28 One-Pot Dinners That Have Us Dreaming of Spring
With warmer weather comes all kinds of delicious spring produce—like lemon, cabbage, mushrooms, peas and more—and these simple recipes make them the star of the show. Whether it's a one-pot pasta or a quick skillet dinner, these meals promise to bring the fresh, cozy flavors of spring into your kitchen. Recipes like our One-Skillet Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms & Onions and One-Pot Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp are so delicious, you'll keep them in rotation all season long.
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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.
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Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach
Simmer eggs in a rich tomatoey cream sauce studded with chickpeas and silky spinach for a super-fast vegetarian dinner. Serve with a piece of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Be sure to use heavy cream; a lower-fat option might curdle when mixed with acidic tomatoes.
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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta
You'll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.
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One-Pot Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Pasta
This creamy chicken and mushroom pasta recipe makes for an easy weeknight dinner. Using store-bought rotisserie chicken saves time when cooking, and leftover chicken would work just as well.
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Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup
Loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, tomato and plenty of seasoning, this healthy vegetable soup packs in lots of flavor and is ultra-satisfying. This easy recipe makes a big batch for lunches or veggie-packed snacks all week. If you want to bump up the satisfaction factor even more, top with a little cheese or avocado.
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One-Pot Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp
This quick one-pot shrimp and pasta dinner is cooked with asparagus in a lemony sauce. Feta cheese sprinkled over the top adds another savory layer, but feel free to skip it and add additional fresh herbs and a lemon slice instead.
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Creamy One-Pot Penne Primavera with Shrimp
Just as its name suggests, you only need one pot to make this satisfying pasta dish featuring fresh spinach, red bell pepper and broccoli, along with a generous portion of shrimp. To make the light, creamy sauce, residual pasta water is cleverly combined with Parmesan cheese.
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One-Pot Pasta with Peas & Parmesan
A bowl of creamy pea pasta is colorful—and bright in flavor as well, thanks to the addition of lemon zest and juice. Made in just one pot, this easy pasta recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
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3-Ingredient One-Pot Lemon Pasta with Rotisserie Chicken
This satisfying one-pot pasta cooks with just the right amount of water so you're left with perfectly cooked noodles and enough starchy liquid to act as a sauce. Stir in lemon juice and zest at the end for a bright finish.
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One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta
This creamy chicken and broccoli pasta makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. We opt for small shells in this recipe, but any other small pasta, like orecchiette, would work, too.
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One-Pot Chicken & Cabbage Soup
This simple, yet flavorful, chicken-cabbage soup is perfect for enjoying on a cold day. Sherry vinegar adds a touch of brightness and pairs well with the medley of vegetables. Serve with crusty bread.
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Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Stew
This load-and-go slow-cooker chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve this Tuscan-inspired dish with crusty bread, a glass of Chianti and a salad.
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One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach
This hearty vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle extra heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for a bigger punch of flavor.
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Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce
This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.
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Skillet Pork Chops with Peas, Carrots & Pearl Onions
This superfast one-dish dinner is full of classic flavor and is such a crowd pleaser that you'll want to work it into your regular weeknight dinner rotation. We call for bone-in pork chops to maximize flavor, but boneless pork chops are a fine substitution. To round out this meal a little more, serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
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Creamy Mushroom & Spinach Soup with Wild Rice
Packed with vegetables, this creamy soup comes together easily for a warming meal. Wild rice adds a boost of protein and fiber, but you could substitute another whole grain like brown rice or barley, if you prefer.
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One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous
Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.
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Chicken Florentine
Classic chicken Florentine--creamy spinach served atop sautéed chicken cutlets--is a fast and easy meal. To keep calories lower, this recipe uses cornstarch to thicken the cream instead of cheese. This chicken recipe is simple enough for weekdays but also elegant enough for a dinner party.
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Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
These seared pork chops are topped with a rich and creamy mushroom sauce that gets flavored with fresh herbs.
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Kielbasa & Cabbage Soup
This Eastern European soup (called kapusniak in Polish) is traditionally made with sauerkraut. To keep the sodium in check in this healthy recipe, we use fresh cabbage and save the sauerkraut for a deliciously salty-sour garnish.
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Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken with Fingerlings
Fingerling potatoes are small, long, knobby spuds that are shaped like fingers. Look for them in the produce department or at farmers' markets.
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Lamb & Spinach One-Pot Pasta
A few stirs with a wooden spoon and only one pot--that's all you need for this quick weeknight pasta recipe. As the starch cooks off into the pasta water, it creates a creamy sauce to coat your vegetables and meat.
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One-Pot Pasta with Tuna
Use the one-pot pasta cooking method to make this tuna pasta recipe that calls for just 5 ingredients and is ready in just over half an hour. For extra crunch and a tuna noodle casserole feel, sprinkle this speedy pasta dish with toasted whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs.
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One-Pot Coconut Milk Curry with Chickpeas
The assortment of vegetables in this vegan one-pot dish add varying textures and flavors to make each forkful exciting. The sweet potato balances the savory spices nicely. Serve this bright and flavorful curry with rice or rice noodles.
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One-Pot Garlic-Shrimp Pasta
Forget the fuss: this one-pot meal has it all--garlic, shrimp, vegetables and plenty of fresh basil. Cleanup after this healthy dinner is a breeze and it's quick too, done in less than 30 minutes. Once you get comfortable with this weeknight recipe, get creative by substituting zucchini for the summer squash and swapping out the Brussels sprouts for broccoli or cauliflower.
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Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms
Whether you scored wild mushrooms at the farmers' market, found cultivated maitake or shiitake at the supermarket or just have some baby bellas on hand, this healthy creamy chicken recipe is delicious with any of them. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
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Leek, Potato & Spinach Stew
For this light, brothy stew, use the vegetables of late spring and early summer from your CSA share: leeks, potatoes, garlic and spinach. Vary what's in the stew according to the weekly bounty. Serve with: Crusty whole-wheat baguette spread with goat cheese.
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Green Shakshuka
Shakshuka, or eggs poached in an aromatic tomato sauce, is a fast, one-pan breakfast staple in Northern Africa and Israel. This healthy recipe features spinach, herbs and tomatillos. Garnish with a touch of harissa--a fiery chile paste--and dip some toasted whole-grain country bread into the jammy yolks.