Three cozy one-pan vegan dinners

Hey, hungry friend. It’s November, it’s dark by 5, and nobody wants a sink full of pots. This week is three cozy dinners that each fit in one pan, all hearty enough to go back for seconds.

This week’s dinners

• One-pot chili mac: 35 min, serves 4, about 24 g protein per serving. It’s chili and mac and cheese in one pot, and it’s on the table before the kids finish complaining.

• Sheet pan maple mustard tempeh with potatoes and broccoli: 45 min, serves 4, about 29 g protein per serving. One pan, crispy potatoes and a glaze you’ll want to put on everything.

• Creamy Tuscan white bean and tofu skillet: 35 min, serves 4, about 28 g protein per serving. It tastes like a fancy restaurant skillet and it’s mostly canned stuff from your pantry.

Pantry check: TVP, kidney beans, tempeh, cannellini beans, nutritional yeast.

Preheat your sheet pan

Put the empty sheet pan in the oven while it preheats. When cold potatoes hit hot metal, they start searing right away instead of steaming in their own moisture. You get browned, crispy edges without fussing over them. Grab oven mitts and spread the potatoes fast so the pan stays hot.

Reader question: Why does my tempeh taste bitter, and do I have to steam it first?

Some brands have a slightly bitter, funky edge, and steaming or simmering the tempeh for 10 minutes mellows it out. Steaming also helps it soak up marinades a little better. But it isn’t required. Fresh tempeh cut small and tossed in a bold sauce, like this week’s maple mustard glaze, usually tastes great straight from the package. Try your brand plain once, then decide if it needs the steam.

See you Sunday,
Hungry Vegan

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