52 Simple (But Delicious) One-Pot Meals To Make When You Wouldn't Touch Another Dirty Dish With A Ten-Foot Pole
Whether you're a professional chef or just cooking for the first time, we can all agree on one thing — cleaning up is, hands down, the worst. 🥵
Scary Mommy / Via giphy.com
That's where one-pot (and one-skillet) meals come into play. When it comes to cleanup, they're bonafide sanity-savers.
To make cooking easier — no matter your experience or skill-level — we put together a list of the most delicious (and surprisingly easy) one-pot meals we know. From breakfast to dinner, we've got you covered with just about every type of dish out there.
1.Beef And Cauliflower Taco Skillet
This one-skillet meal is as easy to make as it is to eat — actually, the entire thing cooks up in just under 30 minutes (which is a dinnertime dream).
2.One-Pot Everyday Lentil Soup
Full of tender lentils and lots of hearty veg, this warming, healthy soup is the perfect dish to make ahead then enjoy as an effortless lunch all week long.
Recipe: One-Pot Everyday Lentil Soup
3.Skillet-Baked Huevos Rancheros
Huevos Rancheros might just be the greatest hangover cure out there, and considering this version comes together in a single skillet, I'd say this recipe is easily the most hangover-friendly version you could try.
Recipe: Skillet-Baked Huevos Rancheros
4.Lemon Garlic Shrimp And Rice
For only requiring one pot and eight ingredients, this meal is absurdly delicious. The best part? By using frozen shrimp, it's actually pretty cost-effective, too.
Recipe: Lemon Garlic Shrimp And Rice
5.One-Pan Beef And Broccoli
From the moment you begin prep to the minute you can sit down and enjoy this crowd-pleasing stir-fry, you'll only put in 30 minutes of work. And, to speak from experience, the leftovers are *chef's kiss*.
Recipe: One-Pan Beef And Broccoli
6.Green Shakshuka
Loaded with good-for-you greens (like kale, spinach, and brussels sprouts), this green shakshuka is the perfect way to start the day on a scrumptiously healthy note.
Recipe: Green Shakshuka
7.Sesame-Ginger Cucumber Soba Noodle Salad
The sesame-ginger scallion sauce that's poured all over these chewy noodles? I'd happily drink it.
8.One-Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
These vibrant and filling burrito bowls work beautifully as a make-ahead meal (that you can enjoy for days) or as a quick, cleanup-friendly dinner to serve the entire family. Either way, don't skimp on the toppings.
Recipe: One-Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
9.Braised Chicken With Kale And White Beans
It may look fancy, but it actually couldn't be easier. After searing chicken thighs for maximum crispiness, you'll let 'em braise low and slow with some luscious beans 'n' greens. In short, there's very little effort required on your part.
10.Easy One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Name a better pair than winter and chicken noodle soup. Spoiler alert: There isn't one. To make this easy soup even easier, shred the meat of a store-bought rotisserie chicken and stir into the soup once it's finished simmering.
Recipe: Easy One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
11.One-Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken And Rice
This skillet chicken dinner packs just the right amount of heat thanks to all the warm, vibrant spices in the jerk seasoning.
12.White Chicken Chili
Chili-lovers, I know you're out there. This one can be easily made in a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottom pot — just let the soup simmer over medium-low heat for two hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are completely tender.
Recipe: White Chicken Chili
13.Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
In this soup, it's all about the sausage. By browning it first (before simmering all the ingredients together), you'll infuse the entire pot with all that meaty goodness. Don't skip the lemon, either — it gives this rich soup a bright, balanced finish.
Recipe: Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
14.Easy Ratatouille
Don't be fooled by the perfectly-sliced and arranged ratatouille made famous by a certain Disney movie with a certain talking rat — this dish couldn't be easier, and it's one of the most delicious ways you could ever consume a pot-full of veggies.
Recipe: Easy Ratatouille
15.Five-Ingredient Potato And Corn Chowder
Using canned creamed corn is the secret to turning this five-ingredient soup into the simplest meal ever. Add in some bacon, and it doesn't get much better than this, folks.
16.Pesto Caprese Chicken
Serve it over pasta or on its own — there's no shortage of flavor (or melty cheese) when it comes to this one-skillet meal.
Recipe: Pesto Caprese Chicken
17.One-Skillet Salmon With Creamy Spinach Artichoke Sauce
I have a funny feeling you're not immediately thinking "Whole30-friendly" when looking at this meal, but surprise! It is. In this skillet dinner, coconut milk keeps things nice and creamy without the need for any dairy.
