5 easy one-dish casseroles

By Terry Farris

Don't you just love those all-in-one meals that can be scooped out with a big spoon, all the flavours mingling together? Terry Farris reveals her five favourites

These recipes are so easy, healthy and inexpensive, no week's menu should be without at least one or two. Once the initial effort of assembly is made, your all-in-one meal cooks away, leaving you to get on with other things. Ingredients go further, which helps the budget. And once you've got the idea, there's lots of room for experimentation. So forget the individual convenience foods and whip up a one-pot-wonder.

Recipes serve 4-6 depending on appetite Lazy Chicken and Rice Roasted Vegetable Lasagne Potato, Spinach and Pork Chop Bake Turkey, Pea and Ham Pot Pie Minced Beef Hot Pot with Potato Crunchies

Lazy Chicken and Rice
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45-55 minutes

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs, skin on
4 chicken drumsticks
salt and black pepper
2 tbsp light oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
250g mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
Half tsp crushed chillies (optional)
250g basmati or long grain rice
850ml boiling chicken stock (Marigold Swiss bouillon powder or a cube is OK, but reduce the salt, if using)
juice of 1 juicy lime or lemon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and lightly oil a large, ovenproof baking dish. Heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and fry until the skin is golden, about 5-7 minutes.

2. While the chicken is frying, scatter the chopped onion, pepper, mushrooms, garlic, herbs, chillies (if using) and rice over the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the browned chicken pieces on top, skin side up.

3. Pour the lime or lemon juice into the hot stock, place the baking dish with the chicken and rice on the middle shelf in the oven and carefully pour over the boiling stock. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Check for doneness - the chicken should be thoroughly cooked and the rice tender. If not, cook a little longer, checking after 5 or 10 minutes.

Note: if you have a fan-assisted oven, check half-way through cooking to make sure the liquid has not evaporated away, adding more (water will do) if necessary.