Supper can be a stressful, chaotic time for busy families. Many parents prefer to make a one-pot meal on weeknights, which usually requires less preparation and cleanup. To give you some ideas, here are a variety of hearty one-pot dinners your family might enjoy.
Chicken
Chicken is perfect for one-pot meals any time of the year. A creamy chicken and rice bake on cold winter evenings can fill your kitchen with delicious aromas. On a hot summer day, make a quick and tasty chicken salad with diced canned chicken, mayonnaise, onion, and celery, and serve it on a bed of lettuce.
Casseroles
Casseroles often come to mind when thinking of one-pot dinners, and the possibilities are nearly endless. Start with a protein like beef, poultry, or pork. Add wide noodles, macaroni, tube-shaped pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, hash browns, or tater tots for the starch.
Casseroles often come to mind when thinking of one-pot dinners, and the possibilities are nearly endless. Start with a protein like beef, poultry, or pork.
Next, choose complementary vegetables to add to the casserole. Popular casserole sauces include creamy milk- or cheese-based sauce, tomato sauce, or stroganoff-style mushroom sauce. You can also create a meatless casserole with only vegetables and pasta.
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is another easy and popular one-pot dinner. Start with meat like ground beef, meatballs, or sausage, then add your family’s favorite vegetables. Customize the vegetables to make a different dish every time.
Carrots, peas, broccoli, and bell peppers are good vegetable options. Add extra flavor by cooking bacon or sausage in the pot before adding the tomato sauce. Serve spaghetti with baked garlic bread or fresh French bread.
Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes are another simple one-dish meal. Add vegetables to the beef mixture while cooking to add variation to your sloppy Joes. Top the sloppy Joes with shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese, depending on your family’s preferences. Add taste and crunch by topping the sloppy Joe meat with coleslaw or pickles.
Chili
Almost everybody likes chili, another hearty one-pot meal that’s easy to customize. You can season chili from bland to spicy and make it with endless combinations of pasta, meat, vegetables, or beans. Top the chili with shredded cheese or sour cream.
You can serve it on top of mashed potatoes or create unique variations like chili with white cannellini beans and corn topped with diced avocado, sour cream, green onions, and crushed tortilla chips.
You can serve it on top of mashed potatoes or create unique variations like chili with white cannellini beans and corn topped with diced avocado, sour cream, green onions, and crushed tortilla chips. Or make chili with tofu instead of meat for a vegetarian version. Serve chili with crackers or mouth-watering hot buttered cornbread.
Soup
Soup makes an easy but filling meal and cooks in the background while you attend to other things, like making sure the kids get their homework done before it’s time to eat. It’s easy to create a variety of soups with fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables. Put your ingredients into the pot and let it simmer, adding seasoning and spices as desired.
Beef Roast
A final one-pot meal is a classic beef roast with quartered potatoes. Add fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli, or green beans. You may want to make the roast in the slow cooker so you can prepare it in the morning and have dinner ready at mealtime, with minimal additional work.
You don’t have to dread making dinner on those busy weeknights any longer. Choose from one of these suggestions to make a different one-pot meal each day of the week.