Recipe: One-Skillet Salmon With Creamy Spinach Artichoke Sauce
18.Chicken Meatballs And Green Curry Rice
Green curry paste is the star of the show here, taking humble ingredients and turning them into a meal that's undeniably special.
19.Vegan White Bean Soup
It's brothy and creamy, yet somehow totally vegan. (It's also begging to get soaked up by a piece of warm, crusty bread.)
Recipe: Vegan White Bean Soup
20.One-Pot Pesto Tortellini With Broccoli
A generous scoop of basil pesto makes this three-ingredient (!!!) pasta dish anything but ordinary. Fresh pesto is delicious, sure...but in a pinch, store-bought will also work beautifully.
21.Lemon Pepper Chicken With Orzo
Orzo cooked in chicken broth and allllll that glossy, rendered chicken fat is simply a wonder to behold. Pro-tip: The crispy bits at the bottom are the best part, bar none.
Recipe: Lemon Pepper Chicken With Orzo
22.One-Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta
Cooking pasta directly in this creamy sauce is a total game-changer. Instead of briefly tossing it just before serving, each and every noodle will soak up all that garlicky goodness.
Recipe: One-Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta
23.One-Pan Sazón Skillet Chicken
Sazón makes anything (and everything) delicious. Case in point: This easy chicken skillet, which also just so happens to be ready in under 30 minutes.
Recipe: One-Pan Sazón Skillet Chicken
24.Classic Pot Roast
No frills here — just a classic, cozy pot roast that's way easier to whip up than you could ever imagine. Sear the chuck roast, chop up some veggies, and let your dutch oven do all the work for you. The only "work" you'll do is making sure you actively enjoy the aroma of a pot roast cooking low and slow, but TBH, that sounds like a pretty awesome chore...right?
Recipe: Classic Pot Roast
25.Coconut Chicken Curry
Steps for a totally irresistible Malaysian curry: 1) Sear up some chicken, 2) combine with coconut milk, veggies and spices, 3) let it simmer, and 4) devour.
Recipe: Coconut Chicken Curry
26.Fire-Roasted Minestrone With Kale Pesto
Listen, minestrone soup has never been a recipe that I dream about. This version with canned fire-roasted tomatoes, though? Yeah, sign me up.
27.French Onion Soup One-Pot Pasta
It's everyone's favorite soup turned into everyone's favorite food — pasta, of course — and for that, I couldn't be more thankful.
Recipe: French Onion Soup One-Pot Pasta
28.One-Pot Lentil Green Curry
This 100% vegan curry is pretty much the definition of healthy comfort food. It also reheats beautifully, so if you're in the mood to devour a warm bowl o' goodness for each and every meal, go right ahead.
Recipe: One-Pot Lentil Green Curry
29.Lemon Salmon Orzo Skillet
With chewy, al dente orzo and plenty of flaky salmon, this one-skillet meal could easily become your go-to recipe for busy weeknights.
Recipe: Lemon Salmon Orzo Skillet
30.Chicken Posole
Posole is essentially the greatest chicken stew out there, traditionally made with tender shredded meat and earthy hominy. To make this version without the slow cooker, just simmer over low heat for 2–3 hours (or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork).
Recipe: Chicken Posole
31.Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
This saucy, silky pasta is an A+ meal all by itself, but topping it with grilled chicken or shrimp is an excellent way to amp up the protein.
Recipe: Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
32.White Bean Sausage Skillet
For a quick dinner you can whip up after a hectic day, this recipe is a no-brainer. Though the ingredients may be simple, the results are anything but.
Recipe: White Bean Sausage Skillet
33.Easy One-Pot Lasagna
Lasagna may be delicious, but it's far from simple or straightforward. This one-pot pasta dish packs in all the tomato-y, cheesy goodness of lasagna — it's just ready in a fraction of the time it would take to make actual lasagna.
Recipe: Easy One-Pot Lasagna
34.Frittata
Frittatas are the most versatile one-pan meal I know. Not only are they good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they're the best way to use up any of the ingredients currently hiding in your refrigerator. This recipe includes four scrumptious variations, but you can customize it with whatever you have on hand.
Recipe: Frittata
35.One-Pot Chili Mac 'N' Cheese
Nothing screams comfort like a piping hot bowl of chili mac. Sure, chili and mac 'n' cheese are pretty perfect foods on their own...but together? They're unstoppable.
