Key ingredients include actual conversation, team building without an obstacle course, and less time ‘til dinner. Priorities, right?

It’s easy to get lost in the black hole of our cell phone once we get home. Exhausted, hungry, and Netflix-addicted, we resort to ordering in from the couch and scrolling through Instagram.

Here’s why we think you should cook with your loved ones instead:

1. Boredom isn’t on the ingredient list 

A boring kitchen is a quiet one, so fill the silence with bubbling pots, simmering pans, and a handful of does-this-look-done-to-you? to spend time together while creating colorful, flavorful meals. It’s productive, inclusive, fun, and rewarding for everyone. Plus, that roar of boiling water is just the kitchen cheering you on.

 2. Five-star encouragement

Motivate each other to go from couch to kitchen because you know that the sooner you start cooking together, the sooner you’ll be happily licking your plates. Take over the big kitchen island and spread out your fresh ingredients together, or develop an oven-maneuvering, fridge-opening, drawer-next-to-the-sink-reaching duet if you’re low on counter space. Teach your cooking partner a new skill and learn one in return. Applaud the perfect zucchini slice flip. You get the picture.

3. Faster slicing and dicing

Cooking together means you can divide and conquer any recipe that comes your way. With a built-in sous chef, cut down on prep time and act as sounding boards for your taste testing needs. Because truly, who isn’t happy to help by trying the pasta on the hunt for al dente perfection?

 4. Low maintenance date night

This is an activity that doesn’t have to break the bank for couples. Make it special by selecting favorite foods for the menu, using family recipes, or lighting candles for a romantic tablescape. Cooking for others is the ultimate sign of love, so whip up something delicious with someone you care about and dig in with the knowledge that you did it for each other.

5. You’ve got the power

No waiting at trendy restaurants, no music playing too loudly to hear anything, no prix fixe menu obligations, and no reason to change out of your slippers. Cooking together at home helps you stay in the present, actively listen to one another, and actually empowers you on your quest for a common goal. A delicious meal, of course.

Put your teamwork to the test and start with some of our favorite low maintenance dishes. Say hello to these 10 one-pot meals we think you’ll love to cook.