It’s become popular in recent years to keep a gratitude journal. Often no more than a simple notebook, this practice allows one to list and enumerate the many things for which they feel grateful. I’ve often considered adopting this habit, but have never quite managed to commit to that kind of journaling (sometimes it’s all I can do to keep up this website).
However, I have much that for which I am grateful. And if I were to start making lists, near the top would be my gratitude for my dinner making abilities. It might sound silly, but I am grateful that it’s something I have both the means and the skills to do without a whole lot of heartache or struggle.
Throughout my adult life, I’ve picked up an assortment of know-how related to making dinner. How to make soup. How to roast vegetables. How to toast grains in a little bit of butter before adding water to increase their deliciousness. And how to make a one-pot pasta dish.
I’ve made a number of these pasta dishes over the years (here’s a memorably delicious one) and their original inspiration is always the single skillet pasta recipe from Martha Stewart that took the internet by storm a several years back. This one takes a bit longer than the Martha version, but most of the time is hands off, so it still manages to feel blessedly simple.
This particular one-pan pasta dish features a whole bunch of leeks, braised boneless, skinless chicken thighs, baby spinach, creme fraiche (for creaminess), and several tablespoons of diced preserved lemon peel (about three-quarters of a small preserved lemon).
The resulting meal is hearty, bright, and really comforting. It reminds me of the casseroles of my childhood, only without a can of cream of mushroom soup.
I made this dish this weekend particularly to feature the Lagostina Nera Hard Anodized 5 Quart Casserole. A few months back, a rep from Lagostina emailed and invited me to participate a promotion/giveaway to show off the goodness that is this pan.
And it is good. The wide cooking area and non-stick surface makes for quick cooking and even speedier clean-up. The tight-fitting lid makes a nice braising environment. It’s oven safe (in case you want to crisp the top of your pasta). And it’s pretty enough to go straight from stovetop to the table.
The Lagostina Nera Hard Anodized 5 Quart Casserole is valued at $49.99 (a steal for such a sturdy pan) and can be found exclusively at Macy’s. For more information about Lagostina, check out their social accounts and visit their website.
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Thanks to the kind folks at Lagostina, I have one of these lovely casseroles to give away. Please use the widget below to enter.
Disclosure: Lagostina sent me this casserole to use and write about. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large leeks, well washed, trimmed of the tough ends and sliced into half moons
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 12 ounces baby spinach
- 12 ounces small pasta
- 4 ounces crème fraiche
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3-4 tablespoons diced preserved lemon peel
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over high heat in a five quart casserole like the one pictured above. Add the cleaned and sliced leeks and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat, until they wilt and reduce.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Push the cooking leeks to one side of the pan and arrange the chicken among the leeks. Cook the chicken until brown and flip.
- Add the chicken stock to the pan (I dissolved a couple spoonfuls of Better Than Bouillon into 4 cups of boiling water) and cover. Reduce heat to medium and braise for 30 minutes.
- When time is up, add the baby spinach to the pan. Cover and cook for five minutes.
- Stir the wilting spinach into the chicken and use your spatula to break up the chicken into shreds.
- Add the pasta (if the pan is looking dry, add a bit more water). Cover and cook for 12-14 minutes, until pasta is tender.
- Stir in the creme fraiche, parmesan cheese and preserved lemon peel. If the pan looks dry, add a splash of water to loosen the pasta.
- Serve hot.
I would make a large chicken and sausage casserole. It’s the perfect size!
I’d make braised chicken with leeks.
I might just be super suggestible, but the recipe you posted seems spot on. And I’m always in the market for something that uses my preserved lemons!
This looks yummy!
I have been really into the one pot pasta dishes recently as well! Eating Well magazine had a spread on them in the last issue – my favorite is one with kale, tomatoes, onions and (in our house, veggie) sausage.
I would make soups for sure. I often make soups in the winter especially.
I would love to make this! I am always looking for recipes that use preserved lemons since one jar tends to go a long way.
