Simple meals, low sodium, one skillet

November 16, 2013 4:05 PM

What are some tasty low sodium meals I can make in a skillet?

I asked before for some low sodium food ideas and I got a link to some low-sodium recipe sites that include some great one-skillet meals (ok, one involves boiling pasta) that I've prepared a lot of since then. I like this setup - with a small child it helps a great deal if I am able to prepare a lot of meals at one shot.

So I'm looking for more variety on that angle. I do one with rice and beef, another with pasta and beef, and a third with ground turkey and elbow macaroni. I'm looking for meals that yield 4-6 servings from a single skillet or pot, have less than an hour of prep time, less than 500mg sodium, and reheat well in the microwave. The microwave part tends to limit the veggie content, but I like peppers, onions, carrots and such, and don't mind low sodium canned tomatoes. I prefer ground meat but can work with other options. Beans are ok, broccoli and sweet potatoes and squash are not. Also, it shouldn't be too spicy hot, as this irritates my stomach.

So - any good recipes in that space?

posted by graymouser to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

This chicken and mushroom dish is really pretty amazing and very simple. And once you know the technique, you can jazz it up with all sorts of other flavors.

One of my favorite things to do is chicken breasts with salsa and black beans. I typically do it in the oven, but I think it would work well in a skillet, too. Basically, you just season some chicken breasts with taco seasoning (I actually usually use a blend of cayenne and cumin), cover them in salsa and black beans, and bake for about 25 minutes. While that's baking, I usually sautee some onions and peppers. In a skillet, I think you could sautee the onions and peppers first, then add the chicken, brown it a bit, then add the black beans and salsa, and simmer till the chicken is cooked through. You'll want to do it uncovered so the salsa reduces, which is what really makes the dish so good.
posted by lunasol at 4:22 PM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]

My brother has this book, and I almost stole it from him.
The pizza recipe (yup, PIZZA) is especially good.

The Best Skillet Recipes by Cook's Illustrated:
One pan is all you need! From breakfast all the way to dessert, one skillet is all you need for fast, flavorful meals. it's no surprise that meat, fish, and pasta dishes come together nicely in a skillet But pot pie can also be made in the pan. So can pizza, casseroles and souffles.

Put away that second pot for boiling pasta and cook it in its sauce right in the skillet. Start pizzas on the stovetop in the skillet and finish with a hot blast in the oven (still in the skellet). Spruce up your stir-fry repertoire with new and innovative ideas.

One pan means less clean up. The Best Skillet Recipes means a world of great and easy meals.
posted by jrobin276 at 4:42 PM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh, a cast iron skillet is worth every penny, too. Then you don't even have to wash the skillet!
posted by jrobin276 at 4:43 PM on November 16, 2013

Frittatas are great in a skillet, you start them on the stove and then finish them in the oven (so it needs to be a cast iron or other ovenproof skillet). You can put darn near anything in there, including leftovers. And I think leftover frittata reheats really nicely.
posted by padraigin at 6:26 PM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

I really enjoy a fillet of white fish with a squirt of lemon juice and some veggies. I do this all in one pan and use fresh or frozen veggies, depending on what I have. It' s simple, but very satifying.
posted by SarahBellum at 6:41 PM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

If you don't have a cast iron skillet ask around, a lot of people for some reason find them too difficult to use and will happily give you theirs. But you can go to the hardware store and buy a pre-seasoned Lodge skillet for about $20 (same as in town) and it's an amazing bargain for something that can work on stove top or in the oven, or even on a grill.
posted by padraigin at 9:30 PM on November 16, 2013

Beef stew can be a one-pot dish and you can use whatever veggies you like; maybe mushrooms instead of squash, and leave out the parsnips. You can make this in advance and it will re-heat well in a microwave.

The BBC has a whole section of one-pot recipes.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:04 AM on November 17, 2013

Response by poster: No worries on the skillet part - I cook a lot of these in an enameled cast iron skillet and we also have a regular one. More looking on the recipe side.
posted by graymouser at 5:31 AM on November 17, 2013

Lancashire Hotpot - delicious even without the kidneys - not an offal fan here.

Irish Stew - you don't really need the stock (which would add extra sodium); just make sure you brown your meat properly at the beginning with as little liquid as possible.

Both of these recipes can easily be adapted for preparation in a single skillet.
posted by h00py at 5:40 AM on November 17, 2013

This isn't a recipe, so much as a recipe template: one protein, two veggies, one skillet. I have been making this about once a week since I first saw it in 2010. For your constraints around 4-6 servings, a skillet isn't going to be big enough (veggies will take up too much volume); I'll sometimes cook a bunch of servings of this at once by using a cast iron dutch oven instead.
posted by kovacs at 6:57 AM on November 17, 2013

This is a very quick, simple recipe which I like a lot.

(1) Put some pasta in boiling water.
(2) Just before the pasta is ready, add frozen peas and bring the water back up to the boil.
(3) Drain it.
(4) Add salmon (tinned is fine) and a very small amount of oil.
(5) Season and stir.

I usually add salt at stage (5), but this isn't necessary. Pepper is good, lemon juice is good.

It's fairly cheap, healthy and takes only about ten minutes to make.
posted by HoraceH at 7:51 AM on November 17, 2013

I recently did a quicky one skillet dinner that went over really well. Toast some couscous in a bit of olive oil. Add a cup of chicken broth. Wait til the couscous is fluffy, then add in whatever veggies and protein you have on hand. I did kale and mushrooms. Here's the important part: stir in a small handful of toasted almonds and dried cranberries. They add a great pop of flavor and the almonds are a pleasant crunch.
posted by chatongriffes at 9:05 AM on November 17, 2013