35 One-Pot Meals Just Right for Dinner Tonight
One pan, pot, skillet, or slow cooker is all you need to prepare these no-fuss family dinners, including salmon, pasta, pot roast, chili, and so much more.
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Baked Salmon with Creamy Orzo
A flavor-packed triumph, this one-pot wonder pairs lemon-coriander salmon fillets with a bed of rich bacon-flecked orzo.
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Baked Chicken Veracruz
Give juicy chicken thighs the Veracruz treatment, with an irresistible sauce made with fire-roasted tomatoes, cinnamon, fresh oregano, Castelvetrano olives, and shallots.
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Garlic, Dijon mustard, and cream amp up the pan sauce for this succulent pork-and-vegetable saute.
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Chow Mein
Yes, you can make this takeout classic at home! It's as easy as stir-frying noodles, vegetables, and chicken. Serve immediately so the noodles stay nice and crispy.
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One-Pan Pasta
At a tiny restaurant in the Puglia region of Italy, we saw a chef place dried pasta in a skillet with water, tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs, and a glug of extra-virgin olive oil, and then cook everything together. It has been one of our "back pocket" recipes ever since: Once the water has boiled away, you are left with perfectly al dente pasta in a creamy sauce that coats every strand.
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Korean Beef Chuck Roast
Give traditional pot roast a Korean twist by slow cooking beef chuck with gochujang (Korean pepper paste), mirin (sweet rice wine), sake, and plenty of garlic and ginger. Carrots and shiitake mushrooms complete the dish. Serve with rice or transform into quick Korean Beef Tacos.
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Arroz con Pollo
The traditional Spanish chicken and rice casserole gets its distinctive flavor from white wine, saffron, and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Nestle seared chicken thighs into the seasoned rice and cook everything together on the stovetop.
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Spicy Peanut Chicken
Boneless chicken thighs and broccolini, both coated in a chili-spiked peanut sauce, emerge deliciously caramelized after just 10 minutes under the broiler.
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This skillet of sausage, scallions, and tomatoes surrounded by oven-puffed savory pudding was inspired by the English dish toad-in-a-hole.
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Salmon coated in grainy mustard is nestled between red cabbage and new potatoes for a healthy and easy week-night meal.
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Seafood Orzo Risotto
The secret to the perfectly cooked seafood in this paella-like pasta dish? Adding the mussels, shrimp, squid, cockles, and fish to the pot at different times.
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Pork and Plums
Thin pork tenderloin is sauteed with ripe plums, red onions, and a splash of vinegar for a warming meal with only one pan to clean!
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Irish Beef and Stout Stew
Cubes of beef chuck become melt-in-your-mouth tender when braised with Irish stout beer and tomato paste. This dish freezes well: Simply pack the cooled stew into plastic containers and store for up to three months.
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Chipotle Chicken and Rice
Smoky chipotle chiles in adobo sauce heat up this stove-top chicken casserole, which also serves as a delicious quesadilla filling: simply cut the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces before cooking, and eliminate the rice if you wish.
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Three-Cheese Skillet Lasagna
Canned plum tomatoes and fresh garlic make an easy, flavorful marinara sauce. Baking the lasagna in the same skillet used to simmer the tomato sauce makes this pasta dish extra quick to whip up.
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Black Beans and Sausage
Canned black beans and kielbasa (or any other smoked sausage you choose) make a hearty meal. Top each portion of stew with chopped parsley and a dollop of plain yogurt. This quick weeknight meal is ready in 40 minutes.
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Wine-Braised Chicken
Better known as coq au vin, this rustic French chicken stew gets its richness from bacon and red wine. Serve with crusty bread or buttered noodles.
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Butternut Squash Baked Risotto
Butternut squash and kale cook along with short-grain Arborio rice, making this risotto extra hearty and sweet. After sauteing for a few minutes on the stove, this dish goes into the oven -- unlike most risottos, there's no need to stand and stir!
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Chicken and Brown Rice
Roasted red peppers and frozen peas add color and sweetness to this chicken and rice casserole. You can speed up the cooking time by first soaking the brown rice in water all day.
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Pale ale makes a flavorful braising liquid for sweet Italian sausages and red potatoes. Make a quick sauce of olive oil, red-wine vinegar, and parsley to drizzle over the potatoes.
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Chicken and Dumplings
Steam dill-flecked dumplings over a stew of chicken thighs, carrots, and peas. No need to spend all day in the kitchen -- this down-home favorite is ready in an hour.
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Beef Stew
You can make this beef stew in the oven or slow cooker. Either way, you will have a warming, wholesome, and wonderfully flavorful meal.
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Half-Hour Chicken Gumbo
Rotisserie chicken, precooked andouille sausage, and frozen okra are the secret shortcuts that get this stew on the table in 30 minutes. Bake a batch of cornbread while the gumbo simmers.
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Shrimp Jambalaya
Try this spicy shrimp and rice dish -- a New Orleans favorite -- for a simple dinner for family or friends. If you prefer a milder smoked sausage, use chorizo or kielbasa in place of the traditional Cajun andouille.
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Cumin and cinnamon evoke the flavors of North Africa in this chicken, rice, and vegetable casserole. Sear the chicken pieces for golden brown skin make the skin golden brown and irresistible, then arrange on top of the rice to steam.
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Braised Pork and Cabbage
Coleslaw mix -- a combination of shredded cabbage and carrots, available in the produce section of most supermarkets -- is a great time-saver in this hearty pork chop recipe. Caraway seeds and cider vinegar give it a nice punch.
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Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings
This tomato-based chicken stew gets a boost from thyme, red-wine vinegar, and two bottles of beer. Drop spoonfuls of cornmeal-buttermilk dumpling dough to steam on top of the stew.
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Spicy Mussels and Chorizo
Sweet, plump mussels are steamed in a sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and wine; chorizo, a Spanish sausage, adds extra heat.
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Spicy Coconut-Chicken Casserole
Thai red curry paste and light coconut milk lend an exotic twist to chicken casserole. In addition to red bell peppers and green beans, you could also add eggplant, zucchini, or carrots.
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Shrimp Boil with Corn and Potatoes
Make your own spice packet for this New Orleans-style shrimp boil by tying up allspice berries, bay leaves, and coriander, mustard, and dill seeds in a square of cheesecloth. Serve this dinner-party dish with lots of melted butter spiked with hot sauce.
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Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Also known as chicken cacciatore, this rustic stew cooks in a rich tomato-mushroom sauce. Serve over rice or with a thick slice of crusty bread.
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Easy Paella
This easy version of the Spanish favorite combines chicken, sausage, and shrimp with long-grain rice, peas, and canned tomatoes. Saffron, which usually gives paella its brilliant yellow-orange hue, is replaced here by budget-friendly turmeric. This party-friendly dish can be made ahead and reheated.
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Beef Stroganoff
Use a slow cooker or Dutch oven to simmer sliced beef chuck with onion and mushrooms. Just before you're ready to serve the stroganoff, thicken the sauce with cornstarch and stir in sour cream and Dijon mustard.
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Lentil Curry
Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and canned diced tomatoes make this vegetarian stew hearty and colorful. Saute the curry powder to release its fragrance before adding the other ingredients.
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Turkey and Bean Chili
Bacon, jalapenos, and lots of garlic amp up the flavor in this pot of chili. Cumin, cocoa powder, and molasses add depth. Feel free to substitute lean ground beef for the turkey.
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