I love casseroles that can go from stovetop to oven. I would make polenta in this!
Soups, something hearty with potatoes and sausage. I like that I can also put this in the oven!
Would love to make soup in this!
If it’ll handle it, I’d give it a go with Coq au Vin
I just ordered ATC’S one dish cookbook -this seems like a perfect match!!
I would probably start with a lamb & chickpea stew!
Would love it to make a great curry or tikka masala…
Chicken braised in milk.
stove top mac and cheese…..
Cooks Illustrated has a whole collection of recipes that use a single skillet, but I often find that I make a mess of the stove with the shallow sides. This pan looks like it would be perfect for those dishes without the huge mess.
I’m a looking for more comfort food
I would try your recipe simply because I love all the ingredients ts and it sounds absolutely wonderful.
Yah !!! A new casserole to play with. I am a homecook, everything homemade, and my toys (as I call them) are ALL my cooking apperatices. I would love to have the oppertunity to play with this new casserole. As we speak, I am making homemade Beef enchiladas that will finish off in the oven in a casserole dish. I would LOVE, Love, Love to make my chicken & asparagus casserole in it as well. I do look forward to the opertunity. Thank you!
Well now I want to make what you made, but I’ve been planning something with leg of lamb.
I would make a stew, perhaps experiment and do a lamb stew.
I love making homemade bone and veggie broths right now so I’d probably start with that!
I would make chicken and rice.
i would make a boulaisse sauce first!
hmmm…. I think a rich 5 cheese mac n cheese would be a great start – and maybe add in some crisp bacon or chopped ham.
I would make a wine-braised chicken dish that my neighbor and I were just st talking about today!
I would love to make chicken and dumplings or chili in that pan! It’s gorgeous 🙂 thanks for the giveaway!
The first thing I would make is this Chicken and Leek Casserole! I just started some preserved lemons after using up my last batch and the recipe sounds excellent.
I love all things tomatoes. Add some beef and veggies and I have dinner. This is one beautiful pan.
Baked chicken
Stock, tuna casserole (first on the stove then finished in the oven), jam, lentils & sausage, tomato soup with rice and barley, ketchup, beef stew, chicken stew, what *wouldn’t* I make?
I have a recipe for pumpkin and goat cheese one pot pasta that I love, so that would be first in the pot!
I would love to try the recipe you posted. It looks delicous
I’d enjoy using this to make soup and some of our big batches of pasta sauce.
I would make red beans and rice.
If I won, I think it would be fitting to make your chicken & leek pasta first!
I would make chicken and dumplings.
I’m on the lookout for recipes using preserved lemons as well – and chicken and dumplings is one of my favorites! This pan would be used often and with enthusiasm ~
Will definitely try this recipe. I didn’t make preserved lemons in Feb. Is there a good substitute or should I just leave them out? I’ve started one pan recipe board in Pinterest so this will be a good addition.
This would be great for any one-pot pasta, like fusilli with bacon tomato sauce or any mac and cheese.
Love the pot!
Oh yes! I’d make Dijon chicken, or stir fry, or any other amazing things! I love the versatility of this pan- stovetop to oven!
Seafood gumbo, this is the perfect sized pot to make it in.
This pan would get a lot of use in my kitchen ! The chicken and leeks sounds wonderful. Even if I don’t win. thanks for the opportunity, Marisa.
I do make a lot of soups but I think my first time using this pot if I should win would be my homemade spaghetti sauce or some homemade salsa.
thank U 4 this giveaway opportunity.
(Sorry, but I don’t use Facebook or Twitter)
chicken and dumplings – comfort food!
My preserved lemons have been waiting for this leek, chicken, preserved lemon, & pasta recipe. Now I’ll have the best pot!
What a beautiful pot. The recipes look delicious! I will give them a try!
I would use it to make arroz con pollo!
A pan like this would be great for homemade tomato sauce.
