19 High-Protein One Pot Meals Ready in 30 Minutes
When you are crunched for time but need a boost of energy that only a protein-packed dinner can provide, these recipes are here to help. Ready on the table in 30 minutes or less, these recipes will save cooking and cleaning time since they only use one pot. With ingredients like savory steak, chicken and beans, these recipes follow our high-protein nutritional guidelines with at least 15 grams per serving so you can fuel up fast. Recipes like American Goulash and One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta have all the components to a quick, easy and delicious meal.
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American Goulash
American goulash, also known as old-fashioned goulash, is the perfect economical family meal. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so this satisfying dish can cook in just one pot.
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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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Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
This one-pan chicken and broccoli casserole is prepared in a skillet on the stovetop, then finished in the oven until it's browned, cheesy and bubbling. Serve with a crunchy green salad.
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One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta
A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.
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Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese
This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili recipe comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don't have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.
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Skillet Swiss Steak
This weeknight-fast Swiss steak recipe is made on the stovetop in just 30 minutes (traditional Swiss steak braises in the oven for an hour or more). Sautéed peppers, onions and tomatoes make a quick, savory sauce. Ask your butcher for 4 equal-size cube steaks (about 4 ounces each) so they cook evenly.
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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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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.
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Adobo Chicken & Kale Enchiladas
Put out your favorite toppings for these quick and healthy layered enchiladas. We like cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños.
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Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce
This steak, broccolini and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushrooms, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.
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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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One-Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta with Zucchini
This one-pot creamy chicken with zucchini is comfort food at its best. Here, we take advantage of fresh summer zucchini, which lightens up the dish. This easy dinner is made all in one pot on the stovetop, so you can give your oven a rest on a warm day and enjoy an easy cleanup.
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Sweet & Sour Chicken
This 20-minute meal delivers a faster, lighter and more flavorful takeout alternative. It's chock-full of fresh, crispy veggies and juicy chicken pieces, and it reheats well for meal-prep lunches. If you like heat, sub Sriracha for some of the ketchup.
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Easy Vegetarian Chili
Canned beans and tomatoes make this quick vegetarian chili recipe ready to go in just 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous, or with tortilla chips for added crunch, and add extra toppings as you see fit--sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sliced jalapeños are all tasty choices.
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Easy Tuna Cakes with Greens & Lemon Dressing
Dried herbs, white beans and canned tuna come together in these easy tuna cakes served over greens. A lemony dressing ties this quick dinner together.
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One-Pan Spicy Okra & Shrimp
Serve spicy blackened shrimp and tender vegetables over aromatic basmati rice for an easy skillet supper. Use precooked microwave rice so you don't have to mess up another pan. This one-pan dinner is perfect for company, but easy enough to make on a weeknight.
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Lemony Linguine with Spring Vegetables
Instead of cooking pasta in a huge pot of water, here we use just 3 1/2 cups for this one-pot pasta recipe. When the pasta is al dente, most of the water has evaporated and the bit that's left is thickened with the starch that cooks off the pasta. With just a few add-ins like lemon and Parmesan cheese you have a delicious silky sauce. Want to use up your veggie stash in the freezer? Swap in 8 ounces frozen spinach for fresh.
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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew
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One-Pan Chicken with Basil-Anchovy Butter & Shishito Peppers
Don't skip the anchovies in this healthy chicken thigh recipe. Their fishiness blends in, adding salty, umami flavor, so that even skeptics of the salty little fish won't protest. And this healthy skillet dinner is cooked in one pan and takes just 20 minutes to prep--in case you need more selling points for this recipe.