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Vol. 26 · July 2026
A One-Pot Weeknight Journal Spice & Simmer Skillet · Stir-Fry · Sheet-Pan · Soup
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🥘 Skillet & One-Pan · Pork · Japanese

Japanese Katsudon

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026
Total time
26 min
Prep
9 min
Cook
17 min
Cleanup
1 pan
Japanese Katsudon

A one-pot Pork recipe with Japanese flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 43 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. STEP 1.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the sliced onion until golden brown, then add the tonkatsu (see recipe here), placing it in the middle of the pan. Mix the dashi, soy, mirin and sugar together and tip three-quarters of the mixture around the tonkatsu. Sizzle for a couple of mins so the sauce thickens a little and the tonkatsu reheats.
  3. STEP 2.
  4. Tip the beaten eggs around the tonkatsu and cook for 2-3 mins until the egg is cooked through but still a little runny. Divide the rice between two bowls, then top each with half the egg and tonkatsu mix, sprinkle over the chives and serve immediately, drizzling with a little more soy if you want an extra umami kick.

Why this works on a weeknight

Japanese Katsudon genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Japanese Katsudon actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Pork Japanese ⚡ 30-Min Dinner
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