9 Easy One Pot Dinners for Lazy Weeknights

These easy one pot dinners for lazy weeknights are the meals I make when I have the energy to stand at the stove for twenty minutes and not one minute more.

From a taco pasta to a beef stroganoff, a sausage pasta, a Greek chicken and rice, and a lasagna soup, everything cooks in a single pot, the pasta or rice included, and the pot is the only thing to wash.

Here are the nine I fall back on!

Lazy, for me, means no second pot of boiling water, no baking dish, and nothing that needs a side dish to count as dinner.

Every recipe here passes all three tests, and most of them are on the table in about half an hour.

1. One Pot Taco Pasta

Ground beef, taco seasoning, salsa, broth, and dry pasta simmer together, and cheddar goes in at the end.

It’s taco night and pasta night in the same pot, and my kids consider it a win for both sides.

Sour cream, green onions, and crushed tortilla chips on top.

Leftovers reheat with a splash of water and taste the same.

2. Hamburger Macaroni

Ground beef, elbow macaroni, milk, broth, and cheddar, and it’s the boxed hamburger helper made from scratch in one pot in the same amount of time.

The macaroni cooks right in the milk and broth, and the starch it releases is what makes the sauce creamy without any flour.

A spoonful of mustard and a shake of paprika are the two things that make it taste like a cheeseburger.

It’s the cheapest dinner on this list, and one of the fastest!

3. One Pot Beef Stroganoff

Ground beef, mushrooms, onion, and egg noodles cook in broth, and sour cream goes in at the end for the creamy, tangy sauce stroganoff is known for.

The noodles cook in the sauce, so there’s no draining and no separate pot.

Take the pot off the heat before the sour cream goes in so it doesn’t curdle.

Parsley on top, and it’s a winter dinner in thirty minutes.

4. One Pot Sausage Pasta

Italian sausage browns in the pot, then peppers, onion, tomatoes, broth, and pasta go in and simmer until the pasta is done and the sauce has thickened.

The sausage seasons the whole pot, so the ingredient list is short and the flavor isn’t.

Spinach wilted in at the end, and parmesan on top.

It feeds six for the cost of one pound of sausage.

5. Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Diced chicken and bell pepper cook with cajun spice, and then broth, tomatoes, and dry penne simmer in the same pot until a splash of cream finishes it.

It has enough heat to keep it interesting and enough cream that my kids clean their plates anyway.

Go light on the spice blend for the table and keep a bottle of hot sauce for the grown-ups.

6. Pesto Chicken Pasta

Chicken pieces brown, dry pasta simmers in broth in the same pot, and a big spoonful of pesto with a little cream gets folded through once the pasta is tender.

Keeping the pesto out of the pot until the very end is what keeps it green.

A handful of halved cherry tomatoes on each plate adds color and cuts the richness.

It’s the summer dinner on this list, and it takes twenty minutes!

7. Greek Chicken and Rice

Chicken thighs with lemon, garlic, and oregano brown in the pan, and the rice cooks underneath them in the juices and broth.

The rice comes out lemony and golden, and the chicken stays crisp on top.

Feta and chopped cucumber on top turn it into a full plate.

It looks like a company dinner and takes the same effort as the taco pasta.

8. One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

Chicken, rice, salsa, black beans, corn, and cheese cook together into the burrito bowl that needs no assembling.

The salsa seasons the rice and the cheese melts over the top when the lid goes back on for the last minute.

Avocado and cilantro on top, and lime wedges on the table.

The leftovers roll into tortillas for lunch.

9. One Pot Creamy Lasagna Soup

Ground beef or sausage, marinara, broth, and broken lasagna noodles simmer in one pot, and a spoonful of ricotta and mozzarella goes into every bowl.

It’s lasagna in a bowl in half an hour, and the noodles cook in the soup so there’s nothing to boil or layer.

Break the noodles into pieces before they go in so they fit on a spoon.

Garlic bread for dipping, and it’s the dinner everyone asks for in October.

Notes on One Pot Dinners

A wide pot with a lid is the piece of equipment that makes these work, since the pasta or rice needs to cook in a shallow layer so it’s done at the same time throughout.

Brown the meat first and cook the onion in the fat, because that step is where most of the flavor comes from and it only takes five minutes.

When the liquid goes in, scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift the browned bits into the sauce.

Stir the pasta ones every few minutes so nothing sticks, and leave the rice ones alone once the lid is on.

A 5-quart saute pan handles all of these, and a Dutch oven is better for the soup.

I keep bouillon base in the fridge so there’s always broth, since every one of these needs two to four cups.

Cheese goes in off the heat, and cream and sour cream go in last, or the sauce breaks.

Glass containers for the leftovers, which every recipe here makes, and a splash of broth or milk when reheating loosens the sauce back up.

More Easy Dinners on the Site

The quick crockpot dinners with ten minutes of prep post is the even lazier version of this list, for the days the stove is too much.

My crockpot chicken alfredo pasta is a one pot pasta that cooks itself while I’m out.

And the hearty crockpot beef stew with root vegetables is what the same pot of beef becomes on a Sunday.