These easy one pot meals can transform dinnertime from an overwhelming task to something that is easy to conquer. Some of these meals can be made in under 20 minutes, while others need to simmer low and slow to work their magic. Regardless, these no fuss, low mess meals are an easy way to feed your family.

Just a heads up that some of these one pot recipes are dependent on having an oven safe skillet. Another trick to preparing one skillet meals is to use fresh pasta. Fresh pasta cooks in just 2 minutes, and it absorbs less water, so you can cook it right in a sauce. If the recipe calls for fresh pasta, don’t substitute dried pasta, it can lead to a culinary failure.

Easy One Pot Meals:

Chicken with a Sherry Mushroom Sauce

I have been making this recipe for years. I love that it seems fancy even though you can make this meal in less than an hour. The active preparation time is just 20 minutes, and then the skillet goes into the oven so that the chicken and finish cooking for an additional 30 minutes. I add enough mushrooms to the meal to let them count as the veggie for this meal, and I often serve the chicken over rice pilaf (Uncle Ben makes a microwavable version) and I spoon the creamy sherry sauce over the top.

Sesame Chicken

You can whip up this simple sesame chicken in just 20 minutes – and you can add all of your favorite vegetables to make it a complete meal.

Pumpkin Pasta

This vegetarian pasta dish is made with canned pumpkin, shallots, nutmeg, parmesan, and pine nuts. It is filled with fall flavors, and I love how the pumpkin makes the sauce creamy.

Hearty Steak Chili

Have you tried making chili with chopped up steak instead of ground beef? It is a game changer. The result is tender chunks of beef, and a heartier chili. Chili is the type of thing that I love to cook on a Sunday. I make a big batch so that I have some meals to eat throughout the week, and I enter the new week feeling ahead of the game. I love that chili is a full meal, I load it with veggies. This recipe has onion, poblano peppers, bell peppers, jalapeños, tomatoes, and beans. The active preparation time for this chili is only 25 minutes, but it does need to simmer for 90 minutes – this is what make the beef super tender.

White Wine Pasta Skillet

This recipe involves cooking a pound of pasta in a bottle of white wine and it is one of my go-to one pot meals. Mushrooms, shallots, cherry tomatoes, and spinach come together to turn the pasta into a complete meal. If you want you can finish the pasta off by topping it with slices of fresh mozzarella and baking it, or you can skip that step to save time and avoid turning the oven on.

Zoodles alla Rustica

This recipe was inspired by a meal that I used to order when I worked at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan. Instead of adding pasta, I added zucchini noodles to create a healthier low-carb meal. Zucchini cooks quickly right in the sauce – using zoodles instead of noodles is one of my favorite hacks for one pot meals.

Steak with a Bourbon Cream Sauce

Steak cooks in just about 8 minutes on the stove. The biggest benefit to preparing steak inside on the stove – instead of with a grill, is that you can use the pan drippings to make a delicious bourbon cream sauce to serve over the steak. You can serve this steak on a bed of spinach, or if you are up for a bit of extra work you can make steakhouse style twice baked potatoes.

Spanish Olive, Lemon, and Tomato Chicken

This 30 minute recipe is made in a dutch oven so that you can cook everything together. First chicken is seasoning and seared the dutch oven, and then onions, garlic, tomatoes, white wine, and olives come together to create a fresh and flavorful sauce. The chicken and the linguine simmer in the sauce for just 10 minutes, and you have dinner!

10 Minute Mushroom Goat Cheese Pasta

This pasta is loaded with sautéed mushrooms in a light creamy sauce with a touch of sherry. It is an easy vegetarian meal, or side dish.

Spicy Mexican Chicken Soup

This soup is a cross between a soup and a chili. It is thick and hearty and filled with vegetables and chunks of shredded chicken. The timesaver here is that the soup is made by mixing salsa and cowboy caviar so that you don’t have to chop any veggies. The total preparations time here is only 30 minutes.

Couscous Salad with Pesto, Goat Cheese, and Veggies

This simple salad embraces fresh summertime flavors. Pearl couscous is cooked and then topped with store-bought pesto, tomatoes, sliced sugar snap peas, and goat cheese. You can serve the salad warm or chilled, and it is a great make ahead lunch.