My husband and I have an I-cook-you-clean arrangement. But that doesn’t mean that after cooking, I sit down and relax while he handles the entire mess. No, it’s really more that I cook, and we both clean. I try to keep the mess under control as I’m chopping and sauteeing, and after we eat I put away the food and tidy up while he washes the dishes.
Occasionally, when I bring him too many pots and pans that don’t go in the dishwasher, or when something is particularly crusty, he makes his displeasure clear with a sigh or a groan or a well-placed eye roll. I don’t always react well in the moment, but when I reflect on it later, I vow: I’m going to try to avoid recipes, especially on weeknights, that trash the kitchen.
The truth is, some recipes are worth a little mess. But these days, I don’t need to preach the gospel of one-pot cooking, because how much more apparent could the attraction be? So many of us are in the kitchen so much more than before the pandemic, and as the cooking has piled up, so have the dishes.
Advertisement
The promise of just one vessel to clean was the first thing that caught my eye about this recipe, from Jessica Prescott’s “Vegan One-Pot Wonders.” But it has plenty more to offer: A take on the classic combination of beans and rice, it includes pumpkin for color and heft and a trio of warming spices for flavor. A quick fresh salsa adds spark, and avocado and sour cream bring richness.
Bake it in a Dutch oven, and it’ll stay hot for a good long while even once you take it out of the oven, meaning you can serve it whenever you’re ready – a bonus when you’re juggling the day’s last Zoom meeting with dinner prep.
Best of all, after you transfer leftovers into their refrigerator containers and hand over a single empty pot to your designated dish washer, you’ll get exactly zero eye-rolls. That’s worth a lot.
Advertisement
Note: If you can’t find a 1 1/2-pound squash or pumpkin, cut off part of a bigger one to use, and reserve the remaining squash for another recipe.
Make Ahead: The salsa can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before use.
Storage: The finished dish can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in a 300-degree oven.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLOwu8NoaWlqYWR9cnuQcGabmZuasW6%2ByJycZqilor2stc1mmZ6Znqh6s7HCoqeeZw%3D%3D