The latter part of autumn brings with it prolonged rains, bone-chilling winds, and the initial dusting of snow. Cooking meat The yearning to promptly immerse oneself in the warmth and coziness of home upon returning from the outdoors is a sentiment many can relate to. In such instances, food prepared with love proves to be a comforting remedy—nourishing, rich, and fulfilling.
A particularly gratifying option during these colder months is meat cooked in pots. This uncomplicated, rustic dish carries a unique allure. When you unveil a pot from the oven, radiating with warmth, impatience may tempt you to dive into your meal at the earliest opportunity.
To ensure your lunches and dinners are both substantial and comforting during inclement weather, we present a collection of recipes for delectable meat cooked in pots.
Meat and potatoes in pots: a simple recipe
The simplest food is often the most delicious. Products and seasonings familiar from childhood, the warmth of the oven, a clay pot – that’s all you need to prepare a delicious lunch . You only need to know a few subtleties: when to put the pot in the oven and do you need to add water during the process?
The pots with the contents are sent to a cold oven, as a sudden temperature change can lead to the formation of cracks. For the same reason, it is not recommended to use chipped dishes for cooking. The pot can also crack if there is not enough liquid in it, so when cooking you need to add a little water or make sure that the contents simmer in their own juice.
Let’s cook a pot roast! Let’s start with a simple meat dish that everyone will definitely enjoy. The quantity of products is given for 2 pots of 500 ml.
Ingredients:
- pork (neck, shoulder, ham) – 350–400 g
- potatoes – 4 pcs.
- onion – 1 pc.
- carrots – 1 pc.
- garlic – 2 cloves
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.
- water – 200 ml
- salt – to taste
- ground black pepper – to taste
- ground sweet paprika – 1 tbsp. l.
Cooking method:
- Cut the pork into pieces with a side of 2 cm. It is better if the meat has a small amount of fat.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 8 pieces.
- Chop onion, garlic and carrots as desired. Mix vegetables with potatoes, add salt, pepper and paprika.
- Place a layer of meat on the bottom of the pots, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and add a layer of vegetables. Repeat layers to the top.
- Add a bay leaf to the pot, pour in 100 ml of water, cover with a lid.
- Place in a cold oven, set the temperature to 190°C. In 1 hour 30 minutes the meat and potatoes will be ready! You can serve it piping hot – in a pot or put it on a plate.
How to cook meat with mushrooms in pots
Ingredients:
- pork – 400 g
- fresh champignons – 200 g
- potatoes – 4 pcs.
- onion – 1 pc.
- garlic – 2 cloves
- thyme – 1 sprig
- vegetable oil – 3 tbsp. l.
- fresh herbs – to taste
- water – 100 ml
- salt – to taste
- ground black pepper – to taste
Cooking method:
- Cut potatoes and mushrooms into thin slices, meat into strips.
- Fry the ingredients one by one in vegetable oil over high heat until golden brown. There is no need to bring it to full readiness.
- Place the potatoes, mushrooms and meat in a pot, season with salt, add chopped garlic, a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper.
- Add some water as the mushrooms will release moisture.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 180°C.
- Before serving, sprinkle the meat with mushrooms and potatoes with fresh herbs.
French-style meat in pots
Classic French meat can be prepared in a new way – in a pot. This method is even better, since meat juice, sour cream sauce and melted cheese do not spread over the baking dish, but remain to simmer slowly in a clay pot, soaking the meat and vegetables.
Ingredients:
- pork – 400 g
- potatoes – 4 pcs.
- onions – 2 pcs.
- tomatoes – 2 pcs.
- water – 100 ml
- fat sour cream – 200 g
- hard cheese – 100 g
- salt – to taste
- ground black pepper – to taste
- wheat flour – 1 tbsp. l. no slide
- vegetable oil – 2-3 tbsp. l.
Cooking method:
- Cut the meat into cubes, fry in a frying pan in vegetable oil until golden brown. Transfer to a separate container.
- Add a little more oil to the pan, fry the onion, cut into half rings, until golden.
- Peel the potatoes and remove the skins from the tomatoes. To do this, make crosswise cuts at the stem and lower the tomatoes into boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and peel off the skin.
- Cut potatoes and tomatoes into thin slices.
- Place a layer of meat in the pot, add salt and pepper, then a layer of potatoes, onions and tomatoes, repeat layers.
- Mix sour cream with water and flour, pour the resulting mixture into the pots.
- Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top layer. Cover the pots with foil so that it does not come into contact with the cheese.
- Place in a cold oven, set to 190°C and leave to bake for 1 hour.
- Then remove the foil and wait for a delicious crust to form.
- French-style meat in a pot is ready!
Chicken with vegetables in a pot: preparing a quick healthy lunch
Food in pots helps out when you don’t want to cook the main dish and side dish separately. Everything will be perfectly baked in one container, and you can also serve a delicious dish in it. Before serving, we advise you to cool the pot for 15–20 minutes, otherwise you may get burned.
This version of the dish is with chicken. Any boneless cut will do, but the thigh fillet will be juicier. Choose your favorite vegetables and cut them coarsely so they don’t get overcooked.
Ingredients:
- chicken thigh fillet – 500 g
- potatoes – 4 pcs.
- carrots – 1 pc.
- tomatoes – 2 pcs.
- bell pepper – 1 pc.
- zucchini – 1 pc.
- onion – 1 pc.
- water – 200 ml
- butter – 40 g
- salt – to taste
- ground black pepper – to taste
Cooking method:
- Cut the chicken and vegetables into equal pieces.
- Place a little butter at the bottom of the pots.
- Place potatoes in the first layer, then chicken, onions, peppers and tomatoes. The top layer is zucchini. Lightly salt each layer and add black pepper.
- Repeat layers if necessary, add water, cover with a lid.
- Bake at 180°C for 40–50 minutes.
Beef goulash: recipe in a pot
You can cook anything in pots: from porridge to soups. But most often they make different types of roast. After a long simmer, the meat becomes very soft, breaks down into fibers itself, and the vegetables turn into a thick, rich sauce. Goulash is a prominent representative of this dish.
Ingredients:
- beef – 500 g
- tomato paste – 2 tbsp. l.
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l.
- onion – 1 pc.
- vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.
- garlic – 4 cloves
- carrots – 1 pc.
- ground paprika – 2 tsp.
- water – 200 ml
- ground chili pepper – 1 tsp.
- ground black pepper – to taste
- salt – to taste
Cooking method:
- Cut the meat into pieces smaller than a matchbox.
- Finely chop the onion and garlic. Grate the carrots.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, place the beef in one layer, fry on all sides until golden brown, transfer to a pot.
- Add onion, garlic and carrots.
- Make the filling: add paprika, chili pepper, tomato paste, pepper, sugar, and a pinch of salt to the water. Mix with a whisk.
- Pour the liquid into the pot, cover with a lid, and place in the oven at 170°C for 1.5–2 hours.
- At the end of cooking, the meat will become soft and the liquid will decrease in volume.
- Beef goulash can be served with mashed potatoes, boiled rice, bulgur, buckwheat, and pasta.
Chicken in a pot under a dough “lid”
Making stir fry at home is easy, even if you don’t have pots. They can be replaced by a cocotte maker or a ceramic refractory bowl. And the dough will serve as a lid. After cooking, it’s so nice to break off a crispy piece of the edible “lid” and enjoy lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
- chicken fillet – 500 g
- carrots – 1 pc.
- onion – 1 pc.
- potatoes – 2-3 pcs.
- garlic – 2 cloves
- frozen green peas – 1 handful
- frozen corn – 1 handful
- fat sour cream – 2 tbsp. l.
- fresh parsley – a few sprigs
- wheat flour – 1 tbsp. l.
- chicken broth – 1 cup
- butter – 30 g
- puff pastry yeast – 1 layer
- chicken eggs – 1 pc.
- ground black pepper – to taste
- salt – to taste
Cooking method:
- Cut the chicken and vegetables into small cubes, chop the garlic. Mix the ingredients with peas and corn, add salt and pepper.
- Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil and fry all ingredients for 10 minutes.
- Divide the mixture into portioned pots.
- Mix the broth with sour cream, add chopped parsley and flour. Mix thoroughly with a whisk and fill the pots with the resulting mixture.
- Roll out the dough into a layer 5 mm thick. Form “lids” on the pots.
- Beat the egg with a fork and brush over the dough. Make a cut in the center with a knife to allow steam to escape.
- Place the pots in the oven for 30–40 minutes at 180°C. The dish is ready!
If you haven’t taken clay pots out of the top drawer of the kitchen for a long time, now is the time to cook roast pork, aromatic goulash, tender chicken stew or meat with potatoes and mushrooms. Take note of our recipes and delight yourself with home-cooked food more often!
