Clean-up will be a breeze with these delicious one-pot dinner recipes! Each dish comes together in a single pot, skillet or slow cooker, so you won’t have a pile of dishes to wash after enjoying your meal. They’re also lower in calories and high in fiber and/or protein, which can help support healthy weight loss. Try options like our Chicken Parmesan Soup and Cabbage & Kielbasa Skillet for a tasty one-pot dinner that will keep you nourished and satisfied.
Chicken Parmesan Soup
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay
This chicken Parmesan soup combines the rich flavors of a traditional chicken Parm—juicy seasoned chicken, tangy marinara sauce and savory Parmesan cheese—with the warmth and comfort of a soup. It’s a perfect dish for those chilly days when you crave something familiar with a fun, innovative twist! We love the punchy burst of flavor that Parmesan crisps offer as a garnish, but feel free to add freshly grated Parmesan in their place.
Creamy Lemon-Basil Chicken
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn
This ultra-quick creamy lemon-basil chicken is bright and refreshing. Using whole lemon slices in the sauce gathers the essential oils from the rind plus the acidic punch from the flesh and adds more depth of flavor than juice and zest alone.
Cabbage & Kielbasa Skillet
Smoky sausage, tender cabbage and sweet apples, along with mustard and cider vinegar, create a perfect balance of flavor in this hearty skillet dinner.
Vegetarian Potato-Kale Soup
This healthy soup recipe has a rich, yet light and velvety texture. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of wine for a cozy meal.
Braised Chicken & Fall Vegetables
A rustic chicken dinner doesn’t get much easier than this. You can make the entire meal in one skillet, which makes cleanup a breeze. We’ve used a combination of parsnips and carrots to give this dish a variety of colors and flavors, but you could replace the parsnips with additional carrots if you’d like.
Slow-Cooker Kale & White Bean Stew
Warm up to a hearty bowl of soup made with vegetables and protein-rich white beans. Comforting spices like oregano and thyme build flavor, while Parmesan provides an irresistibly savory finish.
Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
Jason Donnelly
If you like Buffalo wings, you’ll love the flavors in this warm, hearty chili that comes together easily in the slow cooker. Sour cream helps cut the heat, but you could also use plain strained yogurt.
Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta
This healthy sausage and kale pasta recipe cooks in one skillet, so there’s only one pot to clean! Try it with any greens you have in the fridge, such as chard or spinach.
One-Skillet Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms & Onions
Try this quick and easy one-skillet version of the Hungarian classic chicken paprikash. Serve the chicken cutlets, mushrooms and creamy sauce over egg noodles with a green salad on the side.
One-Pot Chicken Alfredo
This creamy, simple chicken Alfredo recipe is incredibly comforting and cheesy from the combination of Parmesan and cream cheese. You’ll taste a nice pop of pepper and nutty notes from the whole-wheat pasta, too. Plus, it’s a one-pot meal, which means less cleaning for you and a dish that will quickly become your best chicken Alfredo recipe.
Vegetarian Gumbo
This flavorful vegan dinner is a veggie version of the Louisiana classic. It’s chock-full of butternut squash, tomatoes, poblano peppers and okra, to name just a few. This vegetarian gumbo is a quick dinner packed with flavor and spice that’s done in only 30 minutes. To make it a meal, serve it with cornbread drizzled with olive oil.
Tofu & Vegetable Curry with Zucchini Noodles
We’ve combined tofu and plenty of veggies with a flavorful sauce made with red curry paste, lime juice and coconut milk. Serve the curry over lightly warmed zucchini noodles to get even more veggies in your weeknight dinner. Bonus: Everything is cooked in one skillet, so there’s only one pan to wash after dinner.
Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili with Black Beans
This butternut squash and black bean chili is a satisfying vegetarian meal. Load up bowls of the butternut squash chili and top with Greek yogurt, cilantro and minced red onion. Or skip the yogurt and keep this healthy dinner vegan.
Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale
Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
This easy one-pan skillet recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as the potatoes and kale for minimal cleanup.
Instant Pot Vegetarian White Chili
Parsnips lend a wonderful sweet and nutty flavor to this healthy white bean chili. Pureeing some of the chili gives the stew a nice creaminess, but feel free to skip that step to save time. Garnish the chili with cheese and sour cream for a richer meal, or serve it as-is to keep it vegan.
Slow-Cooker Vegan Chili
Grab your crock pot for this hearty and easy vegan chili, which is chock-full of great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients, including pinto and black beans, red pepper, tomatoes and butternut squash. A garnish of fresh avocado and chopped cilantro is a nice touch.
One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
This one-pot pasta with tangy tomato-basil sauce is a simple, fast and easy weeknight dinner. All of your ingredients go into one pot, and with a bit of stirring and about 25 minutes of cook time, you’ll have a healthy dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Southwestern Sweet Potato Stew
This hearty Southwestern-inspired stew may take a while in your slow cooker, but it’s so worth it! Full of sweet potatoes, black beans, and hominy, it will satisfy your tastebuds and keep you full for hours.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup
The only things better than healthy dinner ideas are easy healthy dinner ideas. This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker soup recipe is just that. It simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love.
White Bean-Sausage Soup
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
Make this heart-healthy main-dish white bean and sausage soup with fresh onions. If you’re really pressed for time, look for frozen chopped onions, which can be added to soups and stews in seconds.