Whether it’s in a Dutch oven, a skillet, or a slow cooker, I love turning to one-pot recipes for easy and delicious dinners. I also love when we end up with leftovers that are even better the next day. Adding a one-pot recipe to the weekly rotation means you’ve got an easy dinner with minimal cleanup, and you might even have lunch or another dinner covered too.
From soups to chicken pot pie to fun weeknight twists on lasagna, below you’ll find a few of our best one-pot recipes that are also still quite tasty—or even better—the next day. Frozen meatballs, rotisserie chicken, and tortellini are great ways to keep dinner prep to one pot and a minimal amount of dishes. These recipes are also great ways to use up what you might already have in your fridge or pantry at home, and they’re easily customizable to whatever your family prefers in terms of veggies and toppings. Save these recipes and thank yourself later when you’re reheating delicious leftovers.
Tortellini Meatball Soup
Who doesn’t love a tomato broth with meatballs and cheesy tortellini? This recipe can easily be turned into a one-pot meal by skipping the panko topping and using frozen meatballs. And while this soup is the ultimate comfort food, there are also some veggies in there too for good measure. Make this soup for dinner and it makes the perfect leftovers for lunch the next day.
Get the recipe for Tortellini Meatball Soup.
Best-Ever Chicken Pot Pie
Ready for a chicken pot pie as good as grandma made? We've got the recipe right here. This weeknight-friendly recipe takes less than an hour, and you end up with a warm, delicious casserole of veggies and chicken that the whole family is sure to love.
Get the recipe for Best-Ever Chicken Pot Pie.
Creamy Chicken Soup with Potatoes and Bacon
Here's exactly what you want on a weeknight: a creamy chicken soup recipe with potatoes and bacon. It’s easy to make, it’s healthy, and it’s so yummy that you can be sure the family will be wiping the bottoms of their bowls out with a crust of bread to get the last drops. What’s even better is that it makes excellent leftovers for lunch the next day, or even dinner all over again.
Get the recipe for Creamy Chicken Soup with Potatoes and Bacon.
Sausage and Cheese Lasagna
Lasagna with a twist! This skillet dinner happens all in one pan and you end up with all the delicious components of lasagna, but with a lot less work. The filling cooks in the skillet, and then broken lasagna noodles are nestled throughout. Mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta go on top, and the whole thing goes into the oven until the noodles are cooked through and the cheese is nice and bubbly.
Get the recipe for Sausage and Cheese Lasagna.
The Only Basic Fried Rice Recipe You’ll Ever Need
One of the easiest comfort foods of all time is fried rice. Whenever you make white rice, remember to make extra so you’ll have leftovers. Plain cooked rice is tasty enough, but when it's fried, the grains get all crispy and seared. Mix in some soy sauce, bacon, and some veggies. You can really add whatever you have in your fridge. It's a meal all by itself. It’s a great way to use up leftovers to create a new and tasty meal.
Get the recipe for Basic Fried Rice.
Lasagna Soup
Another delicious one-pot twist on lasagna—soup! This recipe takes everyone’s favorite Italian casserole and turns it into an easy, 25-minute soup that you can easily whip up on weeknights. Broken noodles simmer in a tomato broth with Italian sausage and spinach. The original recipe requires a bowl to stir together the cheeses, but to keep it to one bowl, you can sprinkle the mozzarella and Pecorino on top and add a dollop or two of ricotta.
Get the recipe for Lasagna Soup.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow cooker meals are the ultimate one-pot recipes. This classic beef stew is great because it only needs a little bit of prep in the morning. It’s hearty and comforting, and has plenty of veggies mixed in with all that delicious broth (sop it up with some crusty bread!). This meal is a winter staple, but we love it any time of the year. And we love that it gets even better the next day.
