This is a one pot Ginger Chicken and Rice dish inspired by Hong Kong clay pot rice – except we’re using a regular pot today! You’ll love the ginger-forward flavour and the secret 2 ingredient sauce that I expect to show off again very, very soon.

One-pot Ginger chicken and rice

I wanted to call this “Hong Kong Ginger Chicken and Rice” because it’s inspired by the traditional method used to make Hong Kong claypot rice where plain rice is cooked in a claypot, topped with meat and vegetables that steams as it cooks, and finished with a drizzle of seasoned sauce at the end.

Everything was written up and ready to go. Then my brother saw it (yes, the same one who tried an early version of my Chilli Lime Fish and gave the famous feedback line “There is nothing about this that I like”), snorted with laughter and declared, “You can’t call it that. Hong Kong will mock you so hard!”🤣🤣

I huffed and puffed and laughingly tried to defend my creative writing. But truthfully, I knew the battle was lost from the moment it started given the absence of a claypot and that my sauce is a (magical! secret!) combination of 2 ingredients not commonly used in Hong Kong.

It’s killing me to think of the smug smirk on this face as he reads this. But I’m placated at the memory of him scoffing down a big bowl of this and giving it his nod of approval! Such is the hilarious banter in my team and family – which, hand on heart, is what keeps our recipe creation bar high.

Ingredients you need

Here’s what you need to make this wannabe-clay-pot chicken and rice. It kind of reminds me of Maze Gohan (“mixed rice”), a Japanese dish where rice is steamed with seasoned meat and vegetables – and my mother always uses Asian mushrooms – except this has a stronger flavour.

1. Chicken and rice part

• Long grain rice – This rice type works best because it is less sticky than other types like short grain, medium grain and jasmine rice which are prone to becoming a little too sticky in these sort of one pot recipes (though they will work). Basmati rice will also work but will add a non-Asian perfume of flavour to this Asian flavoured dish. 🙂

  Not suitable / recipe not written for these – Brown rice, risotto and paella rice. wild rice, quinoa.

• Chicken – I use boneless thighs as it stays juicier than using breast when cooked with the rice, though breast and tenderloin will work.

• Stock/broth – Using chicken stock makes a tastier rice than using just water. I always use low-sodium so I can control the amount of salt in a dish.

• Ginger – This recipe uses a good amount of fresh ginger, for unmissable ginger flavour! It uses both grated ginger and slices of ginger that is cooked with the rice as it steams.

• Garlic – More of a background flavour in this dish, where ginger stars.

• Green onion – We use the firm white part like onion, sautéed with the chicken, and the softer green part is tossed in at the end (it wilts within seconds in the hot steamy rice).

2. Any mushrooms

Try to use mushrooms favoured in Asian cooking. They add more interesting texture and flavour than regular button mushrooms, and they are often good value at Asian stores. I used king oyster mushrooms, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, pictured below left to right.

However, this recipe works just fine with any mushrooms at all! I would absolutely make this dish with regular white mushrooms.

We’re using a good amount of mushrooms today – 500g / 1 lb – because it’s the primary vegetable in this dish and we’re using the juice from the mushrooms to flavour the rice and also provide some of the cooking liquid for the rice (which is why the liquid-to-rice ratio is 1 : 1.33 instead of the usual 1 : 1.5)

3. Tasty drizzle sauce

Hong Kong claypot rice is typically cooked with just water and most of the flavour is reliant on a seasoned soy sauce mixture which is drizzled on at the end when serving. Ordinarily, the clay pot sauce calls for a handful of sauces but for this recipe (intended as a handy midweek-er), we’re taking a shortcut with 2 ingredients not traditionally used but delivers similar layers of flavour:

• Kecap manis (aka Ketjap Manis) – Indonesian sweet soy sauce with caramely flavour and a syrupy consistency. The flavour is so much more interesting than just using regular soy sauce plus sugar!

• Fish sauce – Umami shortcut. No, you won’t taste any fishiness because we don’t use much (we use more kecap manis than fish sauce) and it’s tossed through steaming hot rice which basically “cooks” it anyway.

• White pepper – the preferred pepper in Asian cooking. Substitute with black pepper.

How to cook Ginger Chicken and Rice

A key step here is to just sear the mushrooms on high heat so they just get a light colour on the surface rather than cooking them all the way through ie. when they go watery, then the water evaporates and the mushrooms end up floppy. In today’s dish, we want those mushroom juices to come out when they’re cooking with the rice so the rice can soak up all that flavour!

1. Double duty sauce

First up, we make the sauce as we use some to flavour the chicken and the rest for drizzling on the rice later.

1. Sauce – Just mix the ingredients in a bowl until combined. If your kecap manis was in the fridge, it will be quite thick like honey so be sure to mix well.

2. Flavour chicken – Toss the chicken in 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce. This is just to season it lightly. No need to marinate.

2. MAKE THE ONE-POT CHICKEN AND RICE

Tip of the day for one-pot rice cooking: Be sure to bring the liquid up to a very energetic simmer before putting the lid on and lowering the heat. You need to get enough heat going in the pot before turning the stove down else the rice will just be sitting there, wallowing in hot water, bloating rather than cooking = sticky gluey pot of rice instead of lovely soft, separate rice grains.

1. Sear mushrooms – Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Then sear half the mushrooms but do not cook them until soft, we want to finish cooking them with the rice. Aim for just a light hint of gold on most of the mushrooms which should only take around 2 minutes. Remove from the pot, heat more oil and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.

2. Seal chicken – Next, cook the chicken, just long enough to seal the surface which should take less than a minute.

3. Sauté and stock – Add the grated ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions. Stir for 30 seconds (the ginger will smell so good!). Add the rice, stir to coat in the flavour, then pour the stock in.

4. Mushrooms – Get the liquid up to a simmer then scatter the mushrooms across the surface (like a mushroom rice lid!) and add any mushroom juices accumulated in the bowl.

5. Cook then rest – Bring the liquid back up to a very energetic simmer, then put the lid on and lower the heat to medium low (or low, for large stronger burners). Cook 20 minutes – no peeking, no stirring! – or until the liquid has been absorbed. Take the pot off the stove and rest for 10 minutes (with the lid still on).

