# What do you call a dish that is a grain, a meat, and a veg all mixed together? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 1, 2023, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146 "2023-02-01T08:10:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/21 "2023-02-01T14:45:27Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > I would also query this, but on the grounds that I use one pot to cook macaroni and another to make the cheese sauce, and I am now gripped by the disquieting sensation that I have been doing it wrong all these years. Can you… can you really cook the macaroni in the sauce? This changes _everything_. [Here’s the best mac and cheese recipe I’ve ever found.](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stovetop-mac-n-cheese-recipe-1939465) It’s like Kraft, only better in every single way. And it’s a one-pot recipe: boil and drain the noodles, add them back to the pot, add butter, add a mix of eggs and salt and seasonings and evaporated milk, add the cheese. I included it as a one-pot dish because when I Googled one-pot dishes, mac and cheese came up again. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/22 "2023-02-01T14:52:29Z")
Oh it’s definitely a one-pot _dish_ - I just wouldn’t call it a one-pot _meal_ so I think mac and cheese doesn’t disqualify “one-pot meal” from being used for grain/meat/veg all mixed together. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/23 "2023-02-01T15:00:21Z")
I don’t know that you can really define it like that. For example, we had beef and barley stew last night, and it technically fits your description, having barley, beef, and a bunch of vegetables. But it’s clearly a stew. And lots of “meat with sauce over rice” type dishes would also qualify, depending on the vegetable content. Certainly a lot of Thai curries would anyway. One pot meal is about the closest I think you’re going to get for a blanket term. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/24 "2023-02-01T15:03:06Z")
I would like a term (if there is one) so that my family and I can better communicate with each other when discussing dinner choices. Example Me: Hey, should we have a stir fry tonight? How about sandwiches? How about that thing when when we mix up a grain, some chopped up veg, and some chopped up cooked meat with some nuts on a plate? Kid #3: As long as we don’t have to eat those unsalted black beans, those don’t taste good, can I put honey on it? Me: If you want, I’ll look in pantry to see what kind of grain we got. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/25 "2023-02-01T15:04:08Z")
I agree. Or if you’re from the Midwest, it’s a hotdish! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/26 "2023-02-01T15:05:05Z")
> [@Mesquite-oh](#): > > We take something like rice, quinoa, bulger, or couscous mix it with something like bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, squash, then mix it up with some sort of cut up meat like chicken or pork. Sometimes we add some sort of beans or nuts. I think you could get away with calling any of these variations (which are narrower and more useful parameters than “grain, meat, and veg”) a [**pilaf.**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilaf) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/27 "2023-02-01T15:06:44Z")
That is, indeed, a great recipe. I also use this even simpler one, just equal parts by weight uncooked macaroni, evaporated milk, and cheese: > **[3-Ingredient Stovetop Mac and Cheese Recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe)** > > This creamy, homemade macaroni and cheese has fewer ingredients than the boxed version, and comes together in the same amount of time. And this is truly one pot, no need to drain and strain the mac. You cook it first in just enough water to cover, and then add the other ingredients when it’s al dente. I admit, I add just a little bit of yellow mustard to it to give it some extra tang, but not enough to taste mustardy. A lifesaver when I just need to cook up something fast for the kids. And dirt simple to remember the recipe. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/28 "2023-02-01T15:15:41Z")
That’s interesting because that’s one of the situations where I would (almost) never use a category term - I might, if I was talking about cold-cut sandwiches for lunch but I would never ask about having a stir fry or a casserole or a roast or a stew for dinner. My question would always be something more specific like “stir fry some chicken” or “goulash” or “roast beef” - just because someone would be happy with arroz con pollo doesn’t mean they would be equally happy with jambalaya. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/29 "2023-02-01T15:16:40Z")
So, I would agree with the notion of “one-pot meal” or “one-dish meal” or “one-pot dish” or similar, but also note that that is a very broad category that can include things like _nabemono_ or the like. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/30 "2023-02-01T15:21:23Z")
Or just simply stews, soups, pot roast, curries, etc. I have a couple cookbooks of one-pot meals, and they have a pretty eclectic collection of recipes. Stuff like the OP would fit, but so would what you mentioned (which I had to look up) and lots of other things. I doubt there is a specific term that encompasses all grain + protein + vegetable dishes to the exclusion of others. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/31 "2023-02-01T15:32:19Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > I would also query this, but on the grounds that I use one pot to cook macaroni and another to make the cheese sauce, and I am now gripped by the disquieting sensation that I have been doing it wrong all these years. Can you… can you really cook the macaroni in the sauce? This changes _everything_. Well, yeah. You boil the macaroni in the pot, then you add butter, milk, and the powdered cheese packet. One pot. Oh, you’re talking about making Mac n Cheese from scratch. Is that even possible? 😉 > [@Mesquite-oh](#): > > Example Me: Hey, should we have a stir fry tonight? How about sandwiches? How about that thing when when we mix up a grain, some chopped up veg, and some chopped up cooked meat with some nuts on a plate? Kid #3: As long as we don’t have to eat those unsalted black beans, those don’t taste good, can I put honey on it? Me: If you want, I’ll look in pantry to see what kind of grain we got. Oh, c’mon do you really say “we mix up a grain, …”, or do you say “we mix up some rice, …”? One of our standard breakfasts is Potato Stuff - dice potatoes, start sauteing. Add chopped onions, peppers, cauliflower, leftover ham, whatever you happen to have in the fridge; saute until softened. Beat some eggs; add to mix; finish cooking. Potato stuff. If you do your thing with rice, call it “rice stuff”. Was just talking to Mrs. O’Boogie this morning, saying “Hows a teriyaki-chicken-and-rice casserole sound for dinner?” I’m gonna thaw out some boneless-skinless chicken breasts; put rice in a roasting pan, add diced onions, green peppers (see a pattern here?), get lazy and add frozen vegetables; put the chicken on top, add a jar of store-bought teriyaki. Bake for an hour or so. I can create a whole meal without much prep time while I’m working from home. Sounds a whole hellova lot like what the OP was asking for. Now that I’m thinking of it,… > [@Mesquite-oh](#): > > What do you call a dish that is a grain, a meat, and then one or more vegetables mixed together? > > I am aware there are many specific dishes that meet this description (jambalaya, arroz con pollo, paella), but I am hoping there is an umbrella term, like “a casserole” or “a skillet.” Depends. - If it’s baked, it’s a casserole. - If it’s cooked stove-top and wet, it’s a stew \*If it’s cooked stove-top and dry, it’s a skillet. Or “Stuff”. > [@Mesquite-oh](#): > > The reason I am asking is that my family makes some version of this dish often, and we don’t know what to call it. We take something like rice, quinoa, bulger, or couscous mix it with something like bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, squash, then mix it up with some sort of cut up meat like chicken or pork. Sometimes we add some sort of beans or nuts. If there is not a term for this mix and match type of dish, I would like to coin one. Why do we have to have one term? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/32 "2023-02-01T15:36:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I have a couple cookbooks of one-pot meals, and they have a pretty eclectic collection of recipes. Something just hit me - we’ve got a few related cookbooks that call them “dumps” - as in the standard Dump Cake. One of the cookbooks is just for deserts, one for stovetop meals; one for oven or crock-pot meals. I guess if we wanted to have one term, maybe “Dump” would work. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/33 "2023-02-01T15:45:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Or just simply stews, soups, pot roast, curries, etc. Almost all the stews and curries I know of have the grain as an additional dish, not part of the main dish, so rice or bread or pasta or rotis are cooked seperately - so I would say they aren’t part of the “one pot” family. There’s some exceptions, I’m sure - stews with dumplings, type of thing. Soup is its own thing, I think, whether with or without a grain. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/34 "2023-02-01T15:45:30Z")
That word (“dump”) has other, unpleasant associations and meanings. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/35 "2023-02-01T15:47:20Z")
I’m partly going by what types of recipes are in My cookbooks. I’d count stews — I usually just eat them with crusty bread. Same with curry and some flatbread, but if that outside carb disqualifies it, I get it. ETA: oh, but many stews also have potatoes and require no additional carb. Plus eating.with some bread doesn’t require dirtying up any other cooking vessels, so I’d still count it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/36 "2023-02-01T15:51:22Z")
I think the outside carb is the disqualifier, but I’m not the OP. A lot of stews have potatoes, yes, but that’s a) not a grain and b) stews like that are often still served with an outside starch. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/37 "2023-02-01T15:53:49Z")
Oh, I was having this discussion as a bit of an aside. I’m terms of the OP, it is, as you said, an example of a one-pot meal, but not narrow enough of a description to apply specifically to the OP’s dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/38 "2023-02-01T16:08:05Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Oh it’s definitely a one-pot _dish_ - I just wouldn’t call it a one-pot _meal_ so I think mac and cheese doesn’t disqualify “one-pot meal” from being used for grain/meat/veg all mixed together. Y’all may be fancier than us. Mac and cheese (the Alton Brown recipe I linked earlier) is the star of our dinner about once every other week. We’ll have a salad or edamame or broccoli or something with it, but whatever we have with it is the side. The first hit I get when I Google “one-pot meals” is this Food Network [92 Best One-Pot Meals](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/comfort-foods/easy-one-pot-meals/our-best-one-pot-meals) gallery, and the first entry is mac and cheese. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/39 "2023-02-01T16:16:36Z")
> [@Mesquite-oh](#): > > I would like a term (if there is one) so that my family and I can better communicate with each other when discussing dinner choices. Y’all really discuss dinner choices? Last night I marinated turkey kebabs in a teriyaki sauce then stir-fried them with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and pineapple. At the end I added rice. If my gf didn’t care for what I made, she could always make something else and I’d have leftovers for lunches. But neither of us would ever “discuss” what we were planning for dinner. I’ve never turned down what she made and likewise vice-versa, unless I make Spam Musabi. When my kids were younger it was whatever I made or help yourself to cereal or a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146/40 "2023-02-01T16:27:32Z")
Some dishes are inherently one pot affairs. Some dishes are inherently more complex but can be simplified to one-pot recipes. In my mind, mac 'n cheese is the latter. So if you said, “I made a one-pot dish for the potluck” I wouldn’t _expect_ to see MnC. But if you said, “I made a one-pot MnC,” I wouldn’t think it weird at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-dish-that-is-a-grain-a-meat-and-a-veg-all-mixed-together/979146.md?page=3)