Short on time? Don’t want to have a big, messy cleanup after dinner? Avoid having piles of bowls and pans to wash by keeping your dinner preparation and cooking to one pot. The key with one-pot meals is to choose bright flavors like onions and spices to infuse ingredients while they cook. These recipes are also great to prepare with your kids since they’re easy to put together. For a classic European dish, try making braised paprika chicken. Or head to American South with a recipe for half-hour chicken gumbo. Italian dishes fit nicely into one pot – you might try making Parmesan chicken ziti with artichokes and spinach, one-pot lasagna or Tuscan baked fish.
Spinach Artichoke Deep-Dish Pizza
Use a cast-iron skillet to make this spinach artichoke deep-dish pizza from County Living at home, which uses store-bought pizza dough, baby spinach, drained artichoke hearts, lemon juice, pepper flakes, ricotta and Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Easy One-Pot Lasagna
This easy one-pot lasagna from Damn Delicious is just that. It takes 30 minutes to prepare, and the best part? The pasta cooks right in the pan so there’s no need to boil it separately.
Braised Paprika Chicken
Start this dish for braised paprika chicken from Eating Well by sauteing onions in a large, heavy-bottomed dish. Add in diced bell peppers, tomato paste, paprika and other seasonings. Next, heat bone-in chicken pieces – simmer the dish for 50 minutes until cooked through.
Healthy Mediterranean Meal
Time to gather ingredients for this healthy Mediterranean meal from Taste of Home! Add Italian turkey sausage links, onion and garlic cloves to a skillet and cook until tender. Mix in a can of diced tomatoes, Greek olives, quinoa, baby spinach and feta cheese into the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 12 minutes.
Half-Hour Chicken Gumbo
This half-hour chicken gumbo from Martha Stewart comes together quickly. Add vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot and whisk in flour. Cook. Mix in diced red bell peppers, onions and garlic. Pour in some water and then okra and sausage. The final step? Toss in pieces of cooked rotisserie chicken and Andouille sausage.
Parmesan Chicken Ziti with Artichokes and Spinach
This Parmesan chicken ziti with artichokes and spinach from Betty Crocker also uses rotisserie chicken to cut the time it takes to pull the recipe together. Boil uncooked pasta in evaporated milk and garlic. In a bowl, mix together more evaporated milk and cornstarch and sprinkle in chicken pieces and artichoke hearts. Add the chicken mixture to the pasta. Voila!
Aloha Pork Chop Skillet
This aloha pork chop skillet recipe from Kraft has a Hawaiian vibe. Begin making the dish by browning both sides of the pork chops in a heavy skillet. Add diced bell peppers, pineapple chunks, garlic powder and Catalina dressing. Bring to a boil along with instant rice. Cook until the rice is tender.
One-Pot 5-Ingredient Tuscan Baked Fish
Are you trying to get your family to eat more fish? This one-pot 5-ingredient Tuscan fish baked recipe from Sweet C’s Designs may convince them. Saute diced onions, tomatoes and capers together in olive oil and add fish filet pieces like tilapia or cod. Put into the oven for about 15 minutes.
This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated for 2016.