If you lived a life that afforded you all the time in the world for cooking and menu-planning, you’d gravitate towards slow-cooked dishes, flavorful, hours-long braises, and complicated, multi-step recipes. But this is real life! So, what do you do when schedules are packed, and no one in your family has a minute to catch their breath? That’s when you need easy one-pot meals for busy weeknights to carry you through. Dishes that satisfy everyone at the table, these are also simple to prep, cook, and to clean up once every last morsel has been devoured.
Due to their approachability, one-pot dishes often get a bad reputation for being bland, boring, or overly simplistic. Sure, they’re easy to put together and won’t leave the kitchen a mess, but one-pot and one-skillet meals can also feature complex tastes and textures. Choose recipes that balance flavors, employ ingredients in clever ways, and aren’t one note. You also want dishes that pair creamy with crunchy or crisp with tender and that feel hearty without weighing you down. Made with pantry staples and quick-cooking, reliable ingredients, like Success® boil-in-bag rice, quinoa and pearl couscous, this type of recipe is effortless with crave-worthy results.
When life gets stressful, don’t let menu-planning and cooking add to the tension! Instead, plan ahead with meals that deliver on all fronts. Satisfying, layered with flavor, and crowd-pleasing, our favorite one-pot meals are the perfect weekday answer to “What’s for dinner?”
9 One-Pot Meals You’ll Want on Repeat
Think you don’t have time to cook? Save these delicious one-pot recipes and get a complete meal on the table, even when you’re swamped.
Pastalay a (Pasta Jambalaya)
Savory and subtly spiced, this dish is a complete meal in one. With savory sausage, a handful of sautéed veggies, tomatoes, broth, and Success® boil-in-bag pearl couscous, it’s comfort in a bowl. Ready in 25 minutes and layered with zesty flavors, this is sure to become one of your family’s most requested meals.
One-Pot Chili with Rice
One-pot meals don’t get much better than this beef, bacon and kidney bean chili served over Success® boil-in-bag white rice. Zippy and rich, loaded with peppers, tomatoes and a generous amount of spice, this will draw everyone to the dinner table without a fuss. If you have a few extra minutes, set out a number of toppings—think sour cream, grated cheese, green onions and hot sauce—and everyone can garnish their bowl the way they like.
One-Pot Mexican Rice Casserole
Ideal for Meatless Mondays, this vegetarian meal satisfies—even sans meat! A zesty blend of sautéed eggplant, bell pepper, tomatoes, pinto beans and corn combined with Success® boil-in-bag white rice, it’s then hidden under a golden, bubbly blanket of cheese. Best of all? This weeknight winner comes together in just three foolproof steps.
Crockpot Beef & Broccoli
With just a handful of ingredients, five simple steps and hands-off cooking, this recipe ranks high on our list of go-to one-pot meals. We love the nutty depth that we get from pairing this hearty dinner with Success® boil-in-bag brown rice, but feel free to sub in any type of Success® Rice you have on hand.
Indian-Spiced Tomato and Rice Casserole with Eggs
Spice up your life with this flavorful, protein-rich skillet meal! With an abundance of spices, garlic ginger paste and fresh cilantro in every bite, this Success® boil-in-bag basmati rice dish is a tasty remedy for weeknight hunger pangs. For best results, ensure that your spices are fresh and flavorful and replace any old ones that you find in your cupboard.
One-Pot Greek Eggplant with Rice
Harness the sunny flavors of the Mediterranean with this 45-minute, vegetarian stunner. A recipe that turns tender eggplant, aromatics, herbs, tomatoes and Success® boil-in-bag white rice into a full meal, this dish is beloved by diners of every age. For the ultimate experience, sprinkle each serving with lemon juice and crumbled feta cheese just before serving.
Chicken Tagine Skillet
Thanks to a quick spice rub, sauté and braise, chicken thighs become the star of this Moroccan-inspired meal. Tender and deeply flavorful, they’re the perfect partner to black beans, corn, bell peppers and olives in a savory stew that’s served over Success® boil-in-bag white rice. Have a list of favorite 30-minute one-pot meals? You’ll want to put this one near to the top.
Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet
Store-bought andouille sausage adds smoky, spicy notes to this 20-minute weeknight must-try. A complete meal that also boasts fire-roasted tomatoes, Cajun seasoning and piles of warm Success® boil-in-bag white rice, this one is for days when you have zero ideas or motivation but a few hungry mouths to feed. Though you can use your protein of choice, andouille is the best choice for the depth of flavor it gives this dish.
Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
When only easy weeknight dinners will do, this Mexican-inspired masterpiece is a solid solution. Simply sauté ground beef, then stir in black beans, juicy tomatoes, seasonings, corn and Success® boil-in-bag jasmine rice. Rain shredded cheese over the skillet and wait for it to melt, for the flavors to meld, and for everyone to come rushing to the table. Though we love this rice dish with taco-style garnishes—from avocado and herbs to sour cream and red onion—it’ll disappear in minutes even if you don’t have them on hand.
Tips for Making One-Pot Dinners Even Easier
Beyond picking out one-pot dishes your family will love, planning ahead can help make simple weeknight cooking the norm.
Stock Your Pantry with Quick-Cooking Staples
The best weeknight recipes won’t have you scrambling to the store to pick up last-minute ingredients. Keeping a well-stocked pantry can help inspire meal ideas and ensure that you’re ready to cook at a moment’s notice. In addition to delicious, quick-cooking grains, such as Success® boil-in-bag rice, quinoa and pearl couscous, you’ll want to stock canned and dried beans and lentils, canned vegetables and tomatoes, tinned seafood, broth, olive oil and vinegar. Flour, sugar, oats, breadcrumbs and nut butters are also handy.
Prep Ingredients Ahead
Get a jump start on dinner by batch-prepping ingredients on the weekend or in the mornings. From washing and chopping veggies to marinating proteins, cooking grains, making dressings and sauces, these little steps will help you get dinner on the table in record time.
Choose Recipes That Reheat Well
If you have extra time and ingredients, try making a double batch of the recipe you’re working on. If you pick recipes that reheat well, such as stir-fry, stew, chili and curry, you can cook once but eat twice—the ultimate dinner-time hack!
Use Leftovers for Lunches
With all the flavor, texture and satisfaction you can possibly crave in one dish, one-pot meals aren’t just ideal for dinner—they make great lunches, too! Repurpose leftovers, packing them individually the night before, and enjoy a warm midday meal that will power you through the rest of your day.
Freeze Extra Portions
When you cook a great meal, you want to enjoy every morsel. Leftovers from your one-pot feasts can be used later in the week or month for dinner, instead of lunch. Simply freeze individual portions, labeling them with the date and contents. Easy to reheat, in the oven or microwave, they make for ultrafast dinners on particularly busy nights.
Why Rice Makes the Best Base for One-Pot Meals
Though the world is home to a vast number of one-pot meals, you’ll want to home in on the ones with true staying power. With so much going for it, it’s no wonder that rice is a popular base for quick and tasty one-pot meals across the globe!
- Whether you choose white, jasmine, brown, or another type, Success® Rice is great at absorbing the flavors of other ingredients. Soft and porous, rice acts like a sponge, making rice dishes incredibly nuanced and flavorful.
- When you cook with rice, there are no bad pairings! A great partner to all manner of proteins, rice is also great with vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts and more. From morning until night, you can answer any craving with a rice dish.
- Sticking to your budget is easier when you stretch pricy ingredients with affordable carbs. Thanks to its many valuable properties, rice is a solid choice. You can get more portions per recipe and use less meat when you add rice to your recipe.
- Diners of every age—from toddlers to seniors—have been known to tuck into rice with abandon. Family-friendly, rice is a must-have ingredient you never want to be without.
- From poke bowls to burritos, donburi to biryani, rice is an essential ingredient in dishes from around the globe. No matter what you’re craving, you can make a one-pot rice meal inspired by any of the world’s diverse cuisines.
Build Your Own One-Pot Meal Formula
Once you learn the formula behind crowd-pleasing, one-pot meals, you can create your own winning recipes.
Step 1: Choose Your Protein
From ground beef or tuna to chickpeas or tofu, there are myriad types of protein that you can use in a one-pot meal. Base your selection on your cravings, on the cuisine you’re targeting, or simply on what you have in the fridge or freezer.
Step 2: Add a Grain
Based on the protein you select, choose a grain or pasta that’s the perfect match. While chickpeas can be used with bouncy Success® boil-in-bag pearl couscous in a colorful, bright Mediterranean salad, you might want to opt for nutty Success® boil-in-bag tri-color quinoa if you’re making loaded, steak-topped grain bowls.
Step 3: Add Vegetables
A smattering of veggies can elevate any meal. Use fresh, frozen or canned for an added dose of color, texture, and flavor in every mouthful.
Step 4: Finish with Herbs, Cheese or Sauce
Don’t be afraid of garnishes! They can add texture, flavor and interest to any type of meal. From fresh, aromatic herbs to roasted nuts, cheese, tangy sauce and more, garnishes are a simple, fun way to elevate any meal.
Browse the Success® recipe collection for more weeknight inspiration.