Hearty, warming and delicious

Master a delicious one-pot dinner with these simple tips.

Risotto
The Italian rice-based dish is deliciously creamy, due to the starch from the rice. For this reason, it is best not to rinse your rice before cooking. Patience is key with risotto, and to get the right texture a low and slow cooking method is best. Rushing a risotto could lead to an overcooked, stodgy result. As can over stirring. Risotto is a dish that is well known for needing a close eye and constant stirring spoon. However, over stirring can also ruin the texture. With the correct cooking temperature, the rice will continue to move on its own, so just stir enough to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Pasta
When pasta is cooked in the same pot as the sauce, the flavour of the dish is even more enhanced. The magic of this technique is in the starchy cooking water. When traditionally cooked in a separate pot, the pasta cooking water is often added to the sauce. But in the one-pot, the pasta water becomes the sauce and gives it a beautiful velvety finish. Any pasta that cooks in under 10 minutes will work well, so long as the water ratio is correct. Cook off all of your ingredients first to develop the flavour. Think garlic, onion, carrot, celery and your protein. Then add the pasta, water and any liquid additions like crushed tomatoes. Once cooked you can stir in some cream and herbs.

Soup
A hearty soup is a great way to load up on veggies, and hard to beat in overall flavour. Starting with a delicious base is the best way to build flavour, and using a good quality soffritto is the best way to do this. Stemming from traditional Italian cooking, a soffritto is made by finely chopping key ingredients such as onion, garlic, celery and carrots and cooking them gently in olive oil, for 15-20 minutes. The low heat allows the flavours to release and brings a richer taste to the dish. Then add in your remaining veggies, herbs and stock. A squeeze of lemon before serving will brighten all of the flavours even more.