Recipe: One-Pot Chili Mac 'N' Cheese
36.Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta
Believe it or not, this *true* one-pan pasta cooks up in under 10 minutes. If you don't believe me, go ahead and try it yourself....and then tell me all about how next-level delicious it is.
Recipe: Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta
37.Sweet And Spicy Sesame Chicken Meatball Bowls
Nuttiness from toasted sesame oil and the gentle heat from red chile paste make these golden-brown, ultra-moist meatballs simply irresistible. Serve it over rice or quinoa, and you've got one heck of a family-friendly meal.
38.Jambalaya
Even before "one-pot meals" were all the rage, there was jambalaya — a true testament to the magic of layering flavors. For a crowd-pleasing dinner that couldn't be easier to clean up, jambalaya it is.
Recipe: Jambalaya
39.Foolproof Shakshuka
It's a no-brainer for brunch, but honestly, I think shakshuka is a pretty darn good dinner, too. Salty crumbled feta seals the deal here, so don't be afraid to sprinkle it to your heart's content.
Recipe: Foolproof Shakshuka
40.One-Pot Rigatoni Bolognese
This Bolognese sauce is seriously meaty — the rigatoni cooks directly in beef broth, so the final results pack more umami than you could ever imagine.
Recipe: One-Pot Rigatoni Bolognese
41.Spicy Eggs And Potatoes
This spicy, tomato-based sauce is packed with flavor (and heat) from Ancho chili powder. It's the perfect accompaniment to velvety potatoes and some runny eggs, and if you wanna mop up all that sauce with a big hunk of bread, I wouldn't blame you.
Recipe: Spicy Eggs And Potatoes
42.One-Pot Broccoli, Chicken And Rice
If you're looking for peak comfort, I have incredible news for you: You've found it. When a dish as comforting as this one is also impossibly easy to make, it's a pretty good sign you should add it to your rotation ASAP.
43.Italian Sausage And Veggies
This one-pan meal is packed with perfectly-caramelized veggies and moist, juicy sausage, and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese and some fresh herbs is the ultimate cherry on top.
Recipe: Italian Sausage And Veggies
44.One-Pot Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Orzo
If your kids turn their noses up at brussels sprouts, give this dish a whirl. I can't decide what's better: the crispy Panko topping, or the super cheesy orzo.
45.20-Minute One-Pot Butter Chicken
It won't even take you 30 minutes to get this velvety, expertly-spiced dish on the table. So, when your family is incessantly bugging you with a rousing chorus of "what's for dinner," this recipe is an easy choice.
Recipe: 20-Minute One-Pot Butter Chicken
46.Philly Cheesesteak Skillet
While you might not normally put "Philly cheesesteak" and "good-for-you" in the same sentence, you can here. This skillet meal is surprisingly low-carb, and just like a true cheesesteak, it's impossibly delish.
Recipe: Philly Cheesesteak Skillet
47.Skillet Pad Thai
While not 100% traditional, this recipe is surely the easiest way to get a fresh bowl of Pad Thai on the table any day of the week. I speak from experience: Watch those rice noodles! They'll cook more quickly than you think, and the last thing you want to end up with are mushy noodles.
Recipe: Skillet Pad Thai
48.Pastina With Egg And Cheese
If you're unfamiliar with pastina, welcome. It's the most soothing bowl of pure comfort I know of, and it also might be the easiest meal you'll ever cook.
Recipe: Pastina With Egg And Cheese
49.Black Bean Soup
If you (like me) have a never-ending supply of canned black beans sitting in your pantry, I couldn't recommend this hearty, healthy soup to you more.
Recipe: Black Bean Soup
50.Stovetop Mac 'N' Cheese
By cooking the pasta directly in that quick and easy homemade cheese sauce, you're basically guaranteeing the creamiest, dreamiest mac 'n' cheese you've ever tasted.
Recipe: Stovetop Mac 'N' Cheese
51.Coconut Curried Brown Rice With Tofu
Each and every flavor of this dish is expertly layered, from the nutty, curried brown rice to the crisp stir-fried tofu — and even those subtle pops of sweetness from dried cranberries.
52.45-Minute Coq Au Vin
Don't let the French name fool you — this wine-braised chicken dish couldn't be easier to make. Plus, unlike the traditional version, the whole thing comes together in 45 minutes instead of, ya know, four hours.
Recipe: 45-Minute Coq Au Vin
