A Month of Easy Skillet Dinners

By

Danielle DeAngelis

Published on October 31, 2022

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

White Chicken Chili Casserole — Photo: Marty Baldwin

Have your dinner plan ready for the new month with these simple and nourishing skillet recipes. With three steps or less, these skillet meals are easy to prepare any night of the week. Plus, these dinners only require one pan to make, so you won't have to worry about a tedious cleanup later. Recipes like our White Chicken Chili Casserole and Smoked Turkey, Kale & Rice Bake are comforting and delicious recipes to make this month.

01 of 31

White Chicken Chili Casserole

White Chicken Chili Casserole — Marty Baldwin

This easy, one-skillet casserole is packed with heat thanks to two kinds of peppers, poblanos and jalapeño. If you want to increase the spice level, leave the seeds in the jalapeño. Finish with your favorite toppings like Cheddar, cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips.

02 of 31

20-Minute Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet

20-Minute Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet — Jamie Vespa

Salmon fillets cook quickly and are coated with a delicious creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. This easy salmon dinner is sure to become a new weeknight favorite the whole family will love. The best news: you can get this meal on the table in 20 minutes flat.

03 of 31

Rosemary Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Rosemary Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Chicken and sweet potatoes unite with the delicious taste of rosemary in this easy, one-skillet meal. Because we use parcooked and unseasoned sweet potatoes, the cooking time is much shorter—making this recipe perfect for weeknight cooking.

04 of 31

Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet

Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet — Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Styling / Ruth Blackburn

In this healthy ground beef and potatoes recipe, ground beef and potatoes are paired with colorful veggies, including kale, tomato and peppers. Everything is cooked in one skillet, which allows for layers of flavor to build quickly while also cutting back on the number of dishes.

05 of 31

Creamy Harissa Chicken Cutlets

Creamy Harissa Chicken Cutlets — Jacob Fox

These spicy chicken cutlets are already wicked fast to make but to shave off even more time, skip cleaning and slicing whole kale leaves and stir in a bag of chopped kale instead. (You may just need to cook it a couple minutes longer.)

06 of 31

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.

07 of 31

One-Skillet Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms & Onions

One-Skillet Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms & Onions

Try this quick and easy one-skillet version of the Hungarian classic chicken paprikash. Serve the chicken cutlets, mushrooms and creamy sauce over egg noodles with a green salad on the side.

08 of 31

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.

09 of 31

Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole

Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole — Jason Donnelly

Ground beef and cauliflower combine to create a hearty weeknight casserole that both kids and adults will love. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

10 of 31

20-Minute Creamy Skillet Chicken with Corn, Tomato & Basil

20 Minute Creamy Skillet Chicken with Corn Tomato and Basil — Jacob Fox

This saucy 20-minute chicken recipe features fresh summer corn, tomatoes and basil. Serve this light and tangy quick dinner over pasta or brown rice.

11 of 31

One-Skillet Creamy French Onion Chicken

One-Skillet Creamy French Onion Chicken — Brie Passano

This easy one-skillet dinner marries the rich and savory flavor of French onion soup with chicken cutlets in a creamy, satisfying sauce. Serve with a simple green salad with homemade croutons for crunch.

12 of 31

Black Bean Fajita Skillet

Black Bean Fajita Skillet

You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping.

13 of 31

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's 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.

14 of 31

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.

15 of 31

Creamy Skillet Chicken with Spinach & Mushrooms

Creamy Skillet Chicken with Spinach & Mushrooms — Marty Baldwin

Chicken cutlets are topped with a spinach-mushroom cream sauce for a flavorful yet healthy dinner. Serve over pasta or grains to soak up the sauce.

16 of 31

One-Skillet Cheesy Ground Chicken Pasta

One-Skillet Cheesy Ground Chicken Pasta — Victor Protasio

Make this cheesy ground chicken pasta recipe for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve with a simple side salad and a glass of red wine.

17 of 31

Chipotle-Orange Broccoli & Tofu

Chipotle peppers add kick to this tofu and broccoli stir-fry recipe. If you're shy about spice, cut back on the amount or leave them out completely. Serve over brown basmati rice.

18 of 31

Spinach-Artichoke-Sausage Cauliflower Gnocchi

Hearty and piquant, this quick cauliflower gnocchi dinner incorporates several healthy convenience ingredients, including turkey sausage and tender artichoke hearts, so dinner is on your table fast.

