From hearty pastas to tray bakes and soups, these easy one pot recipes make the whole meal in one pot, pan or tray – no extra pans needed.
One pot meals are my kind of dinner: everything cooking away together, hardly any washing up and no need to start juggling three different pans at once. I’ve only included recipes that are proper dinners straight from the pot, pan or tray – not just one part of the meal that still leaves you figuring out the rest.
After more than a decade of developing dinner recipes, I’ve ended up with quite the collection. I’ve whittled it down to my absolute favourites to make those “what are we having for dinner?” nights that little bit easier, with everything from creamy pasta and orzo to rice meals, tray bakes, hearty casseroles and soups.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Proper all-in-one dinners – Every recipe is substantial enough to stand as dinner straight from the pot, pan, dish or tray.
- Dinners worth repeating – I’ve picked the recipes that will genuinely earn their place on your regular rotations.
- Simple ingredients – As always, you won’t need to hunt down anything fancy. These recipes are built around straightforward, easy-to-find ingredients.
To make searching for your next favourite dinner a little easier, I’ve put everything into categories:
Table of Contents
Pasta & Orzo (10 recipes)
Pasta and orzo are made for one pot cooking – they soak up all that flavour as they cook and leave you with something properly hearty at the end. I’ve picked out some of my favourite complete dinners here, but I’ve also got plenty more in my collections of one pot pasta recipes and orzo recipes if you fancy a deeper dive.
1. Creamy Beef Shells
This is the sort of dinner that’s perfect to have on standby – rich, beefy, creamy and all made in one pot. Very little effort for something that feels like a proper dinner.
2. Garlic Parmesan Sausage Orzo
Roasted garlic, juicy sausage and plenty of parmesan stirred through creamy orzo. It’s rich, hearty and super delicious – no sides needed!
3. Spicy Sausage Tortellini
Plump tortellini cooked right in a rich, spicy sausage sauce until everything gets thick and creamy. Proper comfort food with a tasty kick of heat.
4. Creamy Asparagus, Bacon & Mushroom Pasta
Bacon, mushrooms and asparagus are already a very good combination. Wrap it all up in a silky cream sauce, and you’ve got one seriously satisfying bowl of pasta.
5. Spanish Chicken Orzo
Chicken, chorizo and orzo all simmering away together with loads of bold, smoky flavour. This is one of those dinners where the pan can pretty much go straight on the table.
6. Boursin Salmon Orzo
This is one of those dinners that feels fancy, but it’s one of the easiest dinners you can make. Perfect any night of the week, for company or kids!
7. Chicken Fajita Pasta
Everything you love about chicken fajitas, but turned into a big creamy pot of pasta. Colourful, comforting and very difficult not to go back for seconds.
8. Chicken, Bacon & Leek Orzo
Chicken, bacon and leek is one of those combinations that never lets you down. Here it all gets combined with silky orzo for the ultimate bowl of comfort food.
9. Chili Mac
Rich, cheesy, meaty and easy to make. If you’re not convinced by ‘half chili, half mac and cheese’, I’m sure there’s much else I can do.
10. Beef Orzo
Tender beef and orzo simmered together in a rich tomato sauce until everything is soft, saucy and full of flavour. It’s comfort food through and through.
Tray Bakes & Sheet Pan Meals (8 recipes)
Tray bakes are one of the easiest ways to get a whole dinner sorted with barely any washing up. The best ones still feel like a proper meal too, with all the sides you need roasting right there on the same pan.
1. Spanish Chicken Tray Bake
Juicy chicken thighs, smoky chorizo and golden potatoes all roasted together until everything is packed with flavour. This has been one of my go-to tray bakes for years, and for very good reason.
2. Sticky Honey Mustard Sausage Traybake
Sausages and potatoes roasted in a sticky honey mustard glaze with apple, fennel and onion. Sweet, savoury and exactly the sort of dinner where the oven does most of the work.
3. Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Spatchcocking is a game-changing technique that leaves you with an irresistibly good roast chicken. The best part? It truly couldn’t be easier!
4. Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Juicy chicken thighs, peppers and onions cooked under the grill until everything gets beautifully charred around the edges. Pile it into tortillas and make sure you don’t leave those pan juices behind.
5. Roasted Chicken Leg Tray Bake
Chicken legs are affordable, ridiculously juicy and pretty difficult to mess up – exactly what you want from an easy dinner. Here they roast alongside sweet potato, peppers and onion in a smoky, slightly sweet marinade.
