Lazy One-Pan Dinners for Nights You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

These 10 easy one-pan meals come together quickly with minimal cleanup.

By Robin Shreeves
Published January 25, 2026
Sheet pan with roasted chicken thighs tomatoes red onions olives broccolini and feta cheese crumbles

Serious Eats / Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Sylist: Josh Hoggle

On nights when you don’t feel like cooking, there’s an alternative to cereal for dinner or pizza delivery. One-pan meals—whether made on a sheet pan in the oven or in a skillet on the stovetop—fit the bill. You’ll still do some cooking, but nothing elaborate. When the kitchen is warm, the food smells good, and you sit down to eat, you’ll be glad you went this route.

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  • Sheet-Pan Greek Chicken

    A plate of roasted chicken with vegetables and feta on a patterned plate on a green background additional plate and utensils visible

    Serious Eats / Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Sylist: Josh Hoggle

    Chicken and a colorful mix of vegetables roast on the same pan, all seasoned with the same lemony herb dressing. As everything cooks, the pan drippings turn into a simple sauce that’s spooned over the top for big flavor with minimal effort. Serve it over a swipe of tzatziki you can whip up while the chicken marinates.

  • Skillet Pasta With Mushrooms, Pancetta, and Wilted Greens

    10072014_pasta_mushrooms_yasmin_fahr4.JPG
    Yasmin Fahr

    This one-skillet pasta comes together in under 30 minutes. Pancetta is browned first, then mushrooms, shallot, and serrano are cooked in the rendered fat. Stock goes into the same skillet with all those drippings, followed by the pasta, which cooks right in the sauce. Finish by stirring the pancetta and mushrooms back in along with a handful of greens until just wilted, then top with Parmesan.

  • Sheet-Pan Chicken Piccata

    A plate of chicken piccata with lemon slices and capers on a table next to glasses of white wine

    Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

    Breaded chicken in a garlicky, lemony caper sauce is a reliable weeknight dinner. Making it on a sheet-pan keeps things simpler: It crisps the chicken in the oven without splattering the stovetop, lets you cook more pieces at once, and eliminates the need to work in batches. The sauce comes together right in the parchment-lined pan after the chicken cooks, which keeps cleanup easy.

  • Quick One Pot Hungarian Chicken and Noodles With Cabbage

    20140317-286820-hungarian-cabbage-noodle-chicken-primary.jpg
    Yvonne Ruperti

    Using ground chicken keeps this one-pot dish quick and easy. Onions and seasonings are sautéed in butter, followed by the chicken, then the cabbage, which wilts right in the pot. Chicken broth goes in next so the noodles can cook directly in the sauce, and the dish is finished with an optional stir-in of sour cream.

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  • Sheet-Pan Harissa and Orange Chicken With Chickpeas

    Overhead view of Sheet Pan Harrissa and Orange Chicken with Chickpea

    Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine

    A harissa marinade made with orange zest and juice, honey, and warm spices coats the chicken, chickpeas, and onion, giving the dish a cohesive, deeply flavored base. Roasting the onion and chickpeas directly under the chicken lets the rendered fat flavor them as they cook. A final sprinkle of cilantro adds freshness just before serving.

  • Sheet-Pan Pork Tenderloin With Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

    Overhead view of sheet pan dinner

    Serious Eats / Two Bites

    This classic meat-and-potatoes dinner comes together on a single sheet-pan, which means fewer dishes to wash. The key is adding everything in stages so it all finishes at the same time. Garam masala–seasoned sweet potatoes go into the oven first, followed by the garlic-studded chicken, and finally the coriander- and cumin-seasoned Brussels sprouts.

  • Sheet-Pan Roasted Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, and Brussels Sprouts

    Serving on sheet pan chicken and vegetables on a plate with a fork and knife and a red cup. To the side of the dish is the tray of chicken and vegetables with a red napkin

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

    Another meat-and-potatoes dinner that comes together on a single sheet-pan, with the ingredients added in stages. Spicy-sweet, umami-rich gochujang is whisked into an oil-and-vinegar dressing and used to season the chicken (plus a little bacon) and vegetables before roasting. Gochujang shows up again at the end in a quick mayo-based sauce served on the side.

  • Sheet-Pan Gnocchi With Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

    A plate of gnocchi with roasted vegetables and cheese, next to a sheet pan with more of the dish

    Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

    Using refrigerated (not shelf-stable) gnocchi means there’s no need to boil them first, saving both time and an extra pot. The gnocchi, onion, and sausage start on a preheated sheet-pan, while the broccoli rabe and cherry tomatoes are tossed with oil and seasonings. Partway through cooking, the vegetables are added to the pan so everything finishes together without overcooking.

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  • Stovetop Chicken Lasagna

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    Yvonne Ruperti

    Onion and garlic are sautéed in a skillet before ground chicken is added and cooked through. Broken lasagna noodles are layered on top with a quick, no-cook pantry sauce, along with mozzarella and ricotta, then repeated once more. After everything cooks together, a final layer of cheese is warmed through before serving.

  • Sheet-Pan Salmon and Kale

    Salmon fillets topped with pomegranate seeds and greens on a baking sheet

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Ward, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey

    This company-worthy meal is ready in about 45 minutes. Kale is massaged until tender, then roasted alongside salmon on a single pan. While everything cooks, a walnut–pomegranate mixture and a quick pomegranate glaze come together. Brush the glaze onto the salmon near the end of cooking, finish with the walnut mixture, and serve a dinner that looks impressive but is easy to clean up after.

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