Healthy Recipes Weight Loss Dinner Recipes for Weight Loss 20 One-Pot Dinners for Weight Loss By Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Wimberly is EatingWell's Editorial Fellow. As a food and mental health blogger, Camryn explores how food and cooking can help improve mental health and also be an avenue to connect with one's culture and heritage. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 29, 2024 Close Photo: Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay Cleanup will be a breeze with these delicious one-pot dinner recipes! Each dish comes together in a single pot, skillet or slow cooker, so you won’t have a pile of dishes to wash after enjoying your meal. They’re also lower in calories and high in fiber and/or protein, which can help support healthy weight loss. Try options like our Chicken Parmesan Soup and Cabbage & Kielbasa Skillet for a tasty one-pot dinner that will keep you nourished and satisfied. 01 of 20 Chicken Parmesan Soup Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay This chicken Parmesan soup combines the rich flavors of a traditional chicken Parm—juicy seasoned chicken, tangy marinara sauce and savory Parmesan cheese—with the warmth and comfort of a soup. It’s a perfect dish for those chilly days when you crave something familiar with a fun, innovative twist! We love the punchy burst of flavor that Parmesan crisps offer as a garnish, but feel free to add freshly grated Parmesan in their place. View Recipe 02 of 20 Creamy Lemon-Basil Chicken Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn This ultra-quick creamy lemon-basil chicken is bright and refreshing. Using whole lemon slices in the sauce gathers the essential oils from the rind plus the acidic punch from the flesh and adds more depth of flavor than juice and zest alone. View Recipe 03 of 20 Cabbage & Kielbasa Skillet