14 Easy One-Pot Dinner Recipes For Fall

Whether you're in the mood for chicken or something vegetarian or vegan, these simple meals will get the job done quickly.

Cooler fall weather requires cozy dinners that feel like the equivalent of wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket. Traditionally, those recipes often require a braise, a browning, a sauté or any number of techniques that require you to dirty up just about every pan you have in your kitchen. And unless you have someone who will happily wash all your dishes for you, the prospect of cleaning a pile of dishes can quickly thwart any motivation you had to cook.

Lucky for us, one-pot recipes have become ubiquitous in the food blogging world over the past few years. The following 14 recipes can all be prepared in a single pot, and then dished straight onto your plate. And if you used a pot that can fit the leftovers in your refrigerator, you might not even have to clean that one pot.

Check out the recipes below, from cider-braised chicken to creamy mushroom soup to a gorgeous French onion pasta bake. These’ll take care of you through autumn.

1
One-Pot Chicken And Mushroom Orzo
Damn Delicious
2
One-Pot 30-Minute Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake
Half Baked Harvest
3
Mushroom Wild Rice Soup (Vegan)
Jessica In The Kitchen
4
Vegan Lentil Stew
Jessica In The Kitchen
5
One-Pot Cider-Braised Chicken
Whisk It Real Gud
6
One-Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake
Half Baked Harvest
7
One-Pot Beef Stroganoff
Damn Delicious
8
Hearty Minestrone Soup
Jessica In The Kitchen
9
One-Pot Casarecce Pasta
Butter Be Ready
10
One-Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter-Toasted Rice Pilaf
Half Baked Harvest
11
One-Pot Cajun Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
Orchids + Sweet Tea
12
Super Easy One-Pot Lasagna
Pinch of Yum
13
Easy Braised Chicken Thighs
Well and Tasty
14
One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Pesto and Artichoke Pasta
Half Baked Harvest

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Before You Go

The Best Dutch Ovens You Can Buy, Whatever Your Budget
Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven (5.5 quarts)(01 of06)
Open Image Modal
Material: Enameled cast iron
Oven safe to: 500 degrees
Care: Dishwasher safe, hand wash recommended
Colors: At least 20
What's good: Le Creuset tops tests by Consumer Reports, America’s Test Kitchen, Wirecutter, and others, proving that although these Dutch ovens have become something of a fancy status symbol, they also just plain work the best (and they'll do so for generations). Produced in the same French factory since 1925, these heat quickly, brown foods really well, clean up easily and offer big, easy-to-grip handles on a relatively light body. Users also say they like the fact that interior enamel is light-colored, so you can well see what's going on with your sears. There's also the fact that Le Creuset offers a limited lifetime warranty and will send you a new one if yours is damaged during normal use. That they come in amazing colors and frequent special editions and collectibles is a bonus.

Get it from Le Creuset ($370), Amazon ($296-$369.95), Wayfair ($369.95) and more.
(credit:Le Creuset)
Staub Cast Iron Round Cocotte (5.5 quarts)(02 of06)
Open Image Modal
Material: Enameled cast iron
Oven safe to: 500 degrees with lid, 900 degrees without
Care: Dishwasher safe, hand wash recommended
Colors: At least 10
What's good: Like Le Creuset, Staub's Dutch ovens are meant to last for decades -- and they cost nearly as much, too, with equally devoted fans. The most notable difference beyond pot and lid shape is that while Le Creuset's enameled interior is beige, Staub's is dark. The company says its matte black enamel helps ensure perfect browning, and Consumer Reports notes Staub does perform really well at this (along with excellent heating speed and great bread baking). Each lid has little spikes on the underside designed to re-circulate condensation back onto the food for moister meat and optimal basting (you may want to remove this lid when finishing off soups or stews). In its tests, Serious Eats recommends Staub alongside Le Creuset as the top options among heritage brands, noting Staub's bottom surface area is just a bit larger. The company's glossy finishes, which contain mineral pigments and glass powder, are especially beautiful.

Get it from Amazon for $282.25+, from Staub for $349.99+, from Williams Sonoma for $349.95+ or from Target for $349.95.
(credit:Amazon)
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven (6 quarts)(03 of06)
Open Image Modal
Material: Enameled cast iron
Oven safe to: 500 degrees
Care: Hand wash only
Colors: 26
What's good: Testers at Wirecutter recommend both the Lodge and Le Creuset, noting that the Lodge has a wider base and shorter sides than some other Dutch ovens. This allows steam to escape more easily, they said, producing a better sear and more concentrated flavors. (That the Lodge is relatively affordable helped their decision a lot, too.) Consumer Reports was especially impressed by how easy it is to clean the Lodge oven and how well it baked crusty bread, giving it the second-highest score of brands they tested, just behind Le Creuset.

Get it from Amazon for $62.17-$80, from Walmart for $79.90 or from Target for $79.95.
(credit:Amazon)
Perfect Pot(04 of06)
Open Image Modal
Material: Aluminum with a nonstick coating
Oven safe to: 425 degrees
Care: Hand wash
Colors: 8 colors
What's good: This one comes from Our Place, the maker of the ever-popular Always Pan. It does everything, including broiling, baking, steaming and crisping. It easily replaces a Dutch oven, sauce pot, braiser, stockpot and roasting rack.
(credit:Our Place)
Cuisinart Chef's Classic Enameled Cast Iron Round Covered Casserole (5 quarts)(05 of06)
Open Image Modal
Material: Enameled cast iron
Oven safe to: 500 degrees
Care: Dishwasher safe
Colors: Red and blue
What's good: Cook's Illustrated named the Cuisinart a "best buy" among medium-sized Dutch ovens, alongside its top pick -- you guessed it -- Le Creuset. Cooking in both was equally good, reviewers said, noting the Cuisinart has a slightly smaller capacity than its fancier French cousin -- though Serious Eats pointed out it still has a wider bottom surface area. For the price, though? It's tough to beat. Serious Eats named it a top budget pick alongside Martha Stewart.

Get it from Amazon for $99.95 or from Target for $99.99.
(credit:Amazon)
Martha Stewart Collection Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven (6 quarts)(06 of06)
Open Image Modal
Material: Enameled cast iron
Oven safe to: 500 degrees
Care: Hand wash only
Colors: 7
What's good: Martha's Dutch ovens closely resemble those from the more expensive heritage brands, with their Staub-like straight sides, shiny ombre finishes and a light interior like Le Creuset. The lid features interior concentric "condensation rings" intended to better circulate moisture, and Serious Eats, which named this a pick for best budget Dutch oven, was a fan of this pot's ample bottom surface area for browning. (We've had these in our own kitchen for several years and haven't experienced any chipping, staining or other issues.)

Get it from Macy's for $84.99.
(credit:Macy's)

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