6. Sauce – Remove the lid and drizzle the sauce across the surface.

7. Green onion – Add the green part of the green onion.

8. Toss – Then gently toss the rice until most of the rice grains are coated in the sauce and the green onion is wilted. Minimise tossing – excessive tossing makes rice mushy. Then serve!

The sauce!

It’s really, really tasty. The notable step that makes this different to the usual Asian one-pot rice recipes is adding the sauce at the end rather than cooking the rice with it which is what I usually do – like in this One Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice. It makes it taste different, it’s fresher, and coats the rice grains rather than infusing into the rice grains.

And yes, one day I will share a proper claypot rice recipe! Crispy base of rice, actual claypot, proper drizzling sauce and all, one that will do Hong Kong proud! 🙂 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Ginger chicken and rice (one pot recipe!)

Recipe video above. This one-pot ginger chicken and rice is inspired by the flavours of Hong Kong claypot rice, steamed with a layer of mushrooms and finished with a drizzle of sauce. It's gone straight into my top 3 one-pot recipes!

I've used a mix of Asian mushrooms here which have more interesting textures and impart more flavour into the rice than regular white mushrooms. But I wouldn't hesitate to make this with any type of mushrooms!

Course Mains

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword asian chicken and rice, chicken and mushroom rice, Chicken and Rice, hong kong chicken and rice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 520cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp oil
• 500g/ 1 lb chicken thighs , boneless, skinless, cut into small bite size pieces (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice , NOT RINSED (Note 2)
• 2 cups chicken stock , low sodium
• 4 green onion stems , white part finely sliced, green flopped part cut into 5cm/2" lengths
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger , grated
• 2 large garlic cloves , finely minced
• 4 – 5 slices ginger ~5mm / 0.2" thick (large enough to easily pick out later), no need to peel

Mushrooms (use any you want – Note 3):

• 150g / 5oz shiitake mushrooms , fresh (~2 heaped cups), small halved, large thickly sliced
• 150g / 5 oz oyster mushrooms (~2 heaped cups), small kept whole, large cut into 2 or 3
• 200g / 7 oz king mushrooms , halved then cut into thick slices 7mm thick
• 2 pinches salt and white pepper (each)

Simple claypot sauce:

• 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy) – Note 4
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/8 tsp white pepper (sub black)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• ABBREVIATED – Toss chicken with 1 1/2 tbsp sauce. Sear mushrooms in 2 batches, remove. SeaL chicken, add garlic, ginger and white part green onions towards end. Stir in rice, add stock and ginger slices, cover with mushrooms, steam 20 min. Rest 10 min, toss with sauce and green onion.

FULL RECIPE:

• Sauce – Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Toss chicken with 1 1/2 tbsp of the sauce, set the rest aside for drizzling.
• Lightly sear mushrooms – Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot on high heat. Cook half the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper until some of the mushrooms have a light tinge of golden on the surface, but don't try to cook them all the way through (we want to do that in the rice). Remove into bowl. Repeat with remaining mushrooms.
• Seal chicken – Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil until hot. Add the chicken and stir for 1 minute, just until the surface is sealed but inside still raw. Add white part of green onion, garlic and ginger, stir 30 seconds. Add rice, stir briefly just to coat in oil.
• Simmer liquid – Add stock and ginger slices. Bring to a rapid simmer. Scatter mushrooms across surface (add any pooled liquid too), then let it come to a rapid simmer again.
• Steam 20 minutes – Put the lid on, reduce stove to low (or medium low, for weak burners). Cook for 20 minutes (do not stir) until the liquid is fully absorbed.
• Rest 10 minutes – Remove pot from the stove with the lid still on and rest for 10 minutes.
• Drizzle and toss – Drizzle remaining sauce all over, add green part of green onions. Gently toss until the green onion is mostly wilted. Serve!

Notes

1. Chicken – Because it’s cooked with the rice, thighs will stay juicier than breast though you can use breast or tenderloin if you want.

2. Long grain rice works best for these types of one-pot recipes as the rice grains are less sticky than medium grain, jasmine and sushi rice which have a tendency to get a bit too sticky for my taste. Basmati will also work. Medium grain will also work quite well. Brown rice, risotto, paella and sushi rice are not suitable for the recipe as written.

Don’t rinse. It’s not required to avoid gluey rice because we use the right liquid-rice ratio. If you rinse, it will be mushy and overly soft.

3. Mushrooms – Exact weight and mix of types doesn’t matter here, use about 6 heaped cups in total. Just cut them into similar thickness so they cook in the same time.

4. Kecap Manis (aka Ketjap Manis) – Indonesian sweet soy sauce with caramely flavour, has a syrupy consistency. Find it at most supermarkets in Australia (Woolworths, Coles, Harris Farms). Excellent shortcut ingredient when combined with fish sauce, makes a brilliant sauce.

Make your own: simmer 1/4 cup ordinary or light soy sauce and 1/4 cup brown sugar over medium heat until syrupy.

Leftovers keeps 3 days, or freezer 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 520cal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 897mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 154IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

Life of Dozer

Everything Dozer eats in a day:

His homemade food – blitzed, baked in a sheet pan, cut into “Dozer safe” cubes:

• chicken mince (easy to digest)

• chicken liver (for vitamins)

• sardines in water, no added salt (rich in omega-3s, good for joints)

• egg (binding and protein)

• sweet potato (the starch)

• zucchini, kale and carrot (veg)

I live in perpetual fear of running out of homemade food because there’s no shop-bought dog food in a form safe for him to eat (he is at risk of inhaling things into his lungs, due to his laryngeal paralysis, which can be fatal).

His supplements:

• spinal repair and joint protect – special mix by Dozer’s magic dog doctor, Neil Barnsley of Animal Holistic Therapies that replaces a laundry list of pills and supplements Dozer would otherwise be on to make his golden years more comfortable. I can’t speak highly enough of Neil.

• meal completer supplement Complete Me – extra important these days to ensure Dozer gets all the nutrition he needs now that Dozer can’t eat things he used to, like bones and raw offal, which were an important part of his diet in his pre laryngeal paralysis days.

