17 Old-School 1 Pot Meals That Barely Anyone Makes Anymore

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One pot meals are a gift to anyone without a dishwasher. They're also a gift to anyone who likes turning on a crock pot, leaving for a shift at work, and coming home to a house that smells amazing. Let us not forget the underrated delight that is casserole, either ... those majestic rectangles of whole meals.

The efficiency of both one pot meals and sheet pan meals cannot be denied. There's something about one pot meals, though, that feels like communing with the past. Imagine your mom or aunt or grandmother babysitting a simmering stew. Imagine the Great Depression-era, a person cooking over a fire with a single pot to fuel up for a day of riding the rails and working odd jobs. These are the vibes you want to channel with these meals. Here are some old-school one pot recipes that you just don't see too much of anymore.

A one pot casserole that can be made with chicken, but is also not a bad way to use leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. There's a decadence to this creamy pasta dish, and it's easy to see why tetrazzini became popular in the first place. Cream of mushroom soup and a good dusting of Parmesan cheese make it savory and salty. Onion and green pepper are unobtrusive veggies that boost flavor while letting the meat and pasta shine.

Tetrazzini's popularity as a restaurant menu item peaked in the 1960s. A recipe even appeared in "The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook." Affinity for the dish waned in the 1990s and 2000s, as people became increasingly health-conscious. Some contemporary chefs have attempted to update the dish, adding ingredients like fava beans or asparagus. If you haven't tried tetrazzini, but enjoy noodle casseroles? Maybe give this a go.

A kind of American goulash, there's no real recipe for Slumgullion. Ground beef, pasta, and whatever veggies you have on hand are the common elements. One Reddit poster claimed that the cookbook their mother referenced to make Slumgullion included creamed corn, peas, and Rotel in their Slumgullion recipe. Rotel sounds like a good way to bring some spice to the party, and cut through all that creaminess a bit.

Start with a base of ground beef, elbow macaroni, and onions, and it's hard to go wrong from there. Use whatever's in the pantry or fridge. Another person on Reddit said their family recipe used crushed saltines for crunch and cheddar cheese for extra savoriness. The only thing we recommend is saying the name of the dish as much as possible during both preparation and consumption, for delightfulness reasons.

Ochazuke is a rice bowl topped with nori, other veggies, and bits of meat. Then, green tea gets poured over everything, essentially making the dish a green tea soup. It's not dissimilar from rice porridge or congee. Ochazuke is a traditional Japanese breakfast dish, and if you're using leftovers, then your breakfast comes together pretty quickly. Is it even possible to have a bad day, if you start that day with green tea and rice?

While tea instead of broth might sound like the next restaurant big trend waiting to happen, the dish has more humble connotations in Japan. It is traditionally a food that you make at home using leftovers, rather than something you order on a night out. Given that the name of the dish translates to "soaked in tea," with no further ingredient instruction, attempting to codify an ingredient list is a fool's errand.

This stew has, for most of its history, been associated with unhoused people trying to survive with what they have. You can make this with potatoes and other root vegetables like carrots. Sometimes, people use dumplings. Really, there's no recipe. It's about using whatever you have on hand. To paraphrase one person on Reddit, the authenticity here comes from poverty. Hey, if this one doesn't turn out, take a mulligan and make another stew another day.

There's something comforting about a name like mulligan stew. Well, aside from stew being inherently comforting, of course. Mulligans imply second chances. You don't need to have lost your home to understand the importance of second chances, especially in the kitchen. We've all cooked things that we know could be better next time. Mulligan stew, by virtue of nominative determinism, invites you to try again. 

Amish six layer dinner has one of the more literal names of any dish on this list. Every ingredient is — wait for it — layered in a pan, then baked until the veggies are soft. A casserole doesn't get much easier than this. Some home cooks even find you can make this in a crock pot or an Instant Pot.

You'll need ground beef, russet or red potatoes, and root vegetables. Already, we're in hearty and delicious territory. Throw in a can of cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup, some beef broth, and basic seasonings, and check you out! You've got all the ingredients for Amish six layer dinner. The trick is in the layering. The beef has to go on the bottom to brown, then come the veggies, then everything is topped with sliced potatoes and soup. Capping everything with potatoes almost recalls shepherd's pie, another humble dish for hardworking people.

