The “I Don’t Want To Cook” Book: Dinners Done in One Pot

Brantley’s (The “I Don’t Want To Cook” Book: 100 Tasty, Healthy, Low-Prep Recipes for When You Just Don’t Want To Cook) latest volume of in-a-pinch dishes will simplify meal prep for busy people who want to sit down to cozy, comforting meals at the end of a hectic day. She’s provided recipes for on-the-fly dinners and low-prep make-ahead dishes, all using her single-vessel approach, which makes cooking and cleanup equally quick. The book includes a list of basic tools, all accessible and inexpensive, that help cooks take shortcuts, and she’s suggested some easy grocery swaps that further streamline meal time such as precut veggies, precooked rice, and fast-cooking or no-cook proteins. Her happy, homey meals take a “use what you have” approach, with plenty of substitution suggestions, all guided by two rules: read the recipe first, and prep before cooking—not while cooking. Recipes like broken linguine with canned clams have an elegance that belies their easiness, and the shortcuts make already fast dishes, such as shrimp and grits, even easier.