One-pan meals are a genius solution to streamline your cleanup and make cooking more efficient. Here are some one-pan meal recipes that help you make a delicious meal and cut down on dishes. With so many of us spending more time than ever in our kitchens, any trick that simplifies the cooking process is most welcome. Enter one-pan meals, which require, well, just one pan or skillet to make a complete meal. Sometimes, one-pan meals involve baking everything together in the oven; others call for searing ingredients on the stovetop and finishing in the oven.
No matter the technique, one-pan meals make for easy clean-up and also allow the flavors from each ingredient to build and meld together for an even more delicious result. If you’re prepping meals for the week or need to get a healthy dinner on the table without a lot of fuss, these one-pan meals are the perfect solution. From skillet pizzas and sheet-pan chickens to one-pot pastas and proteins with veggies cooked right in, here are some simple one-pan meals to simplify the process at dinner time.
1. Chicken Enchilada Sheet Pan Dinner
A sheet pan, foil, and some easy ingredients come together to make a delicious enchilada dish. This recipe is easy to customize based on what you have on hand. You will need tortillas, chicken, enchilada sauce, beans, corn, and some toppings like cheese, cilantro, and lime. Check our recipe here.
2. One-Pan Pizza
Pizza is probably the easiest meal to make regardless, but this skillet pizza ensures you only have to wash the skillet when you’re done. You can also easily customize this recipe based on what you like on your pizza and what you have in your refrigerator. Choose your desired crust (store-bought or homemade), sauce, cheese, and toppings. See our recipe here.
3. One-Pot Pasta
Pasta is a thoughtful blank canvas for whatever ingredients you have and comes together quickly, especially when you use one pot. This one-pot pasta from Food Network Magazine has you cook the pasta with the sauce and other ingredients to cut down on cleanup and infuse the pasta with flavor. And the best part of this recipe is that you essentially just dump it and stir it, and you’re good to go. You can use whatever vegetables, protein, or pasta shape you have, and it will turn out great. See the recipe here.
4. Sheet Pan Shrimp Dinner
This is another easy, versatile sheet-pan meal that requires minimal prep work. You’ll want to start with fully prepped shrimp and vegetables, so make sure to get those done first. Additionally, you can easily adjust the ingredients in this recipe based on your personal preference or what you have in your refrigerator. Get the recipe here.
5. One-Pan Roasted Salmon Dinner
This tasty and beautiful meal is another easy cleanup situation, as everything cooks on one pan in the oven. Additionally, it only requires about 10 minutes of prep work and 20 minutes in the oven. This recipe can easily be adjusted depending on what vegetables you have or your favorite vegetables. Some tasty options besides broccoli and bell peppers include green beans, zucchini, and onions. Check out the recipe here.
Conclusion
One-pan meals provide an efficient and delicious way to streamline your cleanup and still enjoy a wonderfully flavorful meal. From skillet pizzas and one-pot pastas to sheet-pan chickens and roasted vegetables, plenty of options exist to help you get a healthy and satisfying meal on the table without a lot of fuss or mess. So, relax, sit back, and enjoy the ease of these one-pan meals—your dishwasher will thank you.
These meal ideas are a great starting point if you want to explore more one-pan meal ideas. Ultimately, don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with different ingredients and techniques—that’s the beauty of one-pan cooking.