If you're a lazy cook or someone who hates mess then one pan or sheet pan or one tray dinners (however you want to say it) are your solution to stress and mess free cooking! 

Picture this...

You chop up all your ingredients, place them in a pan, add you're desired seasoning, cook and your done with only a chopping board, knife and pan to wash up...the ideal cooking scenario, am I right?!

I believe food is meant to be SUPER tasty and cooking is meant to be SUPER easy so I am really excited to share with you my favourite one pan and tray dinners...

1. Osso Buco

Meat that is slow cooked in an incredible wine/tomato sauce with veggies and spices is SO GOOD! It's the BEST with some buttery mash potato....but you didn't hear that from me 😂 😜 Or also amazing with some rice! The meat is sooooo soft, it basically falls off the bone!

Ingredients: 

1.2 kg of osso bucco
1 tbsp of freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp of sea salt
1 tbsp of dried oregano
1/2 cup of plain flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 brown onions, finely chopped 3 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 small chopped chilli
1 bay leaf
2 tbs of tomato paste
1/4 cup of white wine
1 400g can of chopped organic tomatoes (or 4 very ripe fresh tomatoes)
2L beef stock
parsley and lemon zest for serving

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius. 
2. Season osso bucco with salt, pepper and oregano. 
3. Coat the meat in flour and set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large pan (i’ve used a bessemer baking dish) and fry each piece of meat until lightly brown on both sides. Remove and set aside.
5. Splash and small amount of olive oil into the pot and add carrots, onions, celery, garlic and bay leaf to the pan and leave to simmer for 10 minutes or until soft (we want them to just be cooked, don’t brown them!)
6. Add tomato paste and cook for a further 1 minute.
7. Pour white wine in and reduce heat for 5 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes.
8. Add in stock and bring to boil. **if you are not using a deep roasting dish, now is the time to swap to a deeper pan!
9. Place the meat back into this dish and cover with the sauce.
10. Season with a small sprinkle of sea salt. Cover with alfoil or a lid and cook in the oven for 3 hours on 160 degrees.
11. Check back after 45 minutes and add more stock or water if needed.
    
    Tip: Once cooked, if sauce if too runny, carefully take out the veal and place on a serving place. put dish back onto the stove and reduce. Serve on a bed of rice or mash potato!

2. Chicken and Capsicum Bake

One Tray Chicken Bake! YESSSS!!! I love these type of recipes! They're sorta like "chop everything, throw into a tray and hope for the best" Sorta thing! 

Serves 4 - 6 

Ingredients: 
6 chicken thighs, excess fat cut off 
2 tbsp. olive oil 
1 green capsicum, sliced 
1 red capsicum, sliced 
1 yellow capsicum, sliced 
500g baby white potatoes, quartered 
200g cherry tomatoes, halved 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped 
1 red onion, quartered 
3 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers
1 tbsp. dried oregano 
Large pinch of salt and pepper 
1/2 lemon, juiced 

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. In a large pan, brown the chicken thigh fillets, seasoning them with a pinch of  salt and pepper. Set aside once browned. 
3. In a large, oven safe dish add the capsicums, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil and give it all a big mix. 
4. Place the browned chicken into the dish and squeeze lemon all over. 
5. Place into the oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. 
6. Remove from the oven and serve with rice! 

3. Pesto Salmon

This pesto salmon is the beeessst!  Such an easy one tray dinner. The pesto can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for more amazingness (helllooo salad dressing!!) for up to 3 weeks. Store in an air tight container and in the fridge. 

Serves two
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
2 carrots, sliced 
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 handfuls of string beans, tips and tails cut
1 red onion, quatered
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly 
1 asparagus bunch, bottoms cut 

Pesto:
3 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup parmesan
2/3 cup of light olive oil
2/3 cup slivered almonds
salt and pepper
1/2 small lemon juice
1 garlic clove

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Add all ingredients under "pesto" into a food processor and blend. I like it a little chunky - but its up to you for consistency!
3. Place all vegetables onto a lined baking tray.
4. Sprinkle the garlic over top with some salt, pepper and olive oil.
5. Place into oven for 15 minutes.
6. Take out and place salmon on the same try, spoon pesto mixture on top of salmon and bake in the oven uncovered for a further 15 minutes.
7. Eat! Serve with rice or salad!

Give a recipe a go this week and let me know me know your thoughts below. I LOVE hearing all your feedback! Be sure to also share your creation on Instagram by tagging me at @leahisines and using the hashtag #leahitsines so I can comment, like and share!

Happy cooking,

Leah x