One Pot Meals... Intro to Oven Roasts & En Papillote

Another popular One Pot meal preparation is the oven roast meal. It’s simple, delicious, and almost effortless. A few classic examples of these would be the ever famous, Prime Rib, Oven Roasted Turkey, & Glazed Ham just to mention a few. But in all fairness, no one has time to cook meals this large everyday, let alone eat such a big meal. So for this application we want to introduce you to the understanding of using the meal types as a starting point, to scale down and create a meal based on similar ingredients. These meals can be prepped ahead of time to a point leaving on the the cooking processes which saves lots of time with a little effort.

The process of it all can be as simple as loading up the pan with your ingredients, seasoning everything up with a few spices, and cooking everything in the oven, in the SAME pan.

Still not convinced? Okay try this...

Grab your Pyrex or oven pan.

Toss in 4 cups of Rice

Season the Rice with your Choice of Spice

Toss in a Bay Leaf or two, a few Chopped Carrots and some Celery

If you like Mushrooms, your can toss in a few of those as well

Take 4 Pieces of Chicken (Breast or Thighs, doesn’t matter)

Season the chicken pieces and place the oven top of the rice

Drizzle everything with a little Italian Dressing or some Olive Oil, wrap the pan with foil and put it into the fridge for tomorrow.

So how much time do you think that will take you, about 20 minutes?? Wait til you see the next step...

The next Step...

So now tomorrow is here and all you have to do is remove the wrap and add about 4.5 cups or water or you could add your favorite “Cream of...” type soup (i.e. Cream of Chicken, Celery, or Msuhroom etc.) with a little water to ensure that the rice cooks thoroughly. Now, rewrap the pan with the foil and put it into the oven for 20-30 minutes at about 325/F and wait to eat...

Just to make sure that its all finished... Take it out of the oven... Check it, taste it, season it, brown it, and serve it.

You could repeat this process with nearly endless combinations. Replace the rice with quartered red potatoes and toss in a few bell peppers. Instead of Chicken you could use Burger patties or Sausage Links. Your could also take the drippings/juices from the pan, thicken it, adjust the seasonings, and use it as a sauce/gravy of sorts. Top you dish with sliced or shredded cheese, and give it a few minuted in the oven, just to brown it a little and serve it up, good and hot!

Doesn’t sound too hard right? Well a basic En Papillote can be just as easy, its basically the same as the oven roasting method, only it’s scaled down and best suited for 1-2 potion servings. For starters the term basically means to be cooked in paper, or pouch. The process starts by creating a heart shaped pouch or an envolope of sorts using parchment or foil. Then, by folding it over and leaving a “flap”, add your vegetable and protein to it and fold the flap back over the top so that it traps in the moisture. Crimp the edges so that your pouch cooks without spilling too much of the juices. And thats really it! Place the pouch in the oven and cook it for about 10-12 minutes depending on your protein, and you’re done! These are great for meal planning, quick oven cooking, backyard grilling or even campfire cooking.

You could make a dozen pouches, freeze them, and then just pop one in the oven whenever you’re ready to eat. Just a quick tip though, to avoid competently steaming everything into one a mush, punch a few holes into your pouch so that some of the steam can escape and some of the liquids can drain while the food cooks. Because of the nature of the En Papillote cooking process, potatoes and root vegetables are generally the best compliments to whatever protein you decide to cook. Green vegetables are usually avoided because of the heat intensity they’re exposed to, which can cause them to overcook. For this reason, En Papillote is generally accompanied by a side salad or a some other type of blanched green vegetable, which in turn, brightens up the meal and adds a fresh component to the lineup.

All things considered, the “One Pot Meal” style in general, is fantastic for meal planning. Whether its for a large family or a busy professional whose constantly on the go. To get you started with a few ideas, here are some combinations that are fairly easy to assemble and manage. So go ahead, and give it a shot! Make it your own with a twist and add your Culinary Signature to the “One Pot” meal style.

Seasoned Red Potatoes w/ Hoisin Chicken Thighs

Lemon Pepper Halibut w/Garlic Butter Carrots

Fajita Sirloin and Shrimp, w/ Mushrooms, Peppers & Onions