I Don't Love to Cook—These Are the Easy One-Pan Dinners I Swear By

I'm constantly looking for new ways to cut corners in the kitchen because—spoiler alert—I don't love to cook. Don't get me wrong, I love experimenting with a complicated recipe every now and then, but on busy weeknights (aka every weeknight), I rely on one-sheet, one-pot, one-pan recipes that don't require lots of chopping, grating, and stirring. 

Luckily for lazy home cooks like me, 2018 is the year of one-and-done recipes (see exhibits A, B, and C). Ahead, I'm sharing the incredibly easy recipes that I keep on constant rotation. Spanning a citrusy lemon butter chicken with orzo that requires minimal chopping to a cheesy baked pasta that comes together in under an hour, these are the easy one-pan dinners I recommend adding to your recipe arsenal stat.

The Recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Why I Love It: Tacos are a staple meal in my apartment and this sheet pan fajitas recipe is hands down the easiest way to make them. Although the recipe recommends marinating the chicken for one hour, I often skip this step and place the chicken directly in the oven after spicing (it's still very tasty, trust me).

The Recipe: One Skillet Lemon Butter Chicken and Orzo

Why I Love It: This is one of those meals that looks fancier than it actually is. Made with ingredients that I usually have on hand (garlic, butter, and lemon), this 30-minute recipe is one of my go-tos on busy weeknights. 

The Recipe: One-Pan Four Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Drunken Pasta Bake

Why I Love It: Despite the intimidating number of ingredients listed in the recipe's name, making this baked pasta dish couldn't be easier. Simply toss all the ingredients together in a baking dish, pop it in the oven for one hour, and then devour.

The Recipe: Sheet Pan Cuban Chicken With Citrus-Avocado Salsa

Why I Love It: Made with simple spices that I always have in my cupboard, this sheet-pan recipe is packed with flavor and doesn't require three trips to grocery stores to track down one obscure ingredient. 

The Recipe: Sicilian Style Salmon With Garlic Broccoli and Tomatoes

Why I Love It: On nights when I'm craving a lighter meal, I turn to this healthy recipe, which takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. The best part? It doesn't even require preheating the oven since it's simply made on the stovetop.

The Recipe: Creamy White Bean Soup With Kale, Rosemary, and Lemon

Why I Love It: This hearty one-pot soup is as satisfying as it is simple to make. Note: I substitute store-bought stock because I'm not about to attempt to make that from scratch. (I also use canned beans because I'm an impatient and lazy home cook, in case I haven't made that clear already.)

The Recipe: One-Pan Sausage With Seasonal Vegetables

Why I Love It: I love that I can make this meal with whatever vegetables I happen to have on hand. Although this particular recipe calls for Italian chicken sausage, I'm partial to Trader Joe's spicy jalapeño chicken sausage, which lends the sheet pan meal a bit of heat.

Subscribe to our newsletter to have easy, delicious recipes delivered directly to your inbox daily.