Treats – critical these days to keep him moving, especially when he’s a bit creaky or sore:

• Everything I eat and cook, as long as I can put it into Dozer-safe form!

• Cheese sticks and cheese cubes

• Nossi! (Mini cabanossi sticks) – handy snack that’s easy to transport. I keep finding random ones in the pocket of jackets, pants, the car, handbag – you name it!

I know, he’s soooo spoilt isn’t he. But, as I constantly remind people, he’s a very important company asset!! 😂

The post Ginger chicken and rice appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Baked fish dinners can be so dull. Not this one! Think – spaghetti puttanesca flavours in the form of a one pan fish dinner. It’s a Puttanesca fish tray bake! Good for you, easy to make, fabulously delicious.

No more dull baked fish dinners!

This is a dinner inspired by pasta puttanesca – minus the spaghetti, multiple pots and stove splatter. The sauce has all the trademarks – tomato, olives, capers, even anchovies (!) – but it’s baked on one tray with fish, potatoes to fill it out and fennel for a grown up touch.

It’s a complete meal, colourful, good for you, vibrant, and anything but boring. I throw this last line in because I spent my twenties convinced fish couldn’t be tasty unless it had been seared or fried. This recipe would’ve changed my mind!

Ingredients you need for this tray bake dinner

Here’s what you need to make this Puttanesca fish tray bake.

White fish fillets

I use barramundi in this recipe. The meaty and juicy flesh makes it ideal for the assertive Mediterranean flavour of the puttanesca-ish sauce, and the fillets are thick enough to make them suitable for cooking in the oven.

But any firm, white fish fillets about 2.5 – 3 cm/1″ thick will work a treat here. See below for a list.

for the Puttanesca SAUCE

Here’s what you need for the puttanesca-ish part – most of the ingredients used in puttanesca plus potatoes to bulk it out and fennel for flavour and a touch of grown-up sweetness (it’s really good, urge you not to skip it!).

• Anchovies – Addressing this right up front because I know it’s a divisive ingredient! But they really do add savouriness, and it’s a key ingredient in Puttanesca. Think of it as the better salt. But, if you’re very anti-anchovies, you can either reduce to 1 anchovy or substitute with 1 teaspoon fish sauce or 1/4 tsp extra cooking salt / kosher salt.

• Fennel – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s such an under-utilised vegetable! It has subtle aniseed flavour which adds freshness and interest to dishes, it’s economical most of the year round and easy to cut. It deserves way more love in everyday cooking!

• Baby capers and kalamata olives – Lovely briny pops that add tang and salt into the sauce as it bakes. I use baby capers because they’re smaller – if using regular capers, just give them a rough chop. And I prefer kalamata over regular black olives as they are softer and have better flavour.

• Baby potatoes – Or regular potatoes, peeled, and cut. Any type of potato is fine here.

• Canned tomato – This is the primary ingredient that creates the sauce for this dish.

• Cherry or grape tomatoes – These add pops of juicy bursts in the sauce. They cook through enough so they are soft but are still holding together when they come out of the oven.

• Garlic – Of course it’s in. 3 big cloves!

• Oregano – For background flavour without competing with all the other flavours.

• Chilli flakes – Also called red pepper flakes, the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon which is barely enough for a mild level of spiciness. Feel free to omit – or add more! You can also add your favourite chilli sauce when eating, if you want more heat.

• Basil (optional!) – Yes, if you’ve got a basil bush in your backyard, it is a great finish for this dish. But don’t let the absence of basil hold you back from making this! Excellent substitutes – parsley (any kind), chives (just a light sprinkle).

How to make Puttanesca fish tray bake dinner

I know most simple tray bake dinners call for everything to go into the oven at once, but this one is a 3-stage bake: potatoes first, then the puttanesca sauce, and finally the fish (we don’t want to overcook it!). It actually flows nicely – you leisurely prep the next component while the last one bakes, and have time to put your feet up with a glass of wine in between.

1. Potatoes first – Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Then pop in the oven to give them a 20 minute head start.

2. Puttanesca sauce (stew?) next – Mix up the puttanesca sauce ingredients (the canned tomato, veg, dried oregano, olives, capers and anchovies). Then add it to the tray and bake for another 10 minutes. Note: the mixture doesn’t look very saucy but once baked and combined with the juices from the fish, you will have plenty of sauce.

3. Top with fish – Then put the fish on top, drizzle everything with olive oil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

4. Serve – Sprinkle with basil (if using) and the reserved fennel fronds. And that’s it – dinner’s up!

Matters of serving

I always feel like thick semi-stewy sort of dishes like this are crying out for crusty bread that you can stuff, and use for dunking and mopping, or crispy crostini for scooping and piling. Though actually, the potato in this dish fills it out so even without bread, the portion servings are decent. Let’s say without bread it’s a sensible serving size. With bread, it’s a generous serving size.

You could also increase the amount of potato in this to fill it out more and serve without bread. Or serve it over another starchy vehicle of choice – pasta, couscous (plain – no nuts, herbs, fruit or lemon), or rice (plain, or try garlic rice!).

So many possibilities…..share your thoughts! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Puttanesca Fish Tray Bake

Recipe video above. Baked fish dinners can be so dull. Not this one! Think – spaghetti puttanesca flavours in the form of a one pan fish dinner. It's a Puttanesca fish tray bake! Good for you, easy to make, fabulously delicious.

Note: If you only have fine table salt, halve the salt quantities else it will be too salty.