This is a beautiful pan that would be very useful!
I would make a pot of soup in this beautiful pan.
Mmmm… your recope looks tasty! So many great dishes could be made in that gorgeous pan… pork green chili… sundried tomato marinara… hard to choose just one!
I also am a fan of the one pot or one skillet dinners. Love having something satisfying, healthy and easy to feed the family without a huge cleanup.
What’s more awesome than a nice looking, one pot meal, prepared in a terrific casserole? It’s still winter here; rain, rain, rain…and this casserole would make meal prep fun!
This pot is lovely and I would love to try this chicken recipe in it!
I love one pot meals!
your recipe looks good!
beautiful! the dish and the food 🙂
This looks like it would be lovely for stews. And for making jam.
A gorgeous pan and an inspiration to try this recipe.
The receipe featured here looks delicious! I’d probably try that.
So many good things could come from this pan! Just my style of cooking.
Looks like a great pan for jam and jelly making!
I would make pad Thai or a green curry.
I would make mac n cheese with bacon and caramelized sweet onions.
I’d make some of my Hubby’s favorite food…chili!!!
A pasta maybe with some broccoli rabe and some fresh mozzerella and parm – throw in some good pasta water and let it just simmer or maybe put in the oven and let it get all crunchy on top. Thanks for the giveaway
What a delicious looking dinner! I’d use this to make my baked beans, stews and soups for my soup club, and one-pot dinners.
I would make cajun chicken pasta
This pasta!!!!! Sounds amazing!
Any of your wonderful recipes!!!!
Beautiful! Perfect for soups or my long over due chutney!
Arroz con pollo would cook up beautifully in this pan.
This chicken & leek casserole looks like a perfect thing to make in this pot! 🙂 But chili or some curries would be wonderful too.
I would make this recipe – it is exactly what I was looking for and I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
Soups and stews 🙂
Beautiful and useful! Soups!
I would use this pan first to make a pork chop and potatoes dish that we like.
Probably would make a lot of soup and dal.
Soups & stews on the menu here.
I make spaghetti sauce a lot. This would be great for that.
Mmm, I’d make white chicken chili in it!
I think I’d try the Chana Masala recipe on the Lagostina Facebook page!
Chili!
I would make some oven baked macaroni and cheese, with that golden brown layer of cheese on top.
The possibilities are endless! Nice to see a preserved lemon use. (I bought 10lbs of lemons from your favorite source! LOVE them!)
I would make minestrone!!
The first thing I would make is beef chile verde! OMG, my mouth just watered! 🙂
I’m planning to make braised round steak this weekend, with beef from the family farm. this would be perfect for that!
I would make a big pot of veggie soup.
I am not sure what I would make, but I’m sure it would turn out tasty!
One pot pasta!
Definitely Sunday chicken and rice!
I would make my homemade macaroni & cheese with roasted broccoli and bacon.
Actually, I’d start with THIS recipe,lol. It sounds fantastic. I newly love boneless, skinless chicken thighs so it would be great. I also make a huge batch of cabbage-veggie soup every week so this would SO help, my old big pot is really thin on the bottom so stuff tends to burn. Crossing my fingers!
I would make Spring Pasta! Tomatoes, asparagus, sausage and TONS of garlic.
I think I would use to it make sauce. It is beautiful
What a beautiful pan! Soups and casseroles, for sure.
Looks delicious, I’d love to make this recipe.
I’d make my favorite one-pot meal: AIP/Paleo Chicken Curry from “Nourish” by Rachel Bryant. It’s dairy-free, grain-free, and nightshade-free, but jam-packed with wonderful flavor! Delicious!
I would make soups, stews, sauces, you name it! I would also make this pasta. I am always looking for new ways to use preserved lemons. So many if the recipes I find are heavily spiced, and some of my family are averse to such intense spice flavor in their food. This looks simple and light. Thank you!
I’m going to make this recipe whether I win that pan or not! Thanks!
