One-Pot Meals For Busy Nights

Whether you use a slow cooker, skillet, or Dutch oven, these dishes come together using just one pot and a few good ingredients, making it easy to cook from scratch, even on busy weeknights.

Chicken and dumplings is a classic American comfort food. The key to making this dish from scratch on a week night is planning; the chicken will simmer for almost an hour before it's done, so use some of that time to make the dumpling dough. Or, make the dumpling dough the weekend before you want to eat this dinner and pop it in the freezer until you're ready to use it.
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This is the prefect recipe for those nights when you have something to do at home and can't sit down to dinner right away. By using a pre-made pie crust and your slow cooker, this savory and filling meal comes together with practically no work. Just line your slow cooker with pie crust, throw the rest of the ingredients inside, and let it cook while you do a load of laundry — it won't be long before you're enjoying a homemade dinner.
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Paella is a Spanish seafood and rice dish that's so delicious, you won't believe you can make it at home in your Dutch oven. This version is a much easier alternative to the classic paella-making technique (no orange and pine wood-burning fire needed) and produces a wonderful dish for a hearty family meal.
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This is the easiest weeknight dinner ever. Combine all your ingredients in a slow cooker in the morning, and then allow them to cook on low for eight hours. Then, come home to the aroma of fragrant garlic-and-herb chicken.
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Smoky sausage, apples, onions, and potato wedges make the perfect cold-weather meal. Even better, this dish is made is just one skillet in under a half an hour!
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Boiled pasta is an easy go-to meal on busy nights, but simply mixing cooked, dried pasta and premade sauce can get boring. This hearty baked penne is cooked in just one oven-safe skillet and uses canned crushed tomatoes along with a mix of fresh and dried herbs to make a quick homemade tomato sauce.
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Make this soup in your slow cooker before you leave for work in the morning and when you get home, your house will be filled with the most amazing thyme and sage fragrance. All you have to do when you get home is add three ingredients to the pot and wait 30 minutes for everything to finish cooking.
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Another set-it-and-forget-it dish, this rich and chunky vegetarian chili can simmer away all day while you're at work. It's good and smoky from the cumin and chili powder and is balanced by a little bit of sweetness from diced sweet potatoes.
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