Course Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword baked fish, fish tray bake, sheet pan dinner, sheet pan fish recipe, tray bake dinner

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Calories 433cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Roasted potatoes:

• 600g/1.2 lb baby potatoes , smaller ones up to 3.5cm/1.5″ halved, larger ones quartered (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Puttanesca sauce:

• 1 medium fennel , fronds reserved for garnish, halved, cut into 0.5cm / 0.2" half moon shapes (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups (200g) cherry or grape tomatoes (1 punnet)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced (can use garlic crusher)
• 3 tbsp baby capers (or regular, roughly chopped)
• 3 anchovy fillets , finely minced – can reduce to 1 (Note 3)
• 400g/ 14oz canned tomato , crushed or diced
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), mild spiciness, can reduce or omit
• 1 tsp dried organo
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Fish:

• 4 x 160 – 180g / 6oz barramundi fillets , skinless, or other firm fish fillets about 2.5/3cm/1" thick (Note 4)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Finishing / serving:

• 1 loosely packed cup basil leaves , roughly chopped (recommended but can live without or sub with 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley)
• Warm crusty bread , for mopping

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 220°C/390°F (200°C fan-forced).
• Roast potatoes: In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking tray with a rim at least 2cm/0.8" high (or 23x33cm / 9×13" pan). Roast for 20 minutes.
• Puttanesca sauce: Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together (use the potato bowl, no need to clean). Add to the tray, toss with the potatoes, return to the oven for 10 minutes.
• Season fish: Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Sprinkle each side with the salt and pepper.
• Bake fish: Place fish on top of puttanesca sauce. Drizzle all over with the 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Bake 15 minutes or until fish is just cooked through (it should flake easily).
• Serve: Remove from the oven. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, scatter with basil and reserved fennel fronds. Serve with warm, crusty bread!

Notes

1. Potato – Cut into pieces no thicker than 1.75cm/ 2/3″, else they may not cook through enough. You can also use regular potatoes, peeled or unpeeled scrubbed clean, cut into small cubes.

2. Cut fennel – Cut off the stalks and fronds (save the dill-like fine fronds for garnish). Slice a thin piece off the base if it’s browned. Slice the fennel bulb in half vertically, then cut each half into 0.5cm / 0.2″ thin half-moon shapes.

3. Anchovies – Secret ingredient! I know anchovies are divisive. But they really do add savouriness. Think of it as the better salt! 3 anchovies = faintly taste, 1 anchovy = can’t taste. But, if you’re very anti anchovies, substitute with 1 teaspoon fish sauce or 1/4 tsp heaped extra cooking/kosher salt.

4. Fish fillets

• Suitable for this recipe – any firm white fish fillets that are ~2.5cm/1″ thick including: cod (any), emperor, grouper, gummy shark, hake, halibut, jewfish (mulloway), ling, monkfish (large), ocean trout, pollock (aka coley), salmon, snapper, stripe bass, tilapia – the thick part.
• Frozen fish – Thaw and pat off excess water well, then proceed with recipe.
• Small thin fish fillets (like bream or dory) and long narrow fish (flathead or monkfish) – cooks faster, see Ingredients section in post for recipe adjustment.
• Avoid: lean fish (swordfish, tuna, kingfish, mahi mahi) – risky to cook well in the oven, oily fish (mackerel, sardines).

Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving, excluding bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 433cal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1426mg | Potassium: 1976mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 772IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 4mg

Some of my favourite fish dinner recipes

Sizzling Ginger Fish makes a frequent appearance around here – it’s so quick and easy!

Acqua Pazza – Italian Poached Fish

Sizzling Ginger Steamed Fish

Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce

Lemon garlic salmon tray bake – easy & healthy!

Whole Baked Fish – Snapper with Garlic & Dill Butter Sauce

Homemade Filet-O-Fish (BAKED!!)

Fish Tacos

Fish Chowder Soup

Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca Baiana)

Fish Pie (for Easter!)

Fish recipes

Life of Dozer

Look who starred on Better Homes & Gardens last Friday! 🥰

As his personal assistant, I was caught on camera once or twice too, along with Mama RecipeTin and our very own JB. Hard to say who stole the show – Mama RecipeTin by declaring herself the winner in the gyoza wrapping competition and that “everybody else comes last” (I mean, who says that to a famous person like Johanna Griggs??! 🤦🏻‍♀️)……..

……or JB for his show-off appetiser he made especially for the host Johanna Griggs – a crispy kataifi wrapped scampi (langoustine) with a yuzu beurre blanc, green shiso/ginger oil and a crispy shiso leaf. French X Japanese fusion for the homemade Japanese feast we did for the show!

As for Mr Dozer, I’m disappointed to report that his usual professional behaviour slipped up somewhat. Let’s just say there were a few diva moments, howling dramatically if he was not in shot or physically glued to my side. Clearly, he didn’t like being on the sidelines.

It even got to the point where he was ruining takes – just look at JB’s face in the photo below as Dozer howls mid-filming. So, we had to assign someone the very important (full-time) job of being the official Dozer silencer. That lucky person was Candice, my publicist from Pan Macmillan (my publisher). Poor thing had to endure smelly old-man Dozer breath huffed and barked in her face all afternoon! 😂

To catch up, you can watch it here on 7Plus. (I’m sorry to say it’s not available for overseas viewers though I will ask the BHG team if we can arrange something.)

The post Puttanesca fish tray bake appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

An easy, one pot chicken pasta recipe that feels a little bit rustic-fancy thanks to a swirl of whipped ricotta and smattering of sun dried tomato. Pro tip: use the oil from the sun dried tomato to sauté the chicken. Free flavour!

A one pot chicken pasta that’s a little bit (rustic) fancy

Whipped ricotta is a recent revelation for me. I’d seen it around for years, but assumed “whipped” meant dragging out the stand mixer – aka, too much effort for a Tuesday night.

Until my brother rolled his eyes and said, “It’s just ricotta, milk, and parmesan whisked by hand.” And just like that, in 10 seconds, lumpy ricotta turns into something creamy and dreamy – like savoury whipped cream, which then melts when dolloped on hot pasta.

Think of it as a lower fat version of cream. Swirl it through your midweek pasta and all of a sudden, it goes from “yum” to “are we in a trendy trattoria??!”. Definitely moves a quick one-pot pasta recipe into guest-worthy territory!

Actually, whipped ricotta had a starring role in my second cookbook, Tonight, as an easy way to elevate virtually any roasted vegetable to event-worthy (see the handy How to Roast Any Vegetable chart on page 218). I boldly said it would be your “new favourite sauce to create a statement veg side”. I stand by that! 🙂

Here it is with blistered cherry tomatoes in Tonight. Exceptional with roasted carrots, asparagus, broccoli, broccolini, mushrooms – pretty much any roasted vegetable!

