Brilliant beef and pork recipes for everyone who hates doing the dishes

Editor's note: This is the third in a five-part series of main-dish meals that can be cooked in a single pot, pan or skillet.

Whether you like cooking, love it or are indifferent to the task, most of us can agree that washing a lot of pots and pans after dinner is a drag. Wouldn't it instead be easier if there were really only one? One skillet or one Dutch oven, one sheet pan, one pot? Wouldn't that be great?

Imagine the ease of it, to come home from work and turn on the oven, line a sheet pan with foil or parchment, tip onto it some vegetables, some protein, some aromatics and sauce: Dinner, nothing else required!

That's why the editors of NYT Cooking have put together this modest (and beautiful), wide-ranging (and tightly focused) collection of recipes devoted to the celebration of one-vessel cooking, on the stovetop and in the oven.

They come from the stars of our universe: Melissa Clark, Alison Roman, Julia Moskin, Ali Slagle, David Tanis, Tejal Rao, Yewande Komolafe, Colu Henry, Joan Nathan, Kay Chun - even me!

The majority will deliver a whole meal in a single pot, pan or skillet, full stop. For others, you'll need to add only a vegetable or starchy side dish if you desire one, a salad, a basket of bread.

There are vegetarian situations, and vegan ones too, lots of fish, plenty of chicken, plenty of stew. The only constant among them is our desire to make cooking easier (and wildly delicious) and to deliver you from the sadness of a sink filled with dishes.

Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew

Here's a meaty, cold-weather stew from Melissa Clark, laden with white beans, sweet Italian sausage, rosemary, thyme, cumin and garlic. Its deep flavor and complexity belies how easy it is to make. Pan-fry the sausages in a bit of olive oil, then sauté the vegetables in the drippings with cumin and tomato paste. Add plenty of water and the dried beans that, wait for it, you did not have to soak. Simmer until the house is fragrant and maybe the windows are fogged up and everyone's looking at you hungrily, about two hours.

Time: 2 1/2 hours

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced -inch thick

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 medium carrots, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound dried great Northern beans, rinsed and picked through

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

2 thyme sprigs

1 large rosemary sprig

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high. Add the sausage and brown until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Add the tomato paste and cumin to the pot. Cook, stirring, until dark golden, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, 8 cups water, salt, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 2 hours, adding more water if needed to make sure the beans remain submerged.

When beans are tender, return the sausage to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into warm bowls and serve drizzled with more vinegar and olive oil.

Tips

* Make this in the slow cooker by adding all the ingredients, except the sausage and garnishes, and 7 cups water (instead of 8) to the machine. Cook on low for 8 hours. (It holds well on low for 2 more hours.) When you're ready to serve, roast the sausage on a sheet pan at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. Slice and add the sausage, as well as any accumulated juices from the pan, to the soup. Warm through and serve.

* Fish out a cup or two of beans at the end, and either whiz them up in a food processor or mash them in a bowl, then return them to the pot for added creaminess.

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Beef and pork recipes

Korean Braised Short Rib Stew

Here is Sam Sifton's adaptation of the Los Angeles chef Roy Choi's mother's recipe for the Korean braised short rib stew known as galbijjim, a staple of neighborhood potlucks and church suppers and, in Choi's words, "that meal from home that every Korean kid says his or her mom does best." It is rich and deeply flavored, thickly sauced and pungent with sugar, spice, soy and garlic. It is the sort of dinner you could put together on a weekend afternoon and serve for nights to come, the best sort of family food.

Time: 3 1/2 hours

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

4 pounds bone-in short ribs

1 small bunch scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups soy sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger

1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped

1/2 cup garlic cloves, peeled (about 2 heads)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup mirin

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems reserved for another use, halved or quartered if large

1 cup jarred, peeled chestnuts

1 cup taro, peeled and cut into large dice (about a 3-inch segment)

1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into large dice (about 2 carrots)

1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about half a squash)

Put the short ribs into a bowl, and cover with water. Drain, and discard water. Repeat twice. Remove short ribs from the bowl, and score them diagonally across the top of the meat. Return ribs to the bowl, and rinse again. Remove, and pat dry.

In a blender or food processor, combine scallions, soy sauce, ginger, onion, garlic, sugar, mirin, orange juice and apple juice, then pulse to purée. Add a little water if you need to thin out the sauce so it combines.

Put puréed sauce in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with a lid, add 3 cups water and stir to combine. Bring pot to a boil over high heat, then add the ribs to the pot and lower heat to a simmer. Cover pot.

Cook ribs over low for at least 2 hours. Add vegetables, cover and simmer, 30 minutes more or so, until meat is tender and vegetables are cooked through. Serve warm.

Note: Short ribs produce a good amount of fat. Get rid of the excess by making the stew ahead of time, refrigerating it overnight and skimming off any fat that collects on top. (Reserve for cooking potatoes or other root vegetables.) Warm through before serving.

Tips

* For a slow-cooker version, add the scored meat, vegetables, sauce and 2 cups water (instead of 3) to the machine. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. If you like firmer vegetables, wait to add them to the slow cooker 5 to 6 hours into cooking.

