One Pot Meals for Beginners: One Pan, Less Cleanup

15 recipes in this roundup

1. 

   1.Creamy Tomato Orzo

   Brown Italian sausage in a Dutch oven, breaking it into small pieces. Add onion, garlic, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, broth, and dry orzo. Simmer gently uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and glossy. Fold in spinach and Parmesan just before serving for a softer finish. Use medium heat after browning, so the bottom remains easy to scrape; a lid is unnecessary during the simmering. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

2. 

   2.Lemony Chicken Rice

   Brown chicken thighs in a wide pot until both sides color well. Add onion, garlic, rice, lemon zest, broth, and dried oregano. Cover and simmer gently until the rice absorbs the liquid completely. Rest off heat, then add peas and chopped parsley before serving. Keep the pot centered over a medium-low burner for steady bubbling, and leave chicken pieces in one even layer while browning initially. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

3. 

   3.Black Bean Taco Pasta

   Cook ground beef in a Dutch oven, breaking it apart with a spoon. Stir in taco seasoning, salsa, black beans, corn, broth, and pasta. Cover and simmer until the pasta softens and the sauce thickens. Scatter cheese across the top, cover briefly, then add cilantro. Center the pot, keeping beef in an even layer until its underside browns well before you stir it briefly. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

4. 

   4.Garlic Butter Gnocchi

   Sear shelf-stable gnocchi in butter until the edges turn deeply golden. Add garlic, cherry tomatoes, spinach, and a splash of broth. Cover briefly, allowing the tomatoes to soften and release their juices. Finish with Parmesan and black pepper, then spoon it into bowls. Set the pot over a centered medium burner and keep gnocchi spaced before turning, so each side can brown properly there well. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

5. 

   5.Sausage White Bean Skillet

   Brown sliced sausage in a deep skillet until its edges crisp. Add onion, garlic, white beans, tomatoes, broth, and Italian seasoning. Simmer uncovered until the beans warm through and sauce reduces slightly. Stir in kale, then cover briefly until the leaves wilt. Keep sausage in a single layer over a centered burner before you stir, so the slices color without steaming too quickly together there. Two dishes dirtied: skillet and spoon.

6. 

   6.Cheesy Broccoli Shells

   Boil pasta shells in broth with garlic, mustard, and onion powder. Add small broccoli florets halfway through, keeping the pot gently bubbling. Stir in milk and cheddar after the pasta turns tender. Let the sauce stand briefly, then add black pepper before serving. Center the pot over medium heat, leaving broccoli loose enough to sink into the broth as you stir the pasta around gently. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

7. 

   7.Coconut Chickpea Curry

   Cook onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder in oil until fragrant. Add chickpeas, coconut milk, tomatoes, broth, and cubed sweet potato. Cover and simmer until the sweet potato yields easily to a fork. Stir in spinach and lime juice for brightness at the end. Use a centered burner and spread onion across the pot before stirring, so it softens without dark spots around edges first evenly. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

8. 

   8.One-Pot Tuna Noodles

   Cook egg noodles in broth with peas, celery, and dried dill. Stir in canned tuna and evaporated milk once noodles are tender. Add shredded cheese gradually, stirring until the sauce looks smooth. Finish with lemon juice and black pepper for a brighter bowl. Keep the pot centered and stir the noodles from the bottom regularly to prevent a thick layer settling there too firmly. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

9. 

   9.Beefy Cabbage Soup

   Brown ground beef in a soup pot, then drain excess fat. Add cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, broth, onion, and Italian seasoning. Simmer until the cabbage softens and carrots become fork-tender. Serve with grated Parmesan or crusty bread for an uncomplicated dinner. Center the pot and spread beef across the bottom before breaking it apart with a spoon for even browning at first there more evenly. Two dishes dirtied: pot, spoon, and colander.

10. 

    10.Creamy Chicken Couscous

    Brown chicken pieces in a deep skillet with olive oil and garlic. Add pearl couscous, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and dried basil. Cover and simmer until couscous is tender and chicken reaches 165°F. Stir in cream cheese and spinach until the sauce turns silky. Keep chicken pieces in a loose layer over a centered burner before stirring them, so the edges brown first all over. Two dishes dirtied: skillet and spoon.

11. 

    11.Lentil Vegetable Stew

    Cook onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil until softened. Add brown lentils, tomatoes, broth, thyme, and diced potatoes. Cover and simmer until lentils are tender and broth thickens. Stir in frozen peas near the end for color and sweetness. Use a centered burner, leaving vegetables spread evenly before the liquid goes in, so they soften at the same pace across bottom first. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

12. 

    12.Skillet Enchilada Rice

    Brown ground turkey in a skillet with onion and garlic. Add rice, enchilada sauce, black beans, corn, broth, and cumin. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Top with cheese, cover briefly, then add sliced scallions. Keep turkey in a loose, even layer over a centered burner before breaking it apart with the spoon after browning begins on bottom there. Two dishes dirtied: skillet and spoon.

13. 

    13.Pesto Tortellini Skillet

    Warm sliced mushrooms in oil until their moisture cooks away. Add refrigerated tortellini, broth, cherry tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer until tortellini are plump and tomatoes soften. Stir in pesto and spinach, then finish with grated Parmesan. Center the skillet over medium heat, spreading mushrooms across the bottom before turning them, so each piece has room to brown instead of releasing water immediately. Two dishes dirtied: skillet and spoon.

14. 

    14.Red Beans and Rice

    Brown smoked sausage in a pot with onion, celery, and bell pepper. Add canned red beans, rice, broth, garlic, paprika, and thyme. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and the mixture thickens. Rest five minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork. Use a centered burner and keep sausage in an even layer before stirring, so it browns well along both cut sides there. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.

15. 

    15.Spinach Feta Farro

    Cook onion and garlic in oil until softened in a deep pot. Add quick-cooking farro, broth, tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper. Cover and simmer until farro is tender and most liquid disappears. Fold in spinach, feta, and lemon zest before serving. Keep the pot centered, spreading onion into a loose layer before stirring, so it cooks evenly across the bottom without dark edges forming first. Two dishes dirtied: pot and spoon.