Ingredients for Whipped Ricotta One Pot Chicken Pasta

While I’m providing commentary and substitution tips, there’s no need to get too pedantic about the ingredients for this recipe because it’s a reliable, fairly flexible midweeker. If the exactness of ingredients matter for a recipe, you will know! I will harp on and on about it!!

The whipped ricotta

Just ricotta, milk and parmesan for a savoury flavour boost (though I would absolutely make this without).

• Ricotta – The ones sold in tubs at grocery stores aren’t great, then tend to be a little powdery. For better quality, buy it over the deli counter or get the vacuum-sealed ricotta sold in baskets. My go-to is Paesanella brand which is a widely available these days, even over the deli counter at grocery stores.

• Milk – Any fat % is fine here.

• Parmesan – For a flavour boost. Also, because the whipped ricotta is used here in place of the obligatory parmesan sprinkle that is typically used for pastas, so I like to build it in.

FOR THE ONE POT CHICKEN PASTA

Here’s what you need for the pasta. The sun dried tomato adds fabulous flavour pops, plus we use the oil from the jar to cook the chicken. Free flavour – and free oil!

• Chicken – I like to use boneless thighs as they stay juicier than breast in this form of cooking, where the chicken pieces are cooked with the pasta. But breast or tenderloin will work just fine in this recipe.

• Sun dried tomato – Get the strips in oil. As noted above, we use the oil to cook the chicken – honestly, it adds lovely tomatoey flavour! If you accidentally got whole or tomato halves, have fun chopping….oily…slimy! Been there, done that! I’d still make this recipe if I didn’t have sun dried tomato but I’d add something to compensate. Something briny like chopped olives, capers, chargrilled capsicum or any anti-pasto type thing.

• Canned tomato – I use crushed as it’s already semi broken down so it makes a nicer sauce. Though diced is fine too.

• Tomato paste – For extra tomato flavour boost. I’d still make this if I was out.

• Pasta – I used fusilli (spirals) but anything short and not too big will work. Think, penne, ziti, macaroni, small shells, farfalle (bow ties), casarecce, orecchiette. But not as small as risoni/orzo or as large as rigatoni.

• Garlic and onion – Essential flavour base! Goes a long way with these one-pot pasta recipes.

• Wine – Adds extra depth of flavour into an otherwise simple, quick-cook sauce. Preferably a dry white wine though I don’t hesitate to use leftover flat champagne, rose, red wine. Non alcoholic is an acceptable substitute though don’t go out of your way to get it.

• Chicken stock/broth – The cooking liquid. Better than water. Though, water is actually pretty good too (we tried), just add a tad more salt. I always use low sodium stocks because I like to control the amount of salt myself.

How to make Whipped Ricotta One Pot Chicken Pasta

Is it technically a one pot recipe if I ask you to use a separate bowl to make the whipped ricotta?? Forgive me! (But it’s worth it, I promise).

1. Make whipped ricotta – Just mix the ricotta, parmesan and milk together using a hand whisk. At first, it will seem lumpy and thoroughly unimpressive, but after about 10 seconds of vigorous whisking it will loosen and transform into a soft creamy mixture almost like softly whipped cream. Adjustment note: Different brands of ricotta have different consistencies, so add a touch of extra milk if needed.

2. Sun dried tomato oil – Pour oil straight out of the jar into the pot and heat over high.

3. Seal chicken – Put the chicken into the pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the surface is sealed, but the inside is still raw, then take it out. It won’t brown, that’s ok. It’s still got flavour on it and it will absorb a stack more flavour in the next steps.

4. Saute – Leave the residual fat in the pan (some from the chicken, some sun dried tomato oil). Then sauté the onion and garlic first until the onion is translucent (about 3 minutes). Then cook the sun dried tomato and tomato paste for 1 minute. This will cook out the raw sour flavour in the tomato paste and bring out the flavours in the sun dried tomatoes.

5. Liquids and raw pasta – Add the wine and let it simmer for 1 – 2 minutes until mostly evaporated, stirring the base of the pot. This will cook out the alcohol (making it kid friendly) and loosen the gold bits stuck on the base of the pot (it’s called fond) which is free flavour that will make your sauce taster.

   Then stir in the cooked chicken (plus any juices accumulated in the bowl) and raw pasta – get it nicely coated in all that flavour – before adding the stock, canned tomato, salt and pepper.

6. Cook – Bring the liquid to a boil then lower the heat to about medium high so it’s simmering energetically but not wildly boiling. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes at first then every minute for the last 5 minutes to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base of the pot. You might find you need to lower the heat towards the end if it is getting stuck to the pot.

7. How to tell it’s ready – When the liquid has been mostly absorbed by the pasta – but it will still seem a little too soupy – the pasta should be just done, ie al dente. This means it’s not overly soft but there is no hard raw uncooked pasta inside.

   A little too soupy is good. Pasta absorbs liquid at a shockingly high rate. So a little too liquidy when it comes off the stove is good because it means the pasta will be perfectly slippery and saucy rather than dry and stodgy by the time you take the first bite.

8. Swirl with whipped ricotta – Just before serving, stir the basil through the pasta, then either transfer all the pasta into a large serving bowl or indvidual bowls. Then dollop large scoops of the ricotta across the surface of the pasta and randomly smear it (or let people do that part themselves). There are no rules here! You could just put one big dollop in the middle of the pasta. Then it’s time to dig in!

Sneaking in extra vegetables

My mother did an excellent job brain washing me as a kid so I have it drilled in my head that it’s not a proper meal without a sufficient amount of vegetables.

I feel like this recipe is a wee bit short. The canned tomatoes and onion count, but it’s not very much per person.

If you want a quick addition of extra vegetables, feel free to stir in a couple of handfuls of baby spinach or add a grated zucchini and carrot at the same time you sauté the onion.

Else, make up a quick leafy side salad or steam some broccoli and toss with a simple salad dressing. It’s all you need – the pasta is juicy and bold on flavour, so you can keep the side dish simple.

