Food and Recipes Quick and Easy Dinners Our Food Editors' Favorite One-Pot Meals Because everyone hates doing dishes. By Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on February 5, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Food editors are just like you: They don't want to do dishes. At least no more dishes than necessary. We love a one-pot meal as much as anyone, and over the years at Southern Living, we have developed more than a few recipes that come together in a single pot or pan. Each editor has their go-to one-pot meals that come together with little effort for busy weeknights or easy entertaining. Aside from cleanup, one-pot dishes have the advantage of building layers of flavor in a single pan, so taste isn't sacrificed for ease. If you're looking for some new dinner inspiration, try out one of our favorite one-pot meals, tested countless times over in our own home kitchens. 01 of 08 Chicken And Rice Casserole Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox If you're looking for an easy lift recipe that doesn't sacrifice flavor, try out this casserole. Without leaning on canned soup, it's just as effortless as classic versions made with store-bought shortcuts and is loaded with veggies and fresh herbs. —Senior Digital Food Editor, Kimberly Holland 02 of 08 Beefy Skillet Lasagna Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Everyone loves lasagna, but it can become quite the undertaking on a weeknight. This version achieves the same flavor with a lot fewer steps. No pre-cooking the noodles, no layering, and most importantly, no waiting; it's ready in 40 minutes, instead of an hour and half. — Assistant Food Editor, Alana Al-Hatlani 03 of 08 Green Chile Mac And Cheese With Chicken Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Mac and cheese is my ultimate comfort food, but to be honest, I get kind of bored with eating the same recipe over and over. I'm always trying to add things to it for a little more protein and oomph. I loved this version because it has all that and is still ultra creamy and decadent for nights or weekend when I'm craving comfort. — Senior Digital Food Editor, Kimberly Holland 04 of 08 Chicken Chili Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Rotisserie chicken makes this chili recipe a tired cook's dream. It's just an added bonus that it also only requires one pan. This recipe is very quick to throw together on a weeknight and it's full of vegetables. Sometimes I'll add a can of drained, rinsed pinto beans in there, too. Sour cream on top is a must. — Deputy Editor, Lisa Cericola 05 of 08 One-Pan Garlic-Butter Shrimp with Orzo Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Any recipe with garlic butter, count me in. I almost always have a bag of shrimp in the freezer and orzo in the pantry, so this recipe is an easy one I return to often when I haven't made a plan for dinner and it's almost 6:00 p.m. — Assistant Food Editor, Alana Al-Hatlani 06 of 08 White Lightning Chicken Chili Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Becky Hargett Another chili favorite is this White Lightning Chicken Chili. It's rich and comforting and only requires a few ingredients, many of which are usually in my pantry. Definitely serve with skillet cornbread. — Deputy Editor, Lisa Cericola 07 of 08 Slow-Cooker Green Minestrone Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Soups are often one-pot meals, and we all have our rotation of favorite flavors we revisit throughout the cold and rainy months. This take on a classic minestrone soup, keeps dinner feeling fresh, and will likely become a part of your regular recipe rotation. Truth be told, I don't own a slow cooker, but even in a regular pot this vibrant soup comes together easily. I like to top it with a mountain of Parmesan and a dollop of pesto. — Assistant Food Editor, Alana Al-Hatlani 08 of 08 Red Rice-Smoked Chicken Perloo Peter Frank Edwards; Prop Styling: Kendra Surface; Food Styling: Anna Hampton This lowcountry dish technically requires a skillet and a small saucepan to heat the stock, but most of the cooking happens in the skillet. This recipe feels nice enough to serve to company, but it's comforting and not hard to pull off, beyond some stirring, There aren't a ton of ingredients required, but each one pulls its weight. Bacon, smoked chicken, and paprika give the dish a good depth of flavor. I usually substitute brown rice for the red, but if you can find it, red rice has a great nutty flavor. — Deputy Editor, Lisa Cericola Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit