Instructions: When I grew up in the 50s and 60s, almost every meal had a meat, poultry or fish entree, a starch, a vegetable, a salad, even dessert. Today, many of us dont have time for such elaborate meals. Thats why one-pot meals are often so attractive.

One of the keys to fast stews and hearty soups and stews is to use tender cuts of meat or to use poultry or seafood because there isnt time for tougher cuts such as lamb shoulder or beef chuck to soften. A wide saute pan (or deep skillet) allows the contents to come to a boil more quickly because the ingredients are spread out evenly over the heating surface.

Another concept is layering, meaning first putting in ingredients that need more time to cook, then ingredients that need less. For example, in my curried vegetable stew, sliced sweet potatoes go in first, then onions and bell peppers, then green beans or the smaller haricots verts. After each addition, you prepare the vegetables for the next addition.

Perhaps the biggest category of one-pot meals is bean dishes. Chili immediately comes to mind. It could be vegetarian with just the beans (try a combination of two or three) or beans with corn kernels. If you use beef, it has to be a tender cut such as sirloin. But that can be expensive and fatty. A cheaper, lower-fat alternative would be cubed or ground turkey.

One of my favorite bean dishes is cassoulet. Cassoulet in 15 minutes? Sure, if you use canned beans, and smoked meats such as turkey kielbasa. However, if youre watching your sodium, be aware that smoked meats are very salty. Thats why instead of Canadian bacon, I chose fresh pork tenderloin. You could also use some of that leftover roast pork, duck or lamb from Sunday dinner.

You could use other beans such as cannellini (white kidney), navy or Great Northern beans. Some brands of beans are mushy, so experiment until you find the one you like.

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