If you're looking for an old school recipe that also happens to be vegan-friendly,look no further than Depression-era oatmeal stew. Root vegetables and scraps of vegetables, those classic hard times standbys, simmer with oats for an easy, budget-friendly bowl of goodness. Onions and carrots are good veggie choices, and it's not a bad idea to toss some celery in there. If you're looking to eat slightly better than your Depression-era forebears, you can add chili crisp in your savory oatmeal. Not only does chili crisp add depth of flavor, it makes the dish trendy and old school at the same time. Your dinner can straddle the timeline like the Colossus.

This stew almost recalls pottage stew, a medieval peasant dish with a thick, oat-filled broth. With that in mind, it's maybe understandable why this dish has fallen out of favor. "Eat like a medieval peasant" is a hard pass for a lot of people. Or maybe it's difficult for people to imagine savory oatmeal dishes. We'd encourage you to push past those hangups, if you have them. Savory oatmeal rocks.

This tasty recipe is potentially a first step to getting your Hoosier mother-in-law or Cornhusker cousins on their way to enjoying Tex-Mex. It's also a great recipe for the crock pot.

Tamales are perfect food, but also tamales are pretty labor-intensive to make. Tamale pie, on the other hand, is just a few steps in the slow cooker. After the beef and veggies cook on low for five hours, you add cheese, stir, then add cornbread mix. Cook the whole thing on high for 30 minutes, and then enjoy the least portable tamales possible. Hey, if the tamales aren't portable, that means you have to stay close to the kitchen. You know, for the thirds and fourths that you'll be wanting.

Still enjoyed by some in the South and East Coast as a Christmas or New Year's tradition, oyster stew has faded from mainstream popularity in recent decades. Campbell's discontinued canned oyster stew in 2012, to the dismay of some. Not to worry, though. You can still make the dish at home with surprisingly few ingredients. All you need is whole milk, butter, baking soda, salt and pepper, and of course, oysters.

Fresh oysters are obviously delicious. If you can get some good, recently yanked out of the ocean oysters? Then life is grand. The problem is that the fresh little guys don't travel super well. Luckily, landlocked oyster stew lovers can make the dish with canned oysters. However, we strongly recommend never buying frozen oysters. The high water content in these mollusks makes it so that freezing really adversely affects the cellular structure. Even in a stew, that level of flavor change will be noticeable. Stick with canned oysters, if you're landlocked. 

Doesn't actually come from Switzerland! Swiss steak is an American invention that was most popular in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. It contains round steak, tomato sauce, onions, and bell peppers. If you don't have exactly those ingredients? Don't fret, the sauce is highly variable. A Reddit discussion of Swiss steak saw all sorts of variations suggested. The point is making cheap steak taste exquisite.

Certain cuts of steak are destined to be showcased on a steakhouse plate, and other cuts are destined for other uses. That's the reality of the animal. Don't think of cheaper cuts as lesser, though. A dish like Swiss steak proves that cheaper cuts of steak are a culinary opportunity. Add some sauce. Alter your cooking methods. You can totally enjoy beef on a budget. Mid-century Americans certainly did.

A base of potatoes, veggies, and cream of mushroom soup is a promising start to any casserole. Toss some pork chops on top and cover the whole thing with foil. Hey, that's a quick dinner with a low dirty dishes-footprint. That said, pork chop casserole can be spruced up with canned green chilis. Adding carrots to the onion base brings even more hearty flavor.

Just a forewarning: Don't expect a deep sear on those chops. If you want to add some color to the dish, try a couple minutes under the broiler after everything is done cooking. Whatever you do, you want to let the whole dish rest for at least five minutes before cutting out a portion. This important step helps the flavors meld together, and makes serving much easier. 

Brought to the United States by Polish immigrants, this dish is cooked ground beef, tomato sauce, and rice rolled into cabbage leaves, then baked. Or you can make these in a crock pot, whichever is easier. Serve cabbage rolls over rice or mashed potatoes, and you've got a tasty way to eat your leafy vegetables.

Cabbage shows up in various cuisines all over the world. Rolling the cruciferous leaves up with a tasty filling is a great way to soften the bitterness of cabbage, if that's something that bothers you. Throw in the fact that you can make this in the crock pot?

