Weeknight dinners should be three things: quick, tasty, and easy. And nothing is easier than 1 pan meals! They’re easy to prepare, simple to cook, and clean up quick. Extravagant tastes and textures without an endless parade of dirty dishes? Sign me up!
I’m a big fan of healthy one pot meals – from pastas and stews that you can combine in a single pot and leave to simmer, to sheet-pan meals that allow you to roast proteins and vegetables together with minimal mess.
Read on for my favorite springtime recipes that come together quickly on busy weekday nights!
One Pot Pasta Piselli
Looking for a quick, easy, healthy weeknight dinner that showcases the best of spring veggies? This classic Italian pasta dish is my favorite Spring comfort food. Cheesy but not heavy and bright with lemon, it’s delicious, simple, and fresh.
Pasta Piselli traditionally features peas, but I also love adding in asparagus, cauliflower, and fresh herbs like mint, basil, and parsley. Peas and asparagus are at peak season in the Spring, so make sure you’re using fresh – not frozen – and shop at your farmer’s market for the most flavorful selections!
Sheet-Pan Brown Rice, Broccoli Rabe, and Sweet Potato Medley
This dish is so robust and hearty! Roasting is my absolute favorite way to cook vegetables, and this recipe is a perfect example why. The broccoli rabe becomes addictively crisp, and the flavor of the sweet potatoes deepens and caramelizes to compliment the bitterness of the greens.
You can substitute nutritional yeast for the cheese and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make this dish vegan. Though it calls for hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, or even slivered almonds will work just as well.
Tip: to simplify the recipe steps, cook your broccoli rabe and sweet potatoes at the same time (rabe comes out of the oven first), and cook your rice on the stovetop.
One-Pot Vegan Spinach Pasta
This is one of those easy weeknight recipes that has quickly become a staple in our house. One of those go-to’s that I don’t need to glance at the recipe to make! It’s flavorful and packed with iron, zinc, protein, fiber, and potassium. You can add even more goodness by adding kale to the mix (simply steam the kale and add it to your food processor with the rest of the ingredients).
You can also easily substitute regular pasta with a gluten-free pasta brand, or add in grated parmesan for a decadent, non-vegan treat.
One-Pan Roasted Chicken and Cabbage
All the flavor and tenderness of a whole roast chicken, but in less time! This one pan meal doesn’t fall victim to the problem that some one-sheet pan recipes inevitably encounter – uneven cooking times. The chicken ends up juicy and tender, and the cabbage is deliciously roasted. You can also halve the amount of cabbage and add brussel sprouts!
The marinade of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil is beyond delicious, but we love to substitute sriracha for garlic chili oil. Simply heat a neutral oil – I like coconut – on the stovetop and add diced garlic and red chili flakes. Cook on medium heat until the oil is fragrant and colored from the chili flakes, and garlic is lightly golden, about 3-5 minutes. Drizzle all over the chicken and cabbage.
One-Pot Healthy Spring Ragout
Another healthy one-pot meal that makes delightful use out of the best Spring produce. This dish offers lots of protein from chickpeas and poached eggs, and is just as perfect for a quick weeknight dinner as it is for a delicious weekend brunch! Serve with a great country loaf, toasted or grilled to perfection, to mop up the deliciously spiced sauce and runny egg yolk.
Even More Healthy One Pot Meals
Vegetarian Moroccan Stew
Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake
Coq au Vin
As a busy mama of three, I’m all about easy weeknight recipes. Check out this post for more healthy weeknight meals.
Have any healthy one-pot meals that have transformed your weeknight dinner routine? I’d love to hear about them. Pop a comment below!
