Ahh the ol’ weeknight dinner slog…even those of us who adore cooking and are self-proclaimed foodies get tired of the expectation that something must be eaten every. night. Heh. I feel you, parents, I feel you.
This foodie is typically also a bit of an overachiever when it comes to meals, too, though. But back-to-school time is the trickiest season to make something yummy, comforting and nutritious happen.
So, in an effort to not completely lose it, I’m keeping my bar low right now and making a little go-to list of simple meals that can happen fast, but also tick all the boxes for my particular self.
First up? One of my very favorite, super-easy combos using one of my very favorite kitchen items…(And the best part? You can take 10% off right now with code MomEdit10)
Always Pan | Perfect Pot | Glasses | Side Plates | Spruce Steamer
This easy meal is not only super-quick to make, but is made even easier by my most-used pan in my kitchen: my Our Place Always Pan. I’ve had an Always Pan for over a year now, and every day that I cook on the stove, I use this beauty. It’s a real dream (and has some really dreamy features, too.)
My favorite features are the safe, nonstick ceramic coating (eggs slide beautifully off this baby) and the steamer/colander basket insert. The former makes cooking and clean up just so easy, and the latter is so useful, as you can see below. You can easily wash produce, drain, and then move to the pan for cooking. Genius.
This isn’t even a recipe, my friends. The most involved part is thinly slicing some garlic. I’ll be honest, half the time I use the pre-minced jar of garlic at that. If you can trim the ends off of green beans, you can make this meal.
I just got the Spruce Steamer to add to the Always Pan too, and now…we will be having this meal 3x a week…haha. OK, maybe that’s too often, but it’s that easy that I wouldn’t mind. (And easily made vegetarian or with meat options.)
Pot Stickers & Garlicky Green Beans…The Recipe(-ish)
Always Pan (includes this colander/steamer basket)
What You’ll Need:
1 pkg frozen potstickers, vegetable or chicken/pork
1 handful of green beans per person (I like fresh, but frozen is totes fine, too!)
Tsp neutral oil (I like avocado)
1 clove garlic, sliced thin (or pre-minced jarred garlic…lasts forever in the fridge)
Toppings & sauces for serving: soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, spicy chili crisp & Sriracha are our favs
Instructions:
Add green beans in the insert and approx. 1/4-1/3 c water to the pan, over medium heat (you don’t have to have the Always Pan very high…it will distribute heat at med to low temps!).
Place one included liner into the Spruce Steamer and place it on top of the Always Pan. Use the cooking chopsticks that come with the steamer to place your frozen potstickers into it. Then place the lid on top. Follow pot sticker package timeline for steaming, probably reversing the instructions (we’re going to brown them last instead of first here.)
While green beans and dumplings steam, thinly slice your 1-2 cloves of garlic…and wait patiently…keeping an eye on the pot (thanks for helping, Camper.)
After about 6-8 minutes, when potstickers are steamed and green beans are bright green, carefully transfer the potstickers into the pan with the green beans, using the chopsticks, and add your oil. Keep the green beans on one side of the pan and add your sliced garlic to them, stirring frequently.
Brown both the beans and the potstickers to your liking, 3-5 minutes, while also browning the garlic. Be sure not to burn it as it will get bitter, so you can keep the burner on medium-low as mentioned.
When the potstickers are nice and golden brown, add a sprinkling of salt to the green beans and serve both items alongside your favorite toppings or sauces. My favorite combo is a little drizzle of soy sauce and a couple dashes of rice wine vinegar on the dumplings, finished off with a bit of sriracha or spicy chili crisp. Then…ooh, I almost forgot to add that a little toasted sesame oil on the green beans is perfection. Now we can eat…
Always Pan | Perfect Pot | Glasses | Side Plates | Spruce Steamer
Enjoy with the ones you love (but for whom maybe you don’t love spending 90 minutes cooking dinner for every night. I’m thinking, this 5-star restaurant is only open for special occasions these days, friends.)
This dinner could not be more delicious, comforting and easy to add to the weekly rotation. You could also sub in steamed buns and broccoli and everything would cook just about the same way, in your fabulous, do-it-all Always Pan setup!
And Don’t Forget, The New Perfect Pot!
Perfect Pot | Glasses | Side Plates | Spruce Steamer
Ooh… if you haven’t heard yet, the new Our Place Perfect Pot was just released! It comes in some beautiful colors, has the same safe non-stick interior coating as the Always Pan and a great removable roasting rack inside.
The included wooden spoon also has the most ingenious notches on the back so you can easily rest it on the side of the pot while cooking. They really have thought of all the things. It’s so pretty and I cannot wait to use it!
Oh, and clean up on these pots and pans? Super simple. I wait until just after they cool completely and then wash gently with hot water and bit of soap, dry and put away. I’ve had zero issues keeping up with this routine, and they’re so quick to wash because of the coating. And then I know it’s ready for my next meal because I use it so often.
What’s your favorite easy meal that would work with this Our Place pan and steamer setup? Please share with us below so we can add it to our list!
xo,
L
Thank you so much to Our Place for sponsoring this post. I love the simply beautiful, well-made pieces at Our Place that keeps my collection of kitchen items to a minimum. They’re tasteful, work so so well and are also pretty to see hanging around in our space. Love the color options! Thank you readers for your continuing support of us and all we do here at The Mom Edit, too. We appreciate you!
Would love to have you follow me over on Instagram@laurajansenstylefor more rad fashion picks, kitchen dance parties, donut reviews and a side of taking things not too seriously, all from Portland, OR.
Lovely photos by the fab Dibble Photography.