Love to know what you think if you give this a go! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Whipped ricotta one pot chicken pasta

Recipe video above. Meet your new favourite one-pot recipe! I'm sharing this as a guest-worthy dish based on a simple mid-week recipe. It's quite amazing how just a little dollop of creamy ricotta can transform a regular bowl of pasta into something you'd expect to get at a rustic trattoria! Love how it melts into a flood of creamy goodness on your hot bowl of pasta – thicker than cream, and much lower fat.

Course Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword Chicken Pasta Bake, One Pot Pasta, whipped ricotta

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 647cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 500g/1 lb chicken thigh fillets , cut into small bite size pieces (or breast or tenderloin)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Pasta:

• 220g/ 7 oz jar sun-dried tomato stripes in oil , drained (RESERVE OIL) (Note 1)
• 3 tbsp oil from the sun dried tomato jar
• 1 small onion , finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (ok if you don’t have)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine , optional (Note 2)
• 400g/14 oz canned crushed tomato
• 350g / 12oz fusilli pasta (spirals) , penne, ziti, macaroni, small shells or similar, uncooked
• 1 litre / 4 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (sub water plus 1/2 tsp salt)
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup basil leaves , roughly chopped (can survive without), plus extra for garnish

Whipped ricotta:

• 1/2 cup ricotta (Paesanella is my preferred brand), full fat
• 4 tbsp milk , preferably full fat
• 1/4 cup (packed) finely grated parmesan , sub pinch of salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Whipped ricotta – Put the ingredients in a bowl. Whisk vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds until it becomes the texture of softly whipped cream. Add milk to loosen, if needed.
• Seal chicken – Heat sun dried tomato oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add the chicken. sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes until the outside is sealed but the inside is still raw. Remove with slotted spoon into a bowl.
• Sauté – In the same pot, add the onion and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste and oil drained sun dried tomatoes (reserve any remaining oil for another use). Cook for 1 minute.
• Deglaze – Add white wine and let it simmer rapidly for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until mostly evaporated.
• Cooking liquid – Add pasta and cooked chicken along with any juices accumulated in the bowl. Stir to coat in all the tasty flavours. Add the stock, canned tomato, salt and pepper.
• Cook 15 minutes – Give it a good stir, let it come to a boil then lower the heat to medium high so it's simmering rapidly but not boiling like crazy. Cook for 15 minutes (no lid), stirring every 2 minutes or so at first then more regularly towards the end, so the base doesn't catch. Lower the heat a touch towards the end, if needed.
• How to tell it's done – Most of the liquid should be absorbed and the pasta should be just cooked (al dente), though still a little soupy (that's good, it gets absorbed quickly while serving). Stir in the basil.
• Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl or divide between bowls. Dollop the whipped ricotta on top then randomly smear (or let everyone do that themselves), it will get all melty. Dig in!

Notes

Serves 4 hearty appetites or 5 regular people.

1. Sun dried tomatoes – Adds a great pop of flavour into the sauce plus the chicken gets free flavour by using the oil from the jar to cook it. Recommend getting strips to save yourself from chopping. Substitute – compensate with olives, capers or something similar that’s a bit briny.

Jar size – I use all the sun dried tomatoes in a 220g/7oz jar which is actually 120g/4oz sun dried tomatoes and 100g/3 oz oil (we use 45ml/3 tbsp for cooking). If you have a larger jar or sun dried tomatoes not in oil, use 120g /4 oz of sun dried tomatoes which is 1 cup tightly packed.

2. Wine – I use Chardonnay, though anything not too woody or sweet will work find here, else leftover champagne (flat is fine!), red wine or rose. Non alcoholic – just leave it out.

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Loosen with a touch of water. Pasta will freeze ok, but not the whipped ricotta.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 647cal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 1624mg | Potassium: 1059mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 288mg | Iron: 4mg

Some of my favourite one pot pasta recipes

One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

Really Quick Broccoli Pasta

One pot chicken risoni with crispy salami

One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with lots-of-veg

One-Pot Sausage Meatball Pasta

One-pot Greek chicken risoni (orzo)

One pot pasta recipes

Life of Dozer

Dozer’s first day back at the beach following 6 weeks out of action with a hip injury!

A little bit wonky on his feet and restricted to just 10 minutes of swim time (it took 15 minutes to waddle from the car to his friends!😅), but it was still worth the 40 minute drive each way just to see him so happy. ❤️

I don’t even know how he hurt himself – could’ve been a midnight possum chase, slipping trying to get up off wooden floors (the one little naked patch remaining, 98% of the floor is covered in rugs for him!).

He’s a fragile old boy these days. 😔 But I will do whatever it takes to protect him and keep him happy – even if it means covering the entire house in yoga mats!!

Honestly, I credit the trip to Newcastle last weekend for the leap forward in his recovery. I thought it was going to be too much for him because he was moving around 10x more than he has in a single day for the past 6 weeks.

But actually, it seems like it was good for him because the improvement in his mobility has been phenomenal in just the past week. He can get up by himself again and is happy going for walks. Yay Dozer! And thank you Newcastle, for the positive energy that gave Dozer a recovery boost! ❤️

PS I suspect seeing his girlfriend also helped. This is Jarrah (below, left). She’s owned by a good friend of mine. We got our fur balls around the same time so they have grown up together. Though somehow, Jarrah grew up to be a very well behaved, charming girl whereas mine ended up a little entitled and bratty…..🤔

The post Whipped ricotta one pot chicken pasta – with sun dried tomatoes appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta is a big, bubbly pasta made with beef and a surprising amount of hidden vegetables in a Cajun flavoured tomato pasta sauce, topped with oozy cheese. Serves 7 to 8 and makes for excellent leftovers!

A complete one-pot meal with lots of hidden vegetables

Here today with a sparkling new recipe I created with mid-week cooking in mind: a big, bubbling Cajun pasta made with beef and a surprising amount of hidden vegetables, so you can serve this as a complete meal. It’s really economical (500g/1lb beef -> 7 to 8 servings), with bold beefy Cajun flavours and smothered with oozy cheese.

The good amount of Cajun spices used in this recipe lets us pack in vegetables without disappointingly diluting the flavour of the dish. You know exactly where I’m coming from, I know you do!!