Full of protein and fiber, this meal made from a pantry staple and a plentiful root vegetable is an extremely economical way to feed yourself. If your grandparents grew up during the Great Depression, chances are good they've heard of lentil and carrot stew. If you call grandma asking for a recipe, and she does that grandma thing where she doesn't have portion sizes written down ... no worries, this stew is very forgiving. You don't need much more than lentils, carrots, and broth.

This meal is easy to make vegan. It's also simple to upgrade with more ingredients, in case you don't want to do full Hooverville cosplay. Dice some onions or celery and soften them in the pot before adding broth, and you'll get a richer flavor. Toss in red pepper flakes if you want a little kick. And garlic never hurts ... unless, of course, you're a vampire! The point is that the baseline of lentils and carrots is simple and nutritious enough on its own.

A chicken stew from the lowcountry of South Carolina with a much thicker broth than you might expect. Chicken and rice dishes are unsurprisingly common in South Carolina, land of rice and a rich culinary tradition. Chicken bog distinguishes itself with higher moisture levels than similar dishes, and is more popular in northern parts of the state. To make this dish, you're going to want plenty of onions, carrots, and celery. Don't forget some smoky sausage. Yes, all of these ingredients will fit into one pot with the chicken. 

It's usually safe to assume that any historical Southern dish was designed to feed farm workers. Chicken bog originated in the 1920s, was designed to feed crowds, and is traditionally eaten after the tobacco crop is harvested in August. Hard to get much more in the spirit of South Carolina than that.

Tomatoes, onions, garlic, and Great Northern beans in a crockpot? Savory pork on top? Yes, please. Oh, and it's going to be stewing in a crock pot all day, making your house smell wonderful. This iconic dish from southern France has its roots as a peasant meal, and French peasant meals are some of the best in the world.

Meat and beans in the crock pot is an extremely underrated combination. The Great Northern beans used in pork cassoulet really love hanging out with onions and garlic, those three could kick it for hours. The pork placed over the top of all that imparts its own flavor. Those flavors knit together in beautiful cohesion, and the end result is an absolute umami bomb.

It is honestly surprising that this is the first time okra has come up in this list. What is okra? Well, it's a great ingredient in stews, for one thing. Brown the chicken first, then cook this stew low and slow so that the okra can work its magic. Put on some trombone-heavy jazz, and you'll start feeling like you're sitting in some homey yet elegant New Orleans bistro. The finished stew is rich and flavorful, perfect for when you need a bowl to stick to your ribs.

Sure, maybe okra is best when chopped, breaded, fried, and served with Louisiana hot sauce. That's not all the vegetable is good for, though. Okra is renowned for its ability to thicken soups and stews. A one pot chicken and okra stew is a great way to enjoy the wonders of okra. 

Slow cooker chicken with a flavorful tomato- and red pepper-based sauce. Sounds good enough, but that sells the recipe a little short. With spices like curry powder, ginger, and cinnamon, there's a few layers of complexity here that you don't typically see with a lot of one pot dishes in the United States. It makes sense: This recipe was apparently brought to Georgia in the 19th century by a British sea captain. 

Country captain chicken was briefly used as a military Meal Ready To Eat, or MRE, in the early 2000s. While the MRE had a few devotees, it seems to have largely been unpopular with soldiers. One MRE enthusiast posting on Reddit speculated that the unpopularity was due to curry not being mainstream in the United States. YouTuber SteveMRE1989Info called the dish "infamous," but said he had a strange affinity for the dish. How do you know if the country captain chicken is tasty or not? Try the dish and see — but maybe skip the MRE. Stick to a one pot country captain chicken, preferably a crock pot. 

Tuna noodle casserole is something of a punchline today, but don't sleep on this inexpensive and easy dinner. You don't need much more than a can of tuna, frozen peas, some noodles, aromatics, and a little dairy. If you want to get fancy, you can crush some crackers over the top of the casserole for extra crunch. Oh, and you'll need a Dutch oven, of course. Spend 20 or 25 minutes at the stove, and if you're a single person? Congratulations, you got meals for the week.

Maybe this one still has a following among bachelors with limited culinary skills, but it's not seen on many family dinner tables anymore. As both one pot meals and tinned fish become increasingly popular, could it be time for tuna noodle casserole to make a comeback?