As a parent, nothing is better than being able to get a delicious meal on the table for your family to enjoy and with only one pan to clean up.
When I have the time, I like to spend about an hour making dinner for my family, but usually my kitchen hates me afterward because there are tons of dirty pots and pans and the floor is a mess. When making one pan meals, things are just easier and under control, and not to mention there are so many different recipes to make with just one pan.
When making one pan meals, I almost always use my cast iron skillet. It holds heat well and just gives it that caramelization that a regular pan cannot get. In this video, I made Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Pasta, Pesto Chicken Gnocchi and a Taco Casserole. Three easy one pan dinner recipes for nights with less mess!
All of these one pan dinners are great, but the Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Pasta is probably my favorite. I’m just a sucker for penne pasta and a good garlicky cream sauce. To make it, you simply roast up some mushrooms and garlic and then add in some sun-dried tomatoes, cream, rotisserie chicken and smoked mozzarella. You get a lot of umami flavors from the mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella making this pasta extra delicious. Top off with a bit more cheese and bake it until it’s browned on top.
Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Pasta
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 cups of quartered button mushrooms
- 4 finely minced cloves of garlic
- ½ cup of julienne sun-dried tomatoes + more for garnish
- 2 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken
- 3 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup of shredded smoked or regular mozzarella cheese + more for garnish
- 1 16-ounce bag of cooked penne pasta
- Sliced green onions for garnish
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Add oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook mushrooms until brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Next, add in garlic, tomatoes, chicken, cream and cheese and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until thick.
- Add in the cooked pasta, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
- Top off with some smoked mozzarella and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Garnish with sun-dried tomatoes and green onions.
The second one pan dinner I did, the Pesto Chicken Gnocchi recipe, stays on the stove top the whole time. Once your skillet is really hot and your olive oil begins to lightly smoke, add in the gnocchi and brown them up until they are crispy on at least one side. Next, you just fold in all of the remaining ingredients and roast it up for a few minutes and you’re done.
Pesto Chicken Gnocchi
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 6 cups of pre-made gnocchi, frozen or fresh
- 1 cup of assorted cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup of chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup of Ciliegine mozzarella balls
- ½ cup of pesto
- Parmesan cheese to taste
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook gnocchi until browned on 1 side, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Next, add in the tomatoes, chicken, Ciliegine and pesto and stir over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parmesan cheese and basil leaves.
The last dinner I made was a simple Taco Casserole recipe your family is sure to love. The only thing that isn’t in the recipe are some soft corn tortillas, but I sometimes find that can dry your dish out so I left it out. This recipe is a delicious combination of ground beef, corn, beans, rice, salsa and cheese for an absolutely wonderful dish. If you wanted, you could simply serve this up alongside some crunchy taco shells for a fun and easy Taco Tuesday night!
Taco Casserole
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 pound of ground beef
- ½ peeled and small diced yellow onion
- ½ cup of corn kernels
- ½ cup of canned black beans, drained
- 1 teaspoon each of cumin and chili powder
- 3 cups of cooked brown rice
- 1 cup of salsa
- 1 cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese + more for garnish
- Guacamole, tomatoes and chopped cilantro for garnish
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Add oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook the beef, onions, corn, beans, cumin and chili powder until the there is no pink left in the meat, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Next, add in the rice, salsa, cheese and salt and pepper and mix until combined and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes.
- Top off with some cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned.
- Garnish with guacamole, tomatoes and cilantro.
If you are in need of some easy tasty weeknight meals without the mess, then look no further than these three easy one pan dinner recipes.
