Weeknights are far from simple. There’s always a laundry list of to-dos before we can even think about unwinding, which means something has to give, generally, it is dinner being substituted with quick convenience options. Yet, what if you didn’t have to sacrifice a warm, home-cooked dinner in the thick of the Monday through Friday rush? Sounds too good to be true? Here these ten one-pan meals prove that weeknights can have full home-cooked meals that are no stress and no fuss.
One-Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff
Comfort food is put into the fast lane with this recipe for One-Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff. The classic chunks of beef are swapped out with quick-to-cook ground beef, making for a faster cooking time. A savory, earthy sauce cooks up with a short but impactful list of ingredients, all of which act as a boiling liquid for the egg noodles that cook up directly in the pan. The results are a mix of meaty, comforting, hearty, and a hundred percent homemade, no mix packet or canned goods in sight! Find the recipe by clicking the link here.
One-Pot Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese knows no age limit. It is something that kids and adults can indulge in, shedding the stress of a day by basking in the comfort of the carby pasta and creamy cheesy sauce. Here, One-Pot Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese takes that holiday or Sunday special dish and makes it into a weeknight recipe. The sauce doesn’t require the classic roux and leans on the starchiness of the macaroni and the proteins of the milk and cheese to thicken the sauce into a creamy dreamy delight. Both the sauce and pasta are cooked in the same pot, making for a pasta dish that has a great blending of flavors (it’s a plus one bonus point because of the easy single one pot cleanup too). If you want to make the recipe, click the link!
Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Dinner
Whether it’s the frigid depths of winter or the boiling pits of summer, the taste of an outdoor barbecue dinner is a simple singular sheet pan away! This recipe for Sheet Pan Barbecue Chicken Dinner has all the components of a grilled meal but is made indoors in the oven. Corn on the cob, zucchini, and onions partner up with chicken and a barbecue rub of smokey, zippy spices. Baked until everything is cooked to tender perfection, you won’t have to fire up the grill to have the flame-licked chargrilled taste! Curious about the recipe? Then click here!
One-Pan Ground Kung Pao Chicken
Before you dial your go-to takeout joint, try this recipe for One-Pan Ground Kung Pao Chicken! A mixture of zucchini, bell peppers, and onion is chopped up into small bits, making it easy to cook up in a flash alongside ground chicken. A quick-from-scratch stir-fry sauce is complex but made with simple pantry staples, allowing you to have the taste of takeout with a fraction of the sodium and sugar! Get the step-by-step instructions by clicking the link!
One-Pan Sausage and Potatoes
A cast iron skillet is one of those pans that adds to the flavor of a dish, giving food a crispy crunchy sear. For this recipe of Saucy One-Pot Sausage and Potatoes, the skillet does the heavy lifting! After the sausages are seared with a charred coating on the outside, the sausages are then removed and the fragrant aromatic onions are sautéed in the skillet, developing layers upon layers of flavor. Finally, the potatoes get their chance to dive into the pan, absorbing all the seasonings and sauce that bind this dish together. Want to make the recipe? Then click here!
Tuscan Pasta
Pantry ingredients like sundried tomatoes and dried herbs transport you to the sunny rosemary-scented lands of central Italy with this recipe for Tuscan Pasta. Aromatics work alongside oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and Italian seasoning, which are the flavors that perfume the sauce and pasta. A final addition of spinach adds earthy elements and a great contrasting texture to the creamy sauce that’s coating every inch of the pasta. Find the ingredient list and step-by-step instructions by clicking the link here.
One-Pan Greek Lemon Chicken
A bit of bright citrus is an easy trick to take an average dish to perfection. Here, One-Pan Greek Lemon Chicken has elements of fresh citrus alongside Greek staples like oregano and mint to create a chicken and rice dish that goes beyond our assumptions of chicken and rice. The ingredients are all-season and accessible, making it the perfect way to brighten any weeknight of any season! Get all the recipe details by clicking the link here.
One-Pot Chicken Dirty Rice
Dirty rice is one of those dishes that traditionally takes tons of time, but this recipe for One-Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice makes this creole classic a weeknight staple! A marinade of pantry spices coats chicken, sausage, and rice alongside some aromatics like jalapeño, bell peppers, celery, and onion. As everything cooks in the skillet, the layers of flavor develop in the most savory, complex way! Want to find out more details about the recipe? Then click the link.
Slow Cooker Million Dollar Pasta
Set it and forget it is the motto for this Slow Cooker Million Dollar Pasta. Bowtie pasta gets layered with the classics like ground beef and tomato sauce but also gets partnered up with rich elements like cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, and mozzarella. The result is an ultra beefy, amazingly creamy meal that has all the vibes of a Sunday lasagna but in an easy weekday slow cooker form. Get the recipe details here!