Enjoy the end of the weekend with one of these simple, flavorful meals. Whether you use your slow-cooker, skillet or favorite pot, these recipes require just one piece of cookware, so you can cut down on cleanup and spend more time enjoying your Sunday. Plus, each recipe focuses on complex carbs, like whole grains, and sticks to heart-healthy levels of sodium and saturated fat—making it a good fit for a diabetes-friendly eating pattern. Recipes like our Chicken Enchilada Skillet Casserole and Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese are delicious ways to cap a relaxing weekend.
This simplified take on cheesy chicken enchiladas only requires one pan for cooking and eliminates the need to stuff and roll corn tortillas. Charring the veggies in a cast-iron skillet adds depth of flavor. Don’t worry if you don’t have one, because you can use any oven-safe skillet instead.
This one-pot chicken dinner, inspired by the traditional dish of Spain and Latin America, comes together easily in the crock pot. The instant brown rice is added near the end, to keep it from overcooking.
This easy one-pan skillet-roasted lemon chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as baby potatoes and kale for a satisfying meal with the added bonus of minimal cleanup.
This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don’t have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.
You’ll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.
Shrimp cooks quickly in this easy, one-pot recipe, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Serve over whole grains or rice.
This healthy vegetarian chili has a fragrant touch of cinnamon for added flavor. Let diners top it with whatever suits their taste.
Shrimp, spinach and garlic brown and cook quickly for a simple one-pot weeknight dinner. A fast pan sauce gets life from zesty lemon juice, warm crushed red pepper and herby parsley. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat baguette to swipe up every last drop of sauce.
Time to clean out the fridge? These versatile skillet chicken fajitas are designed to work with whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand. The key is to slice all the veggies to approximately the same size so they cook evenly.
Transform canned chicken noodle soup into quick ramen bowls by adding fresh ginger, crunchy vegetables, herbs and a jammy soft-boiled egg. Look for a low-sodium soup that has 450 mg sodium or less per serving.
Prepared salsa verde adds tang to this fast weeknight chili recipe and pairs beautifully with the rich caramelized chicken and creamy beans. Don’t shy away from the poblano peppers. They offer a mild heat but deliver a depth of flavor you can’t find in regular green bell peppers.
This load-and-go slow-cooker chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve this Tuscan-inspired dish with crusty bread, a glass of Chianti and a salad.
This healthy sausage and kale pasta recipe cooks in one skillet, so there’s only one pot to clean! Try it with any greens you have in the fridge, such as chard or spinach.
A big bowl of this veggie-packed minestrone will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories, which is helpful when trying to lose weight. Plus, it’s an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day—something all of us could benefit from. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious vegetable soup and consider serving with a hunk of toasted whole-wheat bread to help round out the meal.
Long-simmered marrow bones give this soup its luxurious flavor. The texture of the finished soup is hearty–bordering on a soupy risotto.
The Sichuan province in the southwestern corner of China is known for its fiery dishes. Here, the richness of tahini tempers the spicy chile paste in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar soup recipe. You can grind the Sichuan peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, or crush them with the bottom of a heavy skillet.
This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.
Chicken and sweet potatoes unite with the delicious taste of rosemary in this easy, one-skillet meal. Because we use parcooked and unseasoned sweet potatoes, the cooking time is much shorter–making this recipe perfect for weeknight cooking.
Fresh Anaheim (or poblano) chiles add mild heat to this classic white bean chili and contribute lots of smoky flavor. Quinoa adds body to the chili, while diced zucchini provides pretty flecks of green and increases the veggie content.
Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.
In this healthy fish chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened fish (or seafood) broth and we keep sodium amounts reasonable with lower-sodium broth. By making your own homemade fish chowder, you’ll save up to 300 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams of sodium per serving compared to many store-bought or restaurant chowders.
This creamy, veggie-packed chicken dinner comes together easily in your slow-cooker-and makes enough for another night’s casserole (see associated recipe)!
A rustic chicken dinner doesn’t get much easier than this. You can make the entire meal in one skillet, which makes cleanup a breeze. We’ve used a combination of parsnips and carrots to give this dish a variety of colors and flavors, but you could replace the parsnips with additional carrots if you’d like.
The turkey tenderloin in this recipe marinates in a Dijon mustard and sage mixture while the wheat berries cook in the slow cooker. Then they’re both combined with apple wedges and cooked just a bit longer with the marinade. Delicious!
This vegetarian lasagna couldn’t be easier, thanks to jarred pasta sauce and no-boil lasagna noodles. Prep it in the morning and let your crock pot do the work.
