5 cheap and easy one pot meals with the Ninja Foodi

Want to cook amazing family meals but can’t face washing up all those pots and pans? We hear you. And this is why the Ninja Foodi multicookers might be your next must-have appliance.

It’s a pressure cooker with plenty of tricks up its sleeve including air frying, slow cooking, tender crisping and much more. Using super-heated steam, it cooks meals up to 70% faster than conventional cooking and will save you bags of time. And because everything cooks in a single pot, the clean-up process is a piece of cake.

So let’s find out a bit more about the Foodi, and start with 5 winning recipes to get you going…

Ingredients:

• 225g linguini, broken in half

• 600ml chicken broth, divided

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon zest, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt, plus more for seasoning

• 4 uncooked mini chicken breast fillets (160–170g each)

• Ground black pepper, for seasoning

• 50g plain flour

• 42g unsalted butter, melted

• 75g grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 tablespoons capers

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Method:

1. Put pasta, 480ml chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and salt into the pot and stir.

2. Assemble pressure lid and make sure the pressure release valve is in the SEAL position. Choose PRESSURE and set to HIGH. Set the time to 5 minutes and press START/STOP to begin.

3. When pressure cooking is finished, turn the pressure release valve to the VENT position. Carefully remove lid after pressure is released.

4. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat in flour. Brush both sides with melted butter.

5. Stir parmesan cheese, capers, remaining chicken broth and lemon juice, and lemon zest into the pasta. Place reversible rack in higher position over the pasta in the pot, and place chicken on rack.

6. Close crisping lid. Select BAKE/ROAST, set temperature to 190°C, and set time to 8–10 minutes. Select START/STOP to begin.

7. Cooking is finished when chicken is lightly browned. Stir parsley into pasta and season with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter

• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 300g whipping cream, warm

• 2 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 70g water

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half, then cut in 1/4-inch-thick half moons

• 180g grated cheddar cheese, divided

• 60g chopped walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds

Method:

1. Select SEAR/SAUTÉ and set to MD:HI. Select START/STOP to begin. Preheat for 5 minutes.

2. Add butter and let it melt, then add flour and stir until roux forms.

3. Cook roux for 2 minutes, then slowly add warm cream while whisking constantly. The mixture should be quite thick.

4. Once all cream is added, add salt and pumpkin pie spice and stir. Then add water, stir and simmer mixture for 3 minutes.

5. Add sweet potatoes.

6. Assemble pressure lid, make sure the pressure release valve is in SEAL position. Choose PRESSURE and set to LOW. Set time to 1 minute and press START/STOP.

7. When pressure cooking is finished, turn the pressure release valve to the VENT position. Carefully remove lid after pressure is released.

8. Stir 40g shredded cheese into sweet potato mixture.

9. Make sure mixture is flat. Cover mixture with remaining cheese and nits.

10. Close crisping lid, select GRILL and set to 5 minutes. Select START/STOP, and cook until cheese is melted and golden brown.

11. Allow gratin to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 250 links chorizo or spicy sausage, sliced 1.5cm

• 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 2.5cm pieces

• 1 medium onion, peeled, finely chopped

• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• Pinch saffron threads, crumbled

• 1 can (400g) diced tomatoes

• 60ml white wine

• 120ml chicken stock

• 200g basmati rice, rinsed under cold water until runs clear

• 350g frozen jumbo king prawns peeled, deveined

• 450g mussels, scrubbed

• Juice of 1 lemon, for serving

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, for garnish

Method:

1. Select SEAR/SAUTÉ and set to HIGH. Select START/STOP to begin. Preheat for 5 minutes.

2. Add oil, sausage and chicken and sauté for 5 minutes.

3. Add onion, red pepper, garlic and spices. Sauté for 5 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes, wine, stock, rice, shrimp and mussels, and stir.

5. Assemble pressure lid, make sure the pressure release valve is in SEAL position. Choose PRESSURE and set to HIGH. Set time to 2 minutes and press START/STOP.