In this recipe, we’ve got a carrot, zucchini, and capsicum (bell pepper) with 500g/1 lb of beef, plus there’s also 800g/28 oz canned tomato and an onion (these count as vegetables too!) All these vegetables not only boosts nutrition but also stretches the dish to serve 7-8 people instead of the usual 4-5.

So much veg. But try to tell me you don’t want to eat this!! ⬇️

Cajun pasta – not authentic, and that’s ok!

In case you are wondering, no, Cajun pasta isn’t authentically Cajun. In fact, Cajuns typically use rice. However, combining Cajun spices with pasta is popular in America and makes for a super tasty dish. So I’m totally on board with it!

Ingredients in this One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta

I’ve chosen to use grated carrot and zucchini which blends in seamlessly into the pasta sauce, plus a chopped capsicum (bell pepper) which is on theme for the Cajun flavours in this dish.

The pasta add-ins

• Beef – I’ve designed this recipe around beef and I did find I had the tweak the volume of the Cajun spice blend to get the right balance of flavour. So while you could substitute with chicken, turkey or pork, you might find the seasoning a little on the light side so I’d increase the Cajun seasoning a bit. And probably add a bit more fat too, else the mince might seem a little dried out.

  Lamb doesn’t get a mention here because I feel like the combination with Cajun spices in a pasta sounds a bit odd? I could be wrong.

• Vegetables – Zucchini and carrot, grated with a box grater so it disappears into the pasta sauce. Plus a red capsicum (bell pepper), chopped rather than grating because it would turn into watery mush.

• Onion – This absolutely counts towards your vegetable quota! Plus it forms an important part of the flavour base for this pasta.

• Garlic – Where there is onion, there is almost always garlic. Actually, there is almost always garlic even when onion is not present!

• Kidney beans – This bulks out the recipe with more nutritional value than using more pasta, as well as adding a different texture to the dish. It’s also on theme as kidney beans are used in Cajun dishes – like red beans and rice. 🙂

cajun pasta sauce

The key to success with this One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta for perfectly cooked pasta and enough sauce so it’s bubbly and saucy rather than dry and stodgy is to use enough liquid (stock, canned tomato and water). You will be surprised how much the pasta absorbs!

• Crushed canned tomato – For the pasta sauce. We use 800g/28 oz which makes this pasta nice and saucy!

• Chicken stock/broth and water – The liquid for cooking the pasta. We need a fair amount (1 litre / 1 quart) because pasta absorbs a surprising amount of liquid! I use a combination because using just water makes the sauce a little bland, but using all chicken stock rather than equal parts water and stock didn’t improve the flavour. So why incur the extra cost of using all chicken stock when water is free? 🙂

• Tomato paste – Just 2 tablespoons gives the sauce a tomato flavour boost, and thickens it slightly. Without, the sauce is just a little on the light side of tomato-flavour, but I’d still make this if I was out.

• Homemade Cajun Spice blend – I like to use a homemade Cajun spice blend because the quality of Cajun spice blends varies so much from brand to brand. Though if you have a good one, like Slap Ya Mama, feel free to substitute with that.

  Here are the spices you need for the homemade Cajun spice blend:
  

  • Dried thyme – substitute with fresh leaves, chopped

  • Paprika – sweet/regular, not smoked or spicy

  • Garlic powder – has an earthier flavour than fresh garlic. Substitute with more onion powder, or 2 extra garlic cloves.

  • Onion powder – has an earthier flavour than fresh onion, Substitute with more garlic powder.

  • Cayenne pepper – optional, for subtle warmth. Feel free to leave it out, or substitute with chilli powder (ie pure chilli, not the US non-spicy chili blend) or a dash of your favourite hot sauce.

  • Salt and pepper

• Cheese – For melting on the surface. I like to use Colby because it melts easily (useful for recipes where we use residual heat to melt the cheese) and doesn’t go greasy. But any melting cheese will be fine here. Personally I don’t use mozzarella because it doesn’t have quite enough flavour. Or, if I did, I’d add a good sprinkle of parmesan on top.

How to make this One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta

Using the one-pot method of cooking pasta where uncooked pasta is cooked in the pasta sauce does not work for all recipes. But it works extremely well for some – like this one!

The bonus, other than less washing up, is that the pasta absorbs the flavour of the sauce. Extra yum factor!

1. Shred the carrot and zucchini using a standard box grater. I like to grate them so the strands are shorter rather than longer (they hide better!). I don’t peel the carrot (free nutrition).

2. Cook – Use a large heavy based pot with a lid. I use a 24cm / 9.45″ cast iron pot which gets very full!

   Heat the oil over high heat, and cook the onion and garlic first to flavour the oil. Then cook the beef, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.

3. Vegetables and spices – Next, cook the carrot and zucchini. They will release water at first, but then the water will evaporate. After 2 minutes when they are partially cooked, add the capsicum and cook for another 2 minutes until the carrot and zucchinis wilted.

   Then add the tomato paste and all the Cajun spices. Cook for another 1 minute to take the sour raw edge off the tomato paste and get the spices all through the vegetables and beef.

4. Sauce and pasta – Add the canned tomato, water (I use the water to swill out the tomato cans), chicken stock and beans. Give it a good stir and bring it up to the simmer before adding the pasta.

5. Cook 15 minutes – Once the liquid comes back up to the simmer, cover with the lid and then lower the heat to medium. We want the liquid simmering, but not bubbling madly (too strong, base will catch) nor still which means it isn’t hot enough (the pasta will just be sitting there bloating in hot liquid rather than cooking).

6. Stir every few minutes to ensure the base doesn’t catch. As it cooks, the liquid will get absorbed by the pasta.

   The pasta is ready when it’s just about cooked (ie centre is still a bit firmer than you want). It will be rather watery still which is what we want. The pasta will finish cooking and the excess liquid will be absorbed in the next step! **Stop here if making ahead, see box below for tips.**

7. Cheese it! Working quickly (so we don’t lose heat), give the pasta one big stir, smooth the surface, then sprinkle the surface with cheese.