* You can also cook the short ribs in an outdoor smoker for an hour or two before adding them to the braising liquid. That is outrageously good.

Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

This rich, comforting stew was brought to The Times by Regina Schrambling in 2001, in the dark days immediately after the 91 1 attacks. "Whoever said cooking should be entered into with abandon or not at all had it wrong," Regina wrote at the time. "Going into it when you have no hope is sometimes just what you need to get to a better place. Long before there were antidepressants, there was stew." This one is not difficult to prepare, but it cannot be rushed. Make it when you have time to indulge in the meditative qualities of chopping and sautéing, reducing and braising.

Time: About 3 hours

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1/4 pound salt pork, diced

1 large onion, finely diced

3 shallots, chopped

2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pounds beef chuck, in 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup Cognac

2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons Pommery mustard or other whole-grain Dijon mustard

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into half-moon slices

1/2 pound mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and quartered

1/4 cup red wine

Place salt pork in a Dutch oven over low heat, and cook until fat is rendered. Remove solid pieces with a slotted spoon, and discard. Raise heat, and add onion and shallots. Cook until softened but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.

If necessary, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pot to augment fat. Dust beef cubes with flour, and season with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour, and place half the cubes in the pot. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions. Repeat with remaining beef.

Add Cognac to the empty pot, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and the crust comes loose. Add stock, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pot. Lower heat, partly cover, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Add carrots, and continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until slices are tender. As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high, and sauté mushrooms until browned.

Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining mustard and red wine. Simmer 5 minutes, then taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Tip

* For a slow-cooker version, render the salt pork in a large sauté pan, then sear the flour-dusted beef cubes in the fat. While the beef is browning, add onions, shallots, carrots, mushrooms and red wine to the slow cooker, along with the browned beef. Add Cognac to the empty pan, and deglaze. Add 1 cup stock (instead of 2), Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard. Transfer to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons Pommery mustard and warm through before serving.

Sausages and Brussels Sprouts With Honey Mustard

This simple recipe for sausages, Brussels sprouts and potatoes glazed with honey mustard, then roasted, comes from Ali Slagle. The fat from the sausages coats and seasons the vegetables, and the honey encourages caramelization. It's a sweet, salty, slightly acidic combination that may well join your weekly rotation, especially as you experiment with the vegetables, swapping in squash or broccoli, cherry tomatoes, carrots or cabbage.

Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

1 pound fresh sausage, such as sweet or hot Italian, or bratwurst

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise

1 pound small potatoes, like baby Yukon gold or red potatoes, halved

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed Kosher salt and black pepper

4 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds (optional)

1/4 cup almonds or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Heat oven to 450 degrees, and place a sheet pan in the oven. Score the sausages in a few places on both sides, making sure not to cut all the way through. Transfer to a large bowl with the Brussels sprouts, potatoes and 2 tablespoons olive oil, and stir until coated. (If the mixture seems dry, add a little more oil.) Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture in an even layer on the heated baking sheet, and arrange the vegetables cut sides down. Roast 15 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts and potatoes start to soften. (The sausages will not be cooked through yet.)

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the honey, mustard and mustard seeds, if using.

Drizzle the honey mustard over the sausages and vegetables, and toss or shake to coat. Flip the sausages. Sprinkle with almonds, if using. Roast until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are golden and tender, another 10 minutes or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tips

* Mustard seeds and nuts add texture and crunch, but they're not required.

* Use a sharp paring knife to prick a few holes in each of the sausages, so they don't burst.

Pork Chops With Feta, Snap Peas and Mint

Melissa Clark came up with this amazing recipe of brawny seared pork chops rounded out with sweet sugar snap peas and loads of fresh mint. The feta, scattered over the dish at the end, melts into the pork and peas, and spikes the sauce with a delicious brininess. Balance is everything: The fresh lemon juice you add at the end cuts the richness and replaces it with an artful tang.

Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

2 (1 1/4-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 1 pound each)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, plus more for serving

2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or basil, plus more for serving

Large pinch of red-pepper flakes

1/2 cup crumbled feta

Lemon juice, for serving

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high until shimmering.

Add the pork chops to skillet and sear, without moving, until dark golden, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Lower heat, cover pan and cook the pork chops for 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate.

Return the skillet to the stove, and reduce heat to medium. Add butter to remaining oil in skillet, then add scallions and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add snap peas, mint, red-pepper flakes and a pinch of salt, stirring everything to coat with pan juices.

Making space in the skillet, return pork chops to pan, surrounding them with snap peas. If necessary, you can mound snap peas on top of pork, but make sure the meat sits directly on the bottom of pan. Scatter feta over pork and snap peas. Cover, and cook over low heat until pork chops are just cooked through, 3 to 6 minutes longer.

Drizzle or squeeze lemon juice over the dish, and sprinkle with more mint, scallions and black pepper before serving.

Tips

* If you can lay your hands on some small-farm pork for this dish, it's worth the expense, since the chops will be well larded with fat. If you can't, make sure to brown the meat deeply at the start of the recipe, creating a flavorful crust and sealing in the meat's juiciness.

* Snow peas or asparagus would be worthy substitutes for the snap peas, depending on the season.

Sam Sifton is founding editor of NYT Cooking for The New York Times.