6. Baked Cajun Cod
Flaky Cajun cod baked with butter, tomatoes and asparagus. Add some crusty bread, and dinner is very much sorted.
7. Baked Chicken and Potatoes
All the spicy, salty goodness you want from a Nando’s-inspired dinner, just without leaving the house. The fact that it’s all made in one tray is the cherry on the cake!
Rice Meals (4 recipes)
Rice is brilliant for one-pot meals because it cooks right alongside everything else and soaks up all that flavour along the way. These are proper all-in-one dinners too, with the meat, veg and rice all taken care of in the same pan.
1. Meatballs and Rice
Juicy meatballs nestled into tender rice with loads of flavour soaking into every grain. Simple, hearty and one of those dinners that always hits the spot.
2. Tomato Basil Chicken and Rice
Chicken baked in tomato and basil rice so all those juices get soaked up. It’s hearty, hands-off and exactly the sort of dinner that earns a permanent spot in the rotation.
3. Unstuffed Peppers
All the good bits of stuffed peppers without actually having to stuff anything. Beef, peppers and rice all cooked together in one pan for a really easy, cheesy and delicious dinner.
4. Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice
Chicken, broccoli and rice all cooked together and finished with plenty of melted cheese. Proper family-dinner territory, with very little washing up afterwards.
Chilli, Casseroles & Hotpots (8 recipes)
This is where the really hearty stuff lives. Think rich chillies, bubbling casseroles and potato-topped hotpots, all packed with the kind of big, comforting flavours that make dinner feel properly satisfying.
1. Chilli Con Carne
This chilli is rich, beefy, and has an incredible depth of flavour. It’s packed with flavour and completely foolproof!
2. Classic Sausage Casserole
It’s hard to compete with a classic, especially when it turns out this good. Proper cold-weather comfort food that absolutely counts as dinner all by itself.
3. Halloumi Hotpot
Chorizo, black beans, peppers and sweet potato all topped with golden halloumi. Salty, smoky, hearty and completely packed with flavour!
4. Chicken and Chorizo Potato Bake
Chicken and chorizo cooked in a rich tomatoey base, then topped with tiny cubes of potato that crisp up beautifully in the oven. One pan, loads of flavour, no side dish required.
5. The Ultimate Veggie Chilli
A super hearty veggie chilli with beans, veg and plenty of spice. It’s rich, filling and absolutely does not feel like the consolation prize for skipping the meat.
6. Cider Sausage Casserole
Sausages, potatoes and veg simmered in a rich cider gravy until everything is soft, savoury and ridiculously comforting.
7. Chilli Beef Hotpot
All the bold, beefy flavour of chilli con carne, topped with crispy sliced potatoes. It’s somewhere between chilli and hotpot, which is frankly a very good place to be.
8. Smoky Sausage and Bean Casserole
Sausages and beans bubbling away in a rich, smoky tomato sauce until everything gets thick, hearty and properly comforting. Simple ingredients, proper dinner.
Hearty Soups (6 recipes)
A good soup can absolutely count as dinner when it’s hearty enough. These are the kind of one-pot soups that are thick, filling and properly comforting, with everything going down in one pot. If soup is what you’re after, I’ve got plenty more in my full collection of hearty soup recipes.
1. Cheeseburger Soup
All the good bits of a cheeseburger turned into a thick, cheesy soup with beef, bacon and potatoes. Rich, hearty and definitely hearty enough to call dinner.
2. Tomato Tortellini Soup
Plump tortellini simmered straight into a rich tomato soup until everything comes together in one pot. Cosy, filling and very hard to stop at one bowl.
3. Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Broccoli and cheddar is a classic for a reason. This one is thick, creamy and packed with enough flavour to make a bowl of soup feel like a proper dinner.
4. Creamy Mushroom Soup
Deeply savoury mushrooms blended into a rich, velvety soup with loads of flavour in every spoonful. Add some crusty bread, and you’ve got yourself a seriously good dinner.
5. Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Sweet potato, warming spices and a creamy finish make this one ridiculously comforting without feeling too heavy. Simple, cosy and exactly what you want from a bowl of soup.
6. Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
Leek and potato soup is about as classic as it gets, but when it’s properly seasoned and beautifully creamy, it’s hard to beat. Especially with a chunk of bread alongside.
And there we have it! A collection of the most delicious one pot meals. If you loved this Roundup be sure to Pin it for later! Made any of the recipes? Let me know how you got on in the comments.