19 of 31

One-Pan Cilantro-Lime Chicken

One-Pan Cilantro-Lime Chicken — Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee

A simple marinade of lime juice, zest and spices like cumin and chili powder creates quick flavor in this juicy cilantro-lime chicken. Slice the chicken and enjoy over salad greens, in a taco or with rice.

20 of 31

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.

21 of 31

One & Yum Squid

One & Yum Squid — Jacob Fox

When cooking squid, the golden rule is to cook it fast (like this method, shared by Irish chef Clodagh McKenna from her new book, In Minutes) or cook it slow. Otherwise, it can turn out too chewy. Paired with spicy chorizo, earthy chickpeas, peppery kale and crunchy almonds, this dish feels like an instant taste-escape to Spain.

22 of 31

Egg, Hash Brown & Bacon Breakfast Skillet

This breakfast skillet with eggs and hash browns is reminiscent of the hashbrown bowl at Waffle House. It's filling and tastes decadent, but is still a pretty low-calorie breakfast.

23 of 31

Shrimp Scampi Zoodles

Classic garlicky shrimp scampi gets a low-carb makeover in this easy dinner recipe. Zucchini noodles, also known as "zoodles," are a healthier alternative to traditional pasta--they mimic the texture of pasta while taking on the flavor of whatever sauce you serve them with. Make sure you salt and drain the zoodles, otherwise your final dish will be soupy and the flavor will be diluted.

24 of 31

Chicken, Spinach & Rice Casserole with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Chicken, Spinach & Rice Casserole with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce** — Jason Donnelly

Cheesy, filling and utterly delicious, this weeknight-friendly casserole uses precooked chicken and brown rice to save time without sacrificing flavor. Be sure to squeeze as much water from the frozen spinach as you can so your casserole doesn't get watery.

25 of 31

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.

26 of 31

Brown Butter Seared Scallops

Get perfectly cooked scallops every time with this easy method. Sea scallops (the large ones) are sautéed in butter that turns deliciously nutty as it cooks, to make a super-fast, special dinner. A splash of lemon juice and fresh herbs finish the dish. Round out the menu with sautéed spinach and brown rice or orzo.

27 of 31

20-Minute Creamy Chicken Skillet with Italian Seasoning

20-Minute Creamy Italian Chicken Skillet — Jason Donnelly

Chicken cutlets cook quickly and are highlighted with a creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. This recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite the whole family will love. Serve it with whole-wheat pasta or rice to make it a meal.

28 of 31

Pork Chops with Balsamic Sweet Onions

Balsamic onions and raisins add a burst of sweet and savory flavor to pan-seared pork chops. Round out this healthy dinner recipe with sweet potatoes and green beans.

29 of 31

Chicken Florentine

Classic chicken Florentine--creamy spinach served atop sautéed chicken cutlets--is a fast and easy meal. To keep calories lower, this recipe uses cornstarch to thicken the cream instead of cheese. This chicken recipe is simple enough for weekdays but also elegant enough for a dinner party.

30 of 31

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Chicken Sausage

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Apple Chicken Sausage — Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Apple-flavored chicken sausage adds flavor and protein in this quick dinner hash that uses a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts as its hearty, high-fiber base. Steaming the cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave cuts way down on total cook time.

31 of 31

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.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

Related Articles

Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

30 Cozy Cast-Iron Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less

One-Pan Spicy Okra & Shrimp

25 Mediterranean Diet Skillet Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less

Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach

Our 30 Best Skillet Dinners

One & Yum Squid

20 Mediterranean Diet Skillet Dinners for Fall

White Bean-Sage Cauliflower Gnocchi

18 Skillet Dinners That Help Support Gut Health

20-Minute Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet

15 Skillet Dinners That Can Help Reduce Inflammation

One-Skillet Bourbon Chicken

20 Skillet Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less

One-Pan Cilantro-Lime Chicken

18 Skillet Dinners You'll Want to Make This Summer

13 Low-Carb Diabetes-Friendly Dinners You Can Make in a Skillet

creamy blue cheese chicken skillet

22 Skillet Dinners in Three Steps or Less

Honey-Lemon Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

31 One-Skillet Dinners That the Whole Family Will Love

Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce for Two

14 Skillet Dinners for Two You'll Want to Make ASAP

25 Diabetes-Friendly Recipes You Can Make in a Cast-Iron Skillet

One-Skillet Creamy French Onion Chicken

19 Chicken Skillet Recipes You Need to Try

13 Summer Skillet Dinners to Make Forever

15 Skillet Dinners That Can Help You Lose Weight