr 30 mins, basting the potatoes and shaking the tin occasionally until the lamb is dark brown and the potatoes are crisp and golden.

The lamb will be pink in the middle but cooked. For rare, cook for 10 mins less, and for well done, 15 mins more. Remove the lamb from the tin and leave to rest for 15 mins, putting the potatoes back in the oven if you need to. Serve drizzled with our green olive & herb dressing.

Stir in the onions, pepper and chillies. Cook until they begin to soften. Add the tomatoes and sugar, mixing well. Cook until the liquid has reduced, season.

Using a wooden spoon, create 4 pockets in the tomato mixture and crack the eggs into them. Cover the pan and cook the eggs over a low heat until just set.

Beat the yogurt with the garlic and season. Sprinkle the menemen with parsley and serve from the frying pan with a dollop of the garlic-flavoured yogurt.

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