8. 3 minutes – Cover with the lid and turn the stove off. Leave the pot on the stove for 3 minutes to let the residual heat melt the cheese. Then lift the lid and be greeted with THIS DELERIOUSLY DELICIOUS SIGHT! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Serve immediately, while the pasta is at its peak, hot and oozy. Because as with all pastas, the longer this sits around, the less saucy it becomes as the pasta will continue to absorb liquid.

Though truthfully, it doesn’t bother me even when it’s not as saucy as freshly made. I was happily warming up leftovers and eating this for breakfast four days later, then I made another couple of batches “just to check it one more time” and froze them to donate through RecipeTin Meals (my food bank).

I think this is One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta is another recipe ideal to add to our RTM rotation – nutritious, economical, easy to scale up, keeps well and damn tasty! – Nagi x

PS The token green onion sprinkle is not at all mandatory, just my attempt to add a splash of green to the molten blanket of yellow.

PPS For those interested, I did a post on the Top 10 meals we make at RTM -> Top 10 recipes we make at RecipeTin Meals. It’s a useful list for recipes that are ideal for making ahead, freezing, wholesome, economical and the sort of food everybody loves. We tend to stay away from things like bold-flavoured spicy Vindaloo curry at RTM! 🙂

Watch how to make it

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One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with lots-of-veg

Recipe video above. A big bubbly beefy pasta in a Cajun flavoured tomato sauce, filled with lots of hidden vegetables, all made in one pot! Love that it's a complete meal, and a great way to stretch 500g/1lb beef to serve more people with the bonus of a stack of "hidden" vegetables (carrot, zucchini ,zucchini, canned tomato and onion – yes, onion counts towards daily veg intake!).

Leftovers are excellent! Fridge or freeze.

Course Main, One Pot Meals

Cuisine Western

Keyword beef pasta, cajun beef pasta, cajun pasta, One Pot Pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 7 – 8

Calories 507cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

One-pot pasta:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 onion , chopped
• 500g/ 1 lb beef mince (ground beef) (Note 1)
• 1 carrot , medium, shredded using box grater (I keep skin on)
• 1 zucchini , medium, shredded using box grater (Note 2)
• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), chopped (Note 2)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 800g/ 28 oz canned crushed tomato
• 400g/ 14 oz kidney beans , drained (or other beans of choice, can omit)
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (sub beef stock)
• 2 cups water (just regular tap water!)
• 350g / 12 oz (3 cups) elbow pasta (macaroni) , spirals, penne, ziti, small shells, rigatoni or similar size, uncooked (Note 3)
• 1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) colby cheese or other melting cheese of choice, preferably freshly shredded (melts better)
• 1 green onion stem , finely sliced (optional garnish)

Cajun spices:

• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tbsp paprika (sweet/regular, not smoked or spicy)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional (faintly spicy)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot with a lid over high heat.
• Cook vegetables – Cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red meat. Add the carrot and zucchini, cook for 2 minutes until the water they release mostly evaporates. Add the capsicum and cook for 2 minutes.
• Spices – Add the tomato paste and Cajun Spices. Cook for 1 minute.
• Pasta sauce – Add the canned tomato, water (I swill the cans clean), stock and beans. Mix and bring to a simmer.
• Add the pasta, stir, let it come back up to the simmer. Put the lid on and lower the heat slightly to medium so the liquid is simmering (not bubbling madly).
• Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the base doesn't catch. The pasta should be a bit firmer than you want in the middle, and still a bit soupy which is good! Liquid gets absorbed in the next step.
• Melt cheese – Give it a stir, smooth the surface, sprinkle with cheese. Put the lid on then turn the stove off (leave the pot on the stove). Leave for 3 minutes so the residual heat melts the cheese and the pasta finishes cooking.
• Serve – Remove from the stove, sprinkle with green onion if desired, then serve immediately while saucy and the cheese is gooey!

Notes

1. Protein – This recipe works best with beef, I feel. Chicken and turkey gets a little dry for my taste, though you could use them (I’d increase the spices a bit, same for pork). I think lamb and cajun spices in a pasta is a little odd? But I could be wrong!

A reader also made this with kangaroo and reported delicious results!

2. Vegetables – You can switch the carrot, zucchini capsicum for other vegetables, just chop them in a way that makes sense. A huge handful of baby spinach stirred in just before topping with cheese comes to mind. I like shredding the carrot and zucchini because it disappears. 

3. Pasta – the 3 cup measure for 350g/12 oz is for elbow pasta/macaroni only. The cup quantity for other pasta shapes will differ.

Leftovers – So delicious! Keeps better than many pastas because it’s so nice and saucy so it doesn’t get too stodgy and dry. Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months! Making ahead – If making the whole dish ahead intentionally, stop after step 6, take it off the stove and let it cool (you could even transfer into an ovenproof dish at this stage). Sprinkle with cheese then fridge or freeze! 

Nutrition per serving assuming 8 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 507cal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 995mg | Potassium: 1091mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3063IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 6mg

Life of Dozer

My new cookbook TONIGHT hits shelves around the world next month! 15 October in Australia, 17 October in the UK and 29 October in the US. I CAN’T WAIT!!

Dozer features prominently in this one. I insisted. No Dozer, no cookbook! He’s in every single Chapter opener. Here’s one of my favourites – no setting up required, 100% Dozer/Nagi situation!

And some photos I found on my camera from the shoot day:

Actually, I haven’t been looking at these photos from the early cookbook shoot days because it makes me a little sad. It was just before he was diagnosed with his condition and had his surgery, and all I can think is how I dragged him along to all those shoot days and he made such an effort to co-operate like the good boy he is. But he must’ve been suffering so terribly, unable to breathe properly. 😭

I remember on the last day of shooting, he struggled so much to walk just 50 meters from the building to the car at the end of the day. Breaks my heart knowing I pushed him too hard, not knowing he was not well. 💔

Anyway! He’s so much better now, and I’m so grateful.

And the best reward for all that hard work I put into the cookbook? That he is here with me to celebrate the launch next month.

I have the best dog in the world. – Nagi x

Our new cookbook TONIGHT is now available for pre-order so you can secure a copy and get it straight away when it releases in October! It’s not all Dozer. There’s a recipe or two in there as well. 😉

The post One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with lots-of-veg appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.