These one-pot dinners are complete meals made entirely in a single pot, skillet, or Dutch oven, with pasta, soups, casseroles, and world cuisine dishes built for easy cleanup on a busy weeknight.
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There's a special kind of relief in knowing dinner is only going to dirty one dish. One pot dinners are my go-to on the nights when I need something on the table without a sink full of pots after. This list includes a cozy beef stroganoff, a hearty cabbage soup, and a garlicky broccoli chicken stir fry that all come together in a single pan. I started keeping a running list of one pot dinners after realizing how often "what's for dinner" turns into "what can I make with the fewest dishes."
Down below, I've rounded up 25 of my favorite one pot dinners. I've organized them into six groups: pasta and noodle dinners, comfort classics, soups and stews, skillet and oven bakes, global cuisine, stir-fry and seafood. Most are ready in under an hour, and several reheat well for lunch the next day, much like my high protein soups. Whether you're feeding a hungry family or just need something for when nothing sounds good, I hope this list makes weeknight dinner a little easier.
Quick Tips
- Brown first, simmer second. Browning your meat or aromatics before adding liquid builds a lot more flavor into a one pot dish than dumping everything in at once.
- Don't walk away from pasta and rice. One pot pasta and rice dishes can stick or scorch if the liquid runs low. Give them a stir every few minutes.
- Let soups and stews rest. Most of the soups on this list taste even better the next day once the flavors have had time to settle.
- Have extra broth on hand. If a one pot dish looks too thick partway through cooking, a splash of broth or water brings it right back.
- Grab an Instant Pot if you don't have one. A handful of these (Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Rice and Beans, Cabbage Rolls, Kitchari) are built for one. My favorite Instant pot is on sale right now.
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Pasta & Noodle Dinners
Dinners where the pasta cooks right in the sauce, so it soaks up flavor as it goes and without the extra pot for boiling noodles.
Skillet Lasagna | Modern Honey - All the flavor of a baked lasagna made entirely on the stovetop with bolognese sauce, a ricotta filling, and melted mozzarella. No boiling noodles required. [Total Time: 40 minutes]
Chorizo Pasta | Golden Grace Kitchen - A quick stovetop pasta built around spicy chorizo and a creamy tomato sauce, all finished in the same pan. [Total Time: 30 minutes]
Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta | The Cookin Chicks - Shredded chicken and pasta simmered together in a tangy salsa verde sauce for a dinner with a little more kick than your usual pasta night. [Total Time: 20 minutes]
Taco Pasta | Mary's Whole Life - Ground turkey, taco seasoning, and gluten-free pasta all cooked together in one pot for a dinner that tastes like taco night met pasta night. [Total Time: 30 minutes]
Sausage Pasta | Fit as a Mama Bear - A dairy-free sausage pasta with gluten-free noodles cooked together in one pot with a savory tomato sauce that clings to every noodle. [Total Time: under 30 minutes]
Chicken Alfredo | Corrie Cooks - A creamy Instant Pot alfredo with chicken and pasta cooked together, so the noodles pick up all that garlicky, cheesy sauce. [Total Time: 10 minutes pressure-cook time]
Tomato Chickpea Pasta | Garlic All Day - A meatless pasta dinner with chickpeas simmered into a rich tomato sauce for extra protein and fiber without any meat. [Total Time: 15 minutes]
Comfort Classics
These are the cozy, stick-to-your-ribs dinners that usually take a few pots to make, but these are simplified down to just one.
Beef Stroganoff | The Secret Crunch - A Dutch-oven take on the classic, with ground beef, mushrooms, and a sour cream sauce served over egg noodles, all made in the same pot. [Total Time: 45 minutes]
Stuffed Pepper Casserole | The Secret Crunch - All the flavors of stuffed peppers without the stuffing step, cooked together in one pot for a hassle-free version of the classic. [Total Time: 45 minutes]
Cabbage Rolls | Corrie Cooks - Ground beef and rice cooked Instant Pot-style with cabbage for all the flavor of traditional cabbage rolls without the rolling. [Total Time: 55 minutes]
American Goulash | The Forked Spoon - A classic ground beef and macaroni dinner simmered in a rich tomato sauce, all in one pot. [Total Time: about 1 hour]
Soups & Stews
These are the dinners you can ladle straight from the pot, with most getting even better after a day in the fridge.
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Keto Cabbage Soup - A hearty, veggie-packed cabbage soup that's naturally low in carbs but still filling, and great for meal prepping ahead. [Total Time: 45 minutes]
Lemon Orzo Soup | The Wholesome Spoon - A bright, lemony soup with orzo pasta that's lighter than your typical cozy soup but just as comforting. [Total Time: 30 minutes]
Zuppa Toscana | I Heart Naptime - A creamy Italian sausage and potato soup with a little kick of spice, made famous by Olive Garden and easy to recreate at home. [Total Time: 50 minutes]
Mushroom Ramen | Earth to Veg - A meatless ramen built on maitake mushrooms for a savory, umami-rich broth without any meat. [Total Time: 45 minutes]
Thai Red Curry Soup | Immigrant's Table - A coconut-based curry soup with tofu, rice noodles, and warm Thai spices for a dinner that feels a little more adventurous than a usual weeknight soup. [Total Time: 30 minutes]
Skillet & Oven Bakes
These dinners go from stovetop or oven straight to the table, with everything cooking together in one dish.
Chicken Rice and Beans | Corrie Cooks - Chicken, rice, and beans cooked together Instant Pot-style for a filling, well-rounded dinner with minimal cleanup. [Total Time: 16 minutes]
Dutch Oven Chicken | Nibble and Dine - Chicken breast roasted with potatoes and vegetables right in the Dutch oven for a complete dinner in one dish. [Total Time: 45 minutes]
Spanish Sausage & Potato Bake | The Spice Adventuress - Sausage and potatoes baked together with warm Spanish seasoning for a simple, hands-off dinner. [Total Time: 45-50 minutes]
Baked Dumplings | Whipped It Up - Potsticker dumplings baked in a red curry coconut sauce with spinach, then finished with fresh garnishes for a fun twist on a usual weeknight dinner. [Total Time: 35 minutes]
Global Flavors
These dinners borrow from cuisines around the world, each made in a single pot or pan.
Thai Green Curry Dumplings | Hungry for Thai - Dumplings simmered in a fragrant green curry coconut sauce for a fast, flavorful one-pan dinner. [Total Time: about 30 minutes]
Kitchari | My Good Food World - A traditional Indian rice and lentil dish made in the Instant Pot, warmly spiced and easy to digest. [Total Time: under 30 minutes]
Kimchi Fried Rice | Earth to Veg - A Korean-style fried rice built around tangy kimchi, ready in one pan and perfect for using up leftover rice. [Total Time: 25 minutes]
Stir-Fry & Seafood
These come together fast in a single pan, with the protein and vegetables cooking side by side.
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry - A savory garlic soy sauce ties this chicken and broccoli stir fry together, with simple ingredients and fast cleanup. [Total Time: 40 minutes]
Coconut Cream Salmon | The Family Food Kitchen - Salmon simmered in a rich coconut cream sauce, all done in one pan for a dinner that feels a little more special. [Total Time: 20 minutes]
A one pot dinner is any complete meal, protein, starch, and vegetables included, that's cooked entirely in a single pot, pan, or Dutch oven. This includes stovetop pastas, soups, casseroles, and skillet bakes.
A large Dutch oven or a deep skillet with a lid covers most of what's on this list. Either one holds enough liquid for pasta and soup dishes and goes straight from stovetop to table. These are my recommendations.
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