6. When pressure cooking is finished, turn the pressure release valve to the VENT position. Carefully remove lid after pressure is released.. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

7. Top with lemon juice and parsley and serve.

Ingredients:

• 450g uncooked chicken breasts, pounded to 1cm thin cutlets

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 3 tbsp flour

• 1 large egg, whisked

• 75g panko bread crumbs

• 3–4 tbsp oil

• 200g uncooked basmati rice, rinsed

• 360ml water

• 1 large carrot, peeled, cut in 1-inch cubes

• 1 small onion, peeled, cut in 1-inch cubes

• 300g (2) white potatoes, peeled, cut in 1-inch cubes

• 2 packs (140g each) Katsu curry sauce

Method:

1. Select SEAR/SAUTÉ and set to MD:HI. Select START/STOP to begin. Preheat for 5 minutes.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Place flour, egg and bread crumbs in separate bowls. Coat chicken cutlets with flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.

4. After 5 minutes, add oil to pot. Place cutlets in and cook 3–4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

5. Transfer chicken to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Wipe remaining oil away from pot.

6. Add rice and water to pot. Place reversible rack in the pot and put it in the lower position. Add remaining ingredients to Ninja multi-purpose pan and place it on rack.

7. Assemble pressure lid, make sure the pressure release valve is in SEAL position. Choose PRESSURE and set to HIGH. Set time to 4 minutes and press START/STOP.

8. Once cooked, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, quick release remaining pressure by moving pressure release valve into VENT position. Carefully remove lid.

9. Stir vegetables with curry sauce. Remove pan and rack from pot. Fluff rice with fork. Serve chicken with rice and curried vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 40g sugar

• 3 large eggs, separated

• 250ml of whipping cream

• 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

• Pinch of salt

• Additional sugar for the top

Method:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar with whisk.

2. In a separate microwavable bowl, combine cream, salt and vanilla. Microwave until mixture reaches 70–80°C.

3. Temper egg mixture: while mixing, pour a small amount of cream in until well combined. Then pour remaining cream mixture and stir well with whisk.

4. Pour mixture into shallow baking dish or 3 separate ramekins. Wrap each dish tightly with silver foil.

5. Pour 250ml water into Foodi pot. Insert the Cook & Crisp basket into pot and gently place ramekins or baking dish inside.

6. Assemble pressure lid, make sure the pressure release valve is in SEAL position. Choose PRESSURE and set to LOW. Set time to 13 minutes and press START/STOP.

7. Once cooked, allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, quick release remaining pressure by moving pressure release valve into VENT position. Carefully remove lid.

8. Using tongs, remove foil wrapped dishes from basket and let them cool for 5 minutes. Unwrap and discard foil. The centre of the custard should jiggle, and tops will be shiny.

9. Chill ramekins in fridge for minimum 4 hours, and up to 3 days.

10. Remove ramekins from fridge, sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon of sugard. Use a torch or place ramekins back in the Foodi and use the grill function to caramelise the sugar on top.

11. Let the tops cool for 3 minutes and dig in!

Why choose one pot meals with the Ninja Foodi?

Because why wouldn’t you? Even keen cooks know that sometimes it can be a hassles, from cleaning up loads of pots and pans to needlessly complicated recipes. The Ninja Foodi cuts this out with its ability to make versatile and easy-to-use one pot meals. And when we say one pot meals, we mean it. If you’re cooking meat, veg and a grain (for example) they can all be cooked at the same time, and very quickly at that.

Then after, different parts of the Ninja Foodi can be removed and popped through the dishwasher. It’s super simple. So you get healthy, well-balanced meals without sacrificing your whole evening.

And Ninja Foodis come in all shapes and sizes, so you can find the right fit for your kitchen….

Other budget-friendly recipe ideas for the Ninja Foodi

There’s no need to fire up the oven and grill when cooking warming classics, like vegetable or meat stews or chili. All these can be tackled with the Ninja Foodi. To adapt your favorite one-pot meals to the Ninja Foodi, simple use sauteeing function to seal the meat (or fry the veg off) and then use the pressure cooker to combine everything and the grill if you’re looking for a crunchy topping. All in one pot!

The great thing about Ninja products is their very active community of fans alive. You’ll find recipes and instructions all over YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, or you can head straight to the Ninja Kitchen for recipes and inspiration.

What’s next?

Feeling inspired to get cooking with some clever kitchen tech? Check out our delicious vegan air fryer recipes. Or if you want something meaty, we’ve got chicken and salmon air fryer recipes too. And for more gourmet gadgets, check out our Small kitchen appliances buying guide.