"One-pot and one-pan meals are one of my go-to mealtime hacks, especially during the busy work week. Nights after work with my kids go by so fast between picking them up, prepping dinner, and attempting to enjoy a family meal together. While I love cooking, sometimes, I’m tired of cooking when it falls in the mix of a busy schedule. Soon, we’re onto the bathtime and bedtime routine, so if I can spend more time hanging out with my kids and less time cleaning up, it’s a win for me.
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This roundup of recipes includes one-pot and one-pan comfort foods, savory skillets, veggie-packed stir-fries, and delicious pasta creations—all made in one pan or one pot (even the veggies)! We also included a few tools of the trade if your kitchen is missing one of the essentials for one-pot and one-pan meals.
One-Pot Soups
1. One-Pot Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
Pasta in soup is a two-in-one favorite. Garnish with parmesan cheese and basil, and pair it with a side of bread.
2. One-Pot Chicken Dumpling Soup
Make dinner night even easier with ready-made rotisserie chicken at the store. In this recipe, the biscuits are my favorite part, and if you have leftovers, quickly pop a new batch in the oven.
3. Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Rain or shine, chicken noodle soup sounds appetizing on any given day. Plus, if any little ones are sick in the family, this soup is a great option to get them back on their feet. This recipe can be ready in 20 minutes, so there’s no waiting around.
One-Pot Pastas
4. Gnocchi Lasagna Bake
Skip the lasagna noodles and add the gnocchi. This “last-minute” dinner doesn’t taste like it’s last-minute. It’s quick, easy, and the perfect option if you’re craving lasagna but don’t have the time.
5. Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese
If mac and cheese is a repeat dish in your household, but you’re tired of the same old, same old, spruce it up and make this ‘fancy’ version.
6. Supreme Pizza Instant Pot Orzo
I love pizza, and this pasta version of it is creative and delicious. If you don’t have time to make dough, why not make this supreme pizza with orzo instead?
7. One-Pot Sausage Pasta
With the reviews alone, this one-pot pasta is worth trying. Top with fresh parmesan and basil. Bon appétit!
8. Feel Good Homemade Hamburger Helper
The perfect hearty comfort food. This homemade Hamburger Helper dupe definitely takes the box version up a notch. It’s healthy, yummy, and easy to clean-up.
9. One-Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Bacon Pasta
You had me at bacon. This sun-dried tomato and bacon pasta is perfect if you’re wanting to have a date—with or without kids—night in.
10. One-Pot Veggie Pasta
If your kids love pasta but aren’t into veggies, this might be a good option for you to get their veggie intake in.
11. One-Pot Chicken Florentine Pasta
The author of this recipe made it with new moms in mind. If you just had a baby but are wanting to get back in the groove of making meals, this yummy one-pot Chicken Florentine Pasta is so easy to make.
One-Pot & One-Pan Seafood Meals
12. Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Salmon
This sheet pan salmon flakes perfectly off the pan, and it’s topped with a garlic butter sauce that I recommend spreading on a side of toast.
13. One-Pot Orzo with Shrimp and Peas
This simple and flavorful one-pot pasta can be whipped together in under 30 minutes. The recipe calls for white wine, and I’m thinking any wine left over can pair well with this dish, too.
One-Pot & One-Pan Meals with Chicken or Beef
14. Mostly Veggie Steak Stir-Fry
The tangy all-purpose stir-fry sauce can literally go over anything. It marries so well with the beef and vegetables. The sauce alone will have you wanting to make this quick and delicious dinner.
15. 25-Minute Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
This stir fry is packed with protein, veggies, and it is easy when you’re looking for something quick and easy to prep for dinner. Bonus: did you know that sautéed cabbage is a great source of Vitamin C?
16. Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl
This recipe is “better than takeout.” I would have to say it’s quicker than takeout, too. Get a quick, easy to clean-up, and yummy burrito bowl without having to leave the house.
17. Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Vegetables
I’m always on the lookout for less mess when it comes to cooking after a busy day. Something like sheet pan pesto chicken and vegetables not only saves me clean-up, but it saves me time. Plus, my family loves veggies that are dressed in tasty herbs.
18. Honey Butter Chicken Bites
Add rice and veggies with this recipe, and you easily have a dinner bowl!
19. Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs with Veggies and Chickpeas
There are so many flavors packed into this one dish. You will have this recipe on repeat.
20. Ground Beef Enchilada Skillet
These enchiladas hit the spot, and they’re healthy, too. The recipe calls for ground beef, almond flour tortillas, enchilada sauce, butternut squash, onion, garlic, dairy-free cheese, and your favorite toppings.
21. Apple Chicken Sausage and Vegetable Skillet
This recipe is the perfect combo of sweet and savory. I can just smell the Honeycrisp apples!
22. Honey Garlic Chicken Sheet Pan Meal
I love sheet pan meals because they are so easy to throw together. Any meal that saves time and allows me to step away (while monitoring, of course) and spend time with my family is instantly worth making.
23. One-Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet
A recipe like this usually calls for multiple pots and pans. No, thank you. However, this recipe has you making everything in one pot. Make chicken broccoli and rice any night of the week, and enjoy the process, too.
24. One-Pan Baked Chicken and Potatoes
Crispy chicken and potatoes mixed in with garlic and thyme? Sign me up. Quickly pop the ingredients into the oven and fill your house with an herby aroma.
25. Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Fajita night is a favorite in my household. With this recipe, it might just become a family favorite in your house, too. Why? It’s so easy, and the assembly part makes it fun. Fajita night Fridays, anyone?
26. Sheet Pan Harvest Chicken and Vegetables
This harvest chicken and vegetables recipe is a must-try. It calls for bacon, chicken, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, walnuts, and more.
27. Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya
Jambalaya usually takes 45 minutes to one hour to cook, but this recipe has it on your table in 20 minutes. Feeling hungry and wanting something filling and delicious? Make this Instant Pot Jambalaya.
One-Pot & One-Pan Vegetarian Meals
28. Vegetarian Cauliflower Fried Rice
Mix it up a little and use cauliflower instead of traditional rice for this delicious recipe.
29. Harissa Egglplant and Carrot Salad
Harissa has health benefits like lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, and it also aids in digestion. Whip this up and throw it on a bed of greens.
One-Pot Vegan Meals
30. Vegan Sheet Pan Quesadillas
Try this creative take on quesadillas. This dish is a time-saver and definitely crowd-worthy!
31. One-Pot Vegan Chili Mac
The pasta in this chili mac soaks up all the flavors in the pot. Make sure you make enough for leftovers, because I would imagine it would taste even better the next day.
Shop Our Favorite Tools for One-Pot and One-Pan Meals
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
A mom of two, Kathy is passionately committed to sharing the honest, helpful—and often humorous—stories of motherhood, as she navigates her own everyday adventures of work, marriage, and parenting. She honed her creative and strategic skills at advertising agencies in Detroit and Chicago, before pivoting from marketing to editorial. Now instead of telling brand stories, she’s sharing her own, with articles published across popular parenting sites—including hundreds of stories on The Everymom.
Patty Schepel, Editorial Intern
As the editorial intern, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.