25 Healthy One-Pot Meals Guaranteed to Kickstart Your Wellness Routine

Coconut-Curry Monkfish Soup in speckled bowl with spoon
Photo: Ryan Liebe

An easy route to sensible, good-for-you meals is to make dinner in just one pot, sheet pan, or Dutch oven. From pastas to soups, here are some of our favorite recipes to try now.

01 of 25
egg noodle broccolini and mushroom stir fry served in green bowl
Lennart Weibull

There's a reason why one-pot meals are so popular—they're family-friendly, easy to prep and clean up, and absolutely delicious. Did you know that they can be healthy, too? The one-pot meals in this collection ahead include spicy vegetarian stews, hearty chicken and rice dinners, and stir fry dishes like the quick, gluten-free meal shown here. In our Egg "Noodle," Broccolini, and Mushroom Stir-Fry, the noodles are actually strips of omelet, which means it's a protein-packed dinner that tastes as good as it looks. Whether you're starting to act on a New Year's resolution to eat better and cleaner or are just trying to incorporate a few new nutritious meals into your weekly dinner routine, these healthy one-pot recipes are sure to do the trick.

One of our most popular recipes of all time is our original One-Pan Pasta—pasta, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil are cooked together, then tossed to serve. The juicy tomatoes and starchy pasta water form a sauce that coats the noodles. Perhaps the best part is that it comes together in just 20 minutes, so you can enjoy it any night of the week.

We also have two warm and spicy one-pot rice dishes to soothe your soul. Kitchari is an Indian dish made with rice and lentils, our take on this classic comfort food is flavored with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon. Our Shrimp with Spicy Green Rice is a lively dish made with Thai chiles, fresh ginger, basil, and lime.

Of course, there are plenty of healthy soup recipes here, too, including vegetable-forward options and light, healthy, and flavorful fish soups. Satisfy your cravings for feel-good comfort foods with these healthy one-pot recipes.

02 of 25

Wild Salmon with Edamame-Cauliflower Rice

wild salmon with edamame cauliflower rice served in a pan
Kate Mathis

If you want to incorporate more vegetables into your dinner, start by turning the cauliflower into rice; then, add some edamame. You can make it really healthy by serving with heart-healthy wild salmon. And with this sheet-pan dinner, the oven does the work and clean up is simple.

03 of 25

Broccoli-and-Chickpea Parmesan

broccoli-and-chickpea parmesan
Johnny Miller

Here's a hearty and healthy vegetarian one-pot meal that's sure to warm and satisfy any night of the week. This dinner starts with canned chickpeas and jarred marinara sauce so it's quick to put together, but that's not our favorite thing about this dish. What we love most is the crunchy, cheesy panko and mozzarella topping for broccoli—in short, it's a total winner.

04 of 25

One-Pan Pasta

msl-kitchen-spaghetti-0131-md110059.jpg
Marcus Nilsson

So fresh and so easy! This one-pan recipe combines tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs, water, and a drizzle of olive oil with dried pasta—everything cooks together in a straight-sided skillet. Once the water has evaporated, there's perfectly al dente pasta in a creamy sauce that coats every strand.

05 of 25

Kitchari

kitchari-102882436.jpg
Emily Kate Roemer

Versions of this comforting savory porridge abound across India and beyond. This recipe, which is a favorite among editors in our test-kitchen, combines yellow mung dal (split mung beans), basmati rice, warming spices, and a colorful medley of vegetables into a cozy and healthy meal.

06 of 25

Sheet Pan Vegetable Hash with Eggs

Sheet Pan Vegetable Hash with Eggs
Chris Simpson

Colorful, healthy, and made on one sheet pan, there's a lot to like about this hash. Finely chopped broccoli and cauliflower replace the usual potato, red bell pepper and baby spinach up the nutrition, and eggs bring protein.

07 of 25

Shrimp with Spicy Green Rice

spicy green rice and shrimp
Con Poulos

On a chilly night, there's nothing more nourishing than this rice and peas dish. With plenty of spicy flavors and crisp green vegetables, it's our favorite one-pot, one-bowl dinner.

08 of 25

Cauliflower-Sweet Potato Curry

cauliflower-sweet potato curry served with cilantro and lime
Con Poulos

Hunks of sweet potato and cauliflower soak up a creamy sauce of garlic, ginger, onion, coconut milk, and red curry paste in this one-dish dinner. In the last moments of cooking, baby spinach, edamame, and zucchini are stirred in and then everything finished with cilantro and lime juice.

