From comforting hotpot to gloriously gooey cookies, five quick and easy one pot recipes from Pinch of Nom

THE Pinch Of Nom duo are no fools – they know that washing-up is the bane of pretty much every mealtime.

So the clever food bloggers and former restaurateurs have brought out a book where everything can be made in one pot, pan or roasting tray.

It means you can enjoy budget-friendly meals without the stress of doing a mountain of dishes afterwards.

Kate and Kay Allinson’s Pinch Of Nom is the UK’s most-visited food blog and their books have sold more than 5million copies.

Kate said: “Our recipes are designed to suit any level of cooking skill and these latest recipes are particularly good for beginners to make.

“The ultimate aim of the food is to fill your plate with meals you enjoy cooking, and can’t wait to eat.”

We serve up five recipes from the book. Read Fabulous magazine for more delicious recipes tomorrow.

Slow cooker peppered beef with pasta

THERE is just something about beef that has been slow cooked for hours.

For this easy-peasy pasta dish, we have simmered lean diced beef in a creamy, peppery sauce until it is velvety soft and melts in your mouth.

By using half-fat creme fraiche, we’ve kept things slimming friendly, without losing out on the satisfying silkiness of the sauce.

Feel free to raid your cupboard for small pasta shapes like penne or fusilli – any kind will do.

Serves 4 – 457 calories 50g carbs per serving

YOU NEED:

• 3.5-litre slow cooker
• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 400g lean diced beef
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 500ml beef stock (1 beef stock cube dissolved in 500ml boiling water)
• 2 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a slurry with 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 200g half-fat creme fraiche
• 200g small pasta shapes, e.g. penne or fusilli

METHOD:

1. Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat. Add the beef and quickly fry until browned on all sides.
2. Add to the slow cooker pot, along with the onion and mushrooms. Pour in the hot stock and cornflour slurry and stir well.
3. Cover with the lid and cook on high for three and a half to four hours, or low for six to seven hours, until the beef is tender. Stir in the black pepper and creme fraiche.
4. Add the pasta and re-cover with the lid.
5. If you have been cooking on low, turn up to the high setting.
6. Cook for a further 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
7. The pasta should be cooked, and the sauce should have thickened. Serve!

Ginger miso beef with noodles

WHO doesn’t love a speedy stir-fry for dinner?

Even allowing 15 minutes for the beef to marinate, this easy noodle dish is on the table in just over half an hour.

The steak strips are coated in a salty-sweet mixture of soy sauce, honey and lime juice, with miso paste to bring a yummy umami flavour.

Don’t waste any marinade that isn’t soaked up by the meat – pour it into the pan along with the beef, noodles and whichever vegetables you choose to use.

Serves 2 – 445 calories 50g carbs per serving

YOU NEED:

• Large, deep frying pan (about 28cm) or non-stick wok
• 200g lean rump or sirloin steak, cut into strips
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
• 100g mangetout
• 250g pak choi, thinly slice the white stalks and roughly chop the green leaves
• 300g pack of straight-to-wok noodles
• For the marinade:
• 2 tsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• juice of 1 lime
• ½ tbsp runny honey

METHOD:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a glass or plastic bowl and add the steak strips. Coat well, cover and leave for 15 minutes to marinate.
2. Place the wok or large frying pan over a high heat and add the sesame oil.
3. Add the spring onions and stir-fry for a minute, then add the steak and any marinade remaining in the bowl and quickly stir-fry for one to two minutes.
4. Add the mangetout and pak choi and cook for a further minute. You want to keep the vegetables crisp and bright.
5. Add the noodles and stir-fry for three to four minutes, until thoroughly heated through and well combined with the beef and vegetables. Serve.

Slow cooker sweet potato and feta risotto

RISOTTO is one of those dishes that’s delicious to eat, but a chore to cook.

Not with this recipe up your sleeve! There’s no standing around and stirring when you let your slow cooker do all the hard work for you.

Once you have loaded in the ingredients, you’ll only need to stir once or twice during the 90 minutes it takes to cook.

Don’t worry, even though it’s low on effort, you still end up with big flavours.

It turns out creamy and filling, with sweetness from the potatoes that is perfectly balanced by the salty, tangy feta cheese.

Serves 4 – 293 calories 52g carbs per serving

YOU NEED:

• 3.5-litre slow cooker
• 2 large shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
• 200g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp Italian mixed herbs
• 900ml hot vegetable stock (2 vegetable stock cubes dissolved in 900ml boiling water)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 200g risotto rice
• 100g reduced-fat feta, crumbled
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Put all the ingredients, except the feta, into the slow cooker. Set to high, cover with the lid and cook for 50 minutes. Stir, re-cover and cook for a further 40–50 minutes.
2. When cooked, the rice should be tender and creamy but still holding its shape.
3. Stir in half the crumbled feta, taste and season with salt and pepper if required.
4. Serve topped with the remaining feta.

Lancashire hotpot

THERE is something about making a dish from your childhood that brings extra comfort, especially on a chilly, grey day.

This simple Lancashire hotpot recipe has been passed down through generations, and the only change we’ve made is that we now remove all of the fat from the lamb before cooking.

It doesn’t get much more classic than this . . . 

Turning hearty, wholesome ingredients into a home-cooked meal that will gather the whole family around the table together.

Serves 4 – 560 calories 51g carbs per serving

YOU NEED:

• Deep casserole dish (about 26cm)
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 8 carrots, peeled and diced
• 800g diced lamb, all visible fat removed
• 800g floury potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 400ml lamb, chicken, vegetable or beef stock (1 stock cube dissolved in 400ml boiling water)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/ gas 5. Place the onions and carrots in the casserole dish, add the diced lamb on top of the vegetables and arrange the potato slices neatly on top. Try to make sure there are no gaps.
2. Pour stock all over the potatoes, then season with a little salt and pepper.
3. Cover with foil or the casserole lid and cook in oven for about one and a half hours.
4. Test to see if the potatoes and lamb are cooked. If not, leave the dish in the oven (still covered) for a bit longer.
5. Remove lid or foil and cook for another 40–50 minutes or until potato is crisp and golden, then serve. Will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Slow cooker giant cookie

IMAGINE how incredible your kitchen will smell while this slow cooker giant cookie is busy baking away.

We’ve packed our quick-to-make cookie dough with plenty of chocolate chips, which get gloriously gooey and melty as it bakes.

When it’s time to lift off the lid, the supersize cookie should be squidgy and soft, ready to slice and serve warm, with a scoop of your favourite ice cream.

Serves 8 – 293 calories 40g carbs per serving

YOU NEED:

• 3.5-litre slow cooker
• 120g reduced-fat spread, plus a little extra for greasing
• 70g caster sugar
• 70g brown granulated sweetener
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• 60g chocolate chips (we used a mixture of milk, dark and white)
• To accompany (optional) 100g low-calorie vanilla ice cream (163 calories per serving)

METHOD:

1. Grease the pot of a slow cooker with a little reduced-fat spread.
2. Line the bottom of the slow cooker pot with two strips of baking paper, overlapped in a cross shape. Put the reduced-fat spread, caster sugar and sweetener in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until combined and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix until you have a smooth, sticky dough.
3. It will be a lot wetter than a usual rollable cookie dough, but don’t worry.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the cookie dough into the slow cooker pot and roughly smooth it out with the back of a spoon.
5. Cover with the lid and cook on high for one and a half to two hours.
6. This is more of a soft-style cookie than a crispy one, so it will be quite soft, but not raw, when cooked.
7. Serve on its own or with a scoop of ice cream.