One Pot Wonder: Italian Vegetable Soup & Cornbread

Summer is unofficially over, which means it's time to get back to routines and schedules. And I could not be happier. I know, I sound like a total party pooper. Don't get me wrong, I do love summer, but come late August every year, I'm itching for cooler weather, apples and pumpkins, prime time TV, and a week when I can just stay put and get back in the kitchen.

Now I don't want to jinx it, but I think it's safe to say that the dog days of summer are finally past us. The weather in NYC has been just divine, and I've finally had a few weekends where I can stay home and relax instead of living out of a suitcase between graduations, vacations, and beach visits. So with some extra time on my hands, it was about time I got back in the kitchen with one of my favorite Sunday traditions: one pot meals!

As I've said here before, one pot meals are clutch for young, busy and poor folks (like me)! They're a major timesaver during the week, and much healthier and more cost effective than ordering takeout everyday for lunch or dinner. On the menu this week is a big, biiiig pot of Italian vegetable soup. Besides chopping up all the vegetables, you essentially just dump and stir everything into a big pot. And because I always need a little carb-age to truly hold me over, I made a lighter version of hearty cornbread. While it may officially be summer until this Saturday, this Italian vegetable soup and cornbread says fall is here to stay.

Italian Vegetable Soup
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 cups escarole, chopped
2 cups baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
28 oz can diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Add escarole, spinach, garlic, onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, fennel, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano to a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes until vegetables are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and top with parsley and basil.

Healthy Cornbread
serves 12

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in yogurt and eggs until combined and batter is smooth. Pour into pan and bake 20-25 minutes until tender and cooked through in the center.

One Dish Fish: Roasted Tilapia & Asparagus with Mustard-Chive Sauce

Cooking for one can be quite the challenge. Portioning out the right amount of ingredients; not wasting leftover produce. One of my least favorite things about cooking solo is the clean up—with no one to help, sometimes it feels silly to prepare such an involved meal when there’s no one to entertain. That’s why I’ve become a big fan of one pot dinners—meals where everything can be prepared in one dish. No multitasking involved and minimal clean up.

Usually when I think of one dish dinners I think of soups, stews or casseroles—always tasty, but not always realistic, especially as the New York temperature begins to rise. Thankfully, I stumbled upon a tasty, versatile tilapia recipe from Giada a couple weeks ago that is now one of my go-to dinners. The preparation of the fish is super simple—just drizzle both sides with some olive oil, season with salt & pepper, pop it in a hot oven (450 degrees) for 10-15 minutes and you’re done.

Here’s where I get thrifty…using some leftover asparagus I had in the fridge, I drop them in the same baking dish with the tilapia. Knowing that the asparagus also take about 12-15 minutes to roast in the oven, I can prepare my fish and vegetables all at once.

What takes this meal up a notch is the mustard-chive sauce from Giada’s original recipe. Also very simple—just whisk together Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, and chopped chives—and you have yourself an elegant sauce that not only works for this meal, but could be used as a marinade for grilled chicken. With the asparagus, the sauce gives the luxurious look of asparagus with hollandaise sauce, but much simpler and much healthier.

Between prep, cooking, and clean up time, this meal only takes about 25 minutes, and I can assure you is much more delicious than that frozen Lean Cuisine you’re heating up for dinner… Experiment with whatever fish, meat, veggies, or starches you like (note: do some research to make sure whatever you’re cooking together has a similar cook time), and you too will be a convert to the one-pot wonder.

Roasted Tilapia & Asparagus with Mustard-Chive Sauce (for one)

Ingredients:
Tilipa filet
Bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt & pepper, to taste
3 tbs Greek yogurt
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbs chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Drizzle both sides of tilapia with olive oil, season both sides with salt & pepper. Place in a glass baking dish.
3. Add asparagas to baking dish, making sure not to overlap too much, or else everything will just steam instead of roast. Drizzle asparagus with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. Place baking dish in oven, and cook until asparagas is tender and tilapia is opaque in the center (about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven).
4. Meanwhile, whisk together yogurt, mustard, honey, chives, and lemon juice in a small ball. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Once the asparagus and tilapia are cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to sit for a minute. Drizzle a generous amount of the sauce on top of the tilapia and asparagus. Serve immediately (trust me, you'll want to).

In one pan...

To one plate!