12 Easy One-Dish Dinners That Are Simply A No-Brainer

If you haven’t tried one-dish dinners yet, you’re in for a life-changer. These aren’t your typical mac and cheese recipes. These are full, complete dinners you can make in just one pot that will make you want to give yourself a pat on the back. A hearty meal plus little to no cleanup. Now that’s adulting done right.

Southwest Chicken Rice Bowl

The chicken and spicy veggies can be tossed together in the same pot while the rice is staying warm in the cooker. This is a festive choice for one-dish dinners. The chiles infuse the chicken with peppery goodness so each bite is packed with zest and spice. If you’ve got a hankering for Chipotle, pinch your pennies and make this hot bowl instead. Leave a dollop of sour cream or guacamole on top to finish it off. You can even line your bowl with a tortilla for a quick makeshift burrito!

Reuben Dutch Baby

Breakfast for one-dish dinners? This decadent version of a Reuben sandwich is elevated by its simple deconstruction into a Dutch oven. Instead of slices of whole wheat, you create your own bread with eggs, milk, and flour cooked right in the pot. Stir the cheese into the dough so when it becomes a big, fluffy rise, it will be tender and cheesy. Pastrami layered in the bread mixture and on top gives this meal its namesake. My mouth is watering just typing this.

One-Pot Meaty Tortellini

Meaty, cheesy, and the perfect comfort food meal for any weeknight. You won’t have to prepare the pasta separately here. The tortellini cook itself in the juicy sauce, so you don’t have to use any extra pots. Combine ground beef, pepperoni, and chicken broth for intense meaty flavor in one large pot, and then add your veggies and tortellini to the party to soak up the flavor. The mini pepperonis add a dash of heat for excitement. Spread cheese on top for a crispy outer layer.

Butternut Squash Baked Risotto

This dish is altogether creamy, sweet, and filling. If you’re a fan of butternut squash ravioli, then you’ll love this risotto. Toss your rice into a pot with shallots, garlic, and thyme and cook until your kitchen smells like herb heaven. In the end, add squash and broth and even some kale if you want to earn heart-healthy points. Move the pot directly into the oven for about twenty minutes or until the rice has swallowed all the broth and is light and puffy. Sprinkle parmesan on top for garnish.

Chicken Florentine

“Winner winner chicken dinner” is an age-old proverb for a reason, and this dish might be it. Spinach, mushrooms, a white wine cream sauce, and crispy, golden-brown chicken will make this meal the star of your weeknight menu. Creamy spinach and mushrooms are a meal by themselves but ladled over a succulent chicken breast and topped with parmesan or asiago cheese is pure heaven. You can swap boneless chicken thighs instead to make it extra juicy. No matter what, it is sure to be a hit.

Coq Au Vin

Coq Au Vin is a classic French dish (if you couldn’t already tell from the name) that literally translates to “rooster with wine”. A bold red wine here comes in handy for the silky sauce the chicken will cook in. First cook your chicken in your chosen pot, add your veggies (I suggest garlic, mushrooms, onion, and carrots), and then pour in your sauce mixture. Wine, broth, brandy, and a bit of flour goes a long way here for consistency. The best part is adding bits of crispy bacon to it at the end!

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Salmon

Think toasted garlic butter, fried fish and creamy spinach and artichoke sauce. Combine that into one skillet and you have a healthy homecooked meal that requires barely any cleanup. It will fill you up on a cold night and give your health a boost. Not only is salmon heart-healthy and delicious, but it is also quite a step up from Hamburger Helper. This is the kind of meal that will make you feel like your kitchen has turned into a Michelin star restaurant.

Chicken and Dumplings

This comfort food staple requires only the bare minimum from you. You can cook the entire thing in a bubbling Dutch oven. The secret to this recipe is time. It can take about an hour for the entire dish to come together. If you don’t have the time during the week, this may work best as a weekend meal. To cut back on time, instead of handmaking dumplings, buy a roll of refrigerated biscuits from the store. Pick apart the dough and roll them into balls you can easily drop into your pot. Easy!

Green Shakshuka

This centuries-old Mediterranean dish gets a nourishing twist here. Instead of using traditional tomato sauce, eggs are poached in a bath of swiss chard and olive oil for a potassium-rich dinner. The swiss chard is boiled and drained into a blender where it becomes a fragrant puree of chiles, cilantro, caraway seeds, and cumin. When it is all cooked in a skillet, crack four to six eggs (depending on how many servings you need) into it and bake it. The eggs will set in minutes and create a delicious sauce with the yolk.

Chicken Chow Mein

That’s right. Your favorite takeout can be made right at home and in one pot. Chow Mein noodles can usually be found in the refrigerated section of a grocery store, but if you can’t find them, dry spaghetti will work. The pasta will have to cook separately from the pot (but once it is drained, you can use the same pot to cook the rest of the recipe). Toss your chicken over the fire and add your veggies after a few minutes. Once done, add your yummy soy and oyster sauce and voila!

Shrimp Fried Rice

This recipe is fragrant, peppery, and full of shrimpy goodness. The shrimp is cooked in the skillet with scallions, garlic, and ginger, while the rice softens up in the cooker. To make the rice deliciously crispy, add it to the skillet at the end and toss it until it is fine and crunchy. After that, you can push the rice to the side and cook two eggs. Edamame, peas, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil are tossed with the rice and the result is a dish with extra umami.

Savory Pudding with Sausage and Tomatoes

Savory pudding may sound strange, but it was inspired by the English toad-in-the-hole (or egg-in-a-basket) recipe. The “pudding” is like a basic bread pudding. Flour, milk, eggs, and butter are blended and poured into a hot skillet where sausage and scallions are browning. Top it with tomatoes and finish it off in the oven for half an hour. It is an unexpectedly delicious breakfast you might find yourself making for dinner, too.