27 One-Pot Dinner Recipes for Winter

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Published on December 10, 2020

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

These healthy one-pot dinner recipes are perfect for cold winter days. Whether it's creamy, cheesy or protein-packed (or sometimes all three), these dinner recipes will keep you warm and feeling full. Aside from being filling, these recipes are backed with vegetables and whole grains for nutrition that keeps you fueled. Recipes like One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta and Italian Bean Stew are delicious and only use one pot or pan, so you can spend more time cozied up on the couch.

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Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

This one-pan chicken-and-broccoli recipe comes out of the oven all browned, cheesy and bubbling like a casserole, but is really prepared more like a skillet meal on the stovetop. Serve with a crunchy green salad.

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Beef & Bean Sloppy Joes

This healthy copycat recipe of the comfort food classic trades beans for some of the meat to bump up fiber by 7 grams. We also cut back on the sugar and ketchup in this Sloppy Joe recipe makeover to save you 12 grams of added sugar.

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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta — Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

You'll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Italian-Style Turkey & Penne Skillet

italian-style turkey & penne skillet

This delicious one-skillet pasta meal-for-two is ready in just 35 minutes! Turkey--seasoned with a spicy Italian-seasoning blend--is served with tomato sauce and wilted spinach over multi-grain pasta.

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One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

This chicken Parmesan pasta uses the one-pot pasta method to cook your noodles, chicken and sauce all in one skillet for a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. Finish the dish under the broiler to achieve a delicious melted cheese crust.

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Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

creamy white chili in a bowl

This rich and creamy chili 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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Italian Bean Stew

Sweet turkey sausage and cannellini beans are featured in this delicious stew.

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One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous

Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.

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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken

Creamy-Chicken-Noodle

This rich-tasting but better-for-you creamy chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time--look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you're really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.

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Turkey & Brown Rice Chili

This hearty turkey chili recipe takes just 35 minutes to prep. While it's cooking, you'll have time to throw together a green salad and warm up some crusty bread to complete the meal.

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Homemade Chicken Ramen Noodle Bowls

Homemade Chicken Ramen Noodle Bowls

Transform canned chicken noodle soup into quick ramen bowls by adding fresh ginger, crunchy vegetables, herbs and a jammy soft-boiled egg. Look for a low-sodium soup that has 450 mg sodium or less per serving.

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Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Onion Chutney

If you'd like the chutney in this pork tenderloin recipe to be both sweet and tart, opt for sweet apples like red or golden delicious and sweet onion.

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American Goulash

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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Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Stew

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Diet Stew in White Bowl

This Mediterranean stew is a healthy dinner chock-full of vegetables and hearty chickpeas. A drizzle of olive oil to finish carries the flavors of this easy vegan crock-pot stew. Swap out the chickpeas for white beans for a different twist, or try collards or spinach in place of the kale. Any way you vary it, this stew is sure to go into heavy rotation when you are looking for healthy crock-pot recipes.

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Garlic Roasted Salmon & Brussels Sprouts

Garlic Roasted Salmon & Brussels Sprouts

Roasting salmon on top of Brussels sprouts and garlic, flavored with wine and fresh oregano, is simple enough for a weeknight meal yet sophisticated enough to serve to company. Serve with whole-wheat couscous.

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One-Skillet Pastitsio

Pastitsio is a classic Greek baked pasta dish made with ground beef and bechamel. Our version has all the flavors and the comforting feel of the classic, but is made in one skillet (less cleanup!) and is healthier for you, using whole-grain pasta, lean meat and low-fat dairy.

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Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Chicken Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.

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Kielbasa & Cabbage Soup

This Eastern European soup (called kapusniak in Polish) is traditionally made with sauerkraut. To keep the sodium in check in this healthy recipe, we use fresh cabbage and save the sauerkraut for a deliciously salty-sour garnish.

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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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Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta

This entire healthy pasta recipe cooks in one skillet, so there's only one pot to clean! Try it with any greens you have in the fridge, such as chard or spinach.

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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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Five-Spiced Pork and Soba Noodle Bowls

This Asian-inspired, one-bowl meal is chock full of vegetables, tender pork strips and soba noodles. Just before serving, the broth base is enhanced by the addition of a little orange juice.

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Lamb & Spinach One-Pot Pasta

A few stirs with a wooden spoon and only one pot--that's all you need for this quick weeknight pasta recipe. As the starch cooks off into the pasta water, it creates a creamy sauce to coat your vegetables and meat.

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Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms

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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Smoked Turkey, Kale & Rice Bake

This hearty one-skillet dinner is loaded with celery, kale, tomatoes and quick-cooking brown rice. It's easy to make the recipe vegetarian by substituting smoked tofu for the turkey.

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Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry

To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 mg of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.

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Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole — Christine Ma

Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.

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