09 of 25

Baked Cod with Tomatoes and Potatoes

cod-baked-potatoes-and-tomatoes-op2-075-d113068.jpg
Bryan Gardner

This is one of Martha's all-time favorite potato recipes and for good reason. Thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes, tomatoes, and shallots form a delicious bed for flaky cod.

10 of 25

Chicken-and-Mushroom Congee

Chicken-and-Mushroom Congee recipe
Lennart Weibull

If you love risotto, then you'll love this take on rice porridge, a dish that's beloved across Asia. Our recipe uses short-grain white rice, which gets creamy as it cooks with chicken broth, chicken thighs, fresh ginger, and scallions.

11 of 25

Super-Grain Soup with Watercress and Mushrooms

super grain soup with watercress and mushrooms
Justin Walker

We're calling this the most exciting vegetable soup ever. There's so much to take in—meaty mixed mushrooms, sweet slices of onion, quinoa, flavorful stock (use vegetable or chicken), and plenty of Pecorino Romano cheese for an indulgent finish.

12 of 25

Roasted Sea Bass with Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, and Salsa Rustica

fish and vegetables on baking sheet
Justin Walker

Another wonderful sheet pan dinner, this one features meaty bass fillets with healthy greens and sweet potatoes. The salsa rustica is a parsley, oil, caper, and vinegar sauce that's drizzled over the meal just before serving.

13 of 25

Chicken and Vegetables in Parchment

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Bryan Gardner

Cooking "en papillote" in the oven is a wonderful easy and healthy technique. The "one-pan" for this meal is a parchment packet, everything steams inside without the need for lot of butter or oil.

14 of 25

Creamy Broccoli-and-Spinach Soup

Creamy Broccoli-and-Spinach Soup recipe
Yuki Sugiura

It's easy being green with a soup this delicious. When you want to make a quick and nutritious meal for lunch or dinner, this 35-minute recipe hits the spot.

15 of 25

Coconut Fish-and-Pumpkin Stew

Caribbean Fish-and-Pumpkin Stew recipe
Lennart Weibull

Looking for a new way to cook with pumpkin? Try this sweet and savory stew, which swaps in coconut milk for the usual heavy cream. Cod fillets cook gently in the slightly spicy sauce, alongside baby spinach and calabaza squash.

16 of 25

Warm Quinoa and Chicken Salad

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Christina Holmes

Quick-cooking quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse packed with protein, iron, and fiber. Here, it's the base for a main-course salad with chicken, peas, and asparagus.

17 of 25

Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew

Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew recipe
Lennart Weibull

This nutritious stew is flavorful, hearty, and protein-packed thanks to the beans and quinoa. It packs in some heat thanks to a poblano pepper, and minced chipotle in adobe.

18 of 25

Spring Ragout with Asparagus and Poached Eggs

spring ragout with asparagus and poached eggs
The Ingalls

Make this dish when asparagus is at its peak for a hearty yet elegant one-pan vegetarian meal.

19 of 25

Roasted-Vegetable Couscous Bowl

vegetable couscous bowl
Justin Walker

Here's a sheet pan dinner with chickpeas, cauliflower, and carrots. Couscous is added after the other ingredients have roasted for a spell. (Yes, you can cook couscous in the oven!) Feta, cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon bring it all together for serving.

20 of 25

Braised Chicken With Artichokes, Olives, and Lemon

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GEORGE BARBERIS

Cook a whole chicken low and slow with artichoke hearts, Castelvetrano olives, fresh oregano, and lemon. You'll be rewarded with super tender, flavorful meat in this bright yet homey dinner.

21 of 25

Greek Quinoa Salad

greek quinoa salad
Bryan Gardner

All the essentials of a classic Greek salad are here—feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives—but they're joined by a new supporting player: quinoa. It's cooked in the same pan used to sauté onions and garlic for a protein-rich addition that makes the salad more substantial and delicious.

22 of 25

Salmon, Red Cabbage, and New Potatoes

salmon-mld108855.jpg
Jonathan Lovekin

This vibrant one-pan wonder features salmon (good for your heart), red cabbage (high in vitamin C), and new potatoes (high in fiber). And did we mention it tastes really delicious?

23 of 25

Vegan Sweet Potato Chili

vegan sweet potato chili
Bryan Gardner

A colorful and healthy dinner, that's this black bean and sweet potato chili. Extra points for flavor and protein if you top it with avocado.

24 of 25

Kimchi Stew with Chicken and Tofu

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Add some spice to your weeknight with this soothing dish. Kimchi is hailed as a probiotic food that improves cardiovascular health and the digestive system.

25 of 25

One-Pot Chicken and Brown Rice

chicken br

A great healthy dish for the whole family, this all-in-one meal is a smart way to use up the vegetables you probably already have on hand.

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