40 Healthy One-Pot Meals That Will Cut Down on Clean-Up

Doing dishes is one of the worst chores by far, and few things help lessen your load like healthy one-pot meals. Cutting down on cleanup is the obvious draw, but recipes made in one pan or pot also reduce the amount of fussing and fiddling you have to do while cooking. For example, rather than having to tend to a bubbling sauce, steaming vegetables, and something in the oven, you can rest assured that all your ingredients are safely stewing in one big pot—and maybe even relax a little while you’re at it.

Making a one-pot meal that is delicious and nutritionally balanced is a cinch too. Generally, eating a mix of protein-, healthy fat-, and complex-carbohydrate-rich foods is among the best ways to guarantee satisfaction, SELF columnist Jessica Jones, M.S., R.D., certified diabetes educator and cofounder of Food Heaven, has previously told SELF. 

Most of these 40 recipes for healthy one-pot meals accomplish this nutrient-profile without even trying, relying on an array of tasty and satisfying ingredients. You can make just about anything in a pot, so you’re not limited to soups and stews. Think chicken and veggies infused with garlic and lemon in a Dutch oven, or a seafood- and sausage-stuffed paella simmering in a large pan. Between all the pastas packed with vegetables, cozy protein-rich stews, and cheesy whole-grain bakes, you won’t struggle to find a dish that tastes as good as it makes you feel. 

A note about the word healthy here: We know that healthy is a complicated concept. Not only can it mean different things to different people, it’s a word that’s pretty loaded (and sometimes fraught), thanks to the diet industry’s influence on the way we think about food. At SELF, when we talk about food being healthy, we’re primarily talking about foods that are nutritious, filling, and satisfying. But it also depends on your preferences, your culture, what’s accessible to you, and so much more. We selected these recipes with those basic criteria in mind, while also trying to appeal to a wide variety of nutritional needs and taste buds.