Question – can you use this pan for small batches of jam, or no?
Soups and maybe even a roast.
I would use this pot mainly for soup making.
Lots of long braises…soup in the summertime.
I would make homemade Cajun chicken pasta for my family! Thanks for an AWESOME GIVEAWAY!!
I would make a stew.
One last risotto before the temperatures rise! Thanks for the recipe inspiration + opportunity to win. Cheers.
I would make red beans and rice! I’ve got a ham bone in the freezer just waiting for it.
I would make all the delicious chicken one pot recipes I find on Pinterest.
Mushrooms – loads of mushrooms. Possibly a mushroom bourguignon?
And if the pan could bring me closer to a Wegmans, even better!
The chicken and leeks looks like a good way to start!
Soups and sauces, juice concentrates for canning…
id make a stew looks like i could fry chicken in it also but im not sure
I love to make creamy chicken soup and also try this pasta recipe with Lagostina Nera Hard Anodized 5 Quart Casserole!
I’d make the pasta featured.
I would make this wonderful looking chicken and leek meal, although I also plan to make it tonight.
I would make this beautiful Shakshuka with Eggplant, Chickpeas, and Chard that I just pinned: http://www.theroastedroot.net/eggplant-chickpea-chard-shakshuka/ though I might also make my own Shakshuka Starter. How hard could it be?
**a note** I do follow LagostinaUSA on instagram but you might want to fix your link which reads http://%2Ahttps//www.instagram.com/lagostinausa/*.com and leads nowhere. Try just: https://www.instagram.com/lagostinausa/
What a lovely pan. I would make soups, stews, braises. I love being able to go from the stovetop to the oven.
I would make sauce and meatballs!
I would make the eggplant orzo baked pasta recipe from Smitten Kitchen that I keep meaning to try but still haven’t.
I would make some smothered pork chops!
I would make Swedish Meatballs
What a beautiful pot! I’d make all kinds of things in a pot like this. First thought was carnitas, but it would also work for soups, the recipe you shared sounds wonderful, beans, italian sausage and pepper sugo and the pasta would fit right in…I made black berry syrup today and I bet this pot could have handled that quite well. What a great pot, thank you for offering this giveaway.
Perfet fore this chilly Spring… Great looking recipe.
Soup!
That recipe looks awesome, thanks for sharing. I would love to win this lovely pot.
I’d make parmesan mushroom polenta.
I would make my great grandmother’s stew…
I would make pastas, soups and any other one pot wonders. I love less dishes to wash!
I’d make all sorts of things in this lovely casserole! It would be perfect for beef stew, and kielbasa with vegetables, and I think it would be good for making jam, too.
I’d make wild mushroom risotto!
I would make Sautéed Apples.
I’d love to make a lamb casserole in this!
Veggie chili made with beer!
all the curries!
I have a preserved lemon I was wanting to use! This recipe sounds great!
I would make my Grandmother’s recipe for Veal Paprikash… yum.
This pan would be a near-constant use in my kitchen. I do a lot of small batches of stock using leftover chicken bones that I then use to make soups with and this looks like the perfect vessel to make the stock and then the soup and without having to break out a stock pot. Two of my most common soups are either a tortilla soup or avgolemono soup This pan would be perfect for either.
Sounds delicious and so simple! I’ll have to give it a try.
Thank you for the chance to win. I love pasta dishes
First thing I would make is potato goulash Viennese style. The second thing is a huge batch of very cheesy batch of Mac and cheese.
i can think of so many things to make in this! Can’t narrow it down. Might be curried lamb.
I would love to make Cheese Cauliflower Chowder in this casserole.
This looks like the perfect pot for making stews
Beans, greens, and sausage pot!
I would make chili!
I would make beans and wonderful stews!
I would make vegan soups and stews.
My fermented kraut and kielbasa. Perfect
I would make curry.
Looks amazing! Sausage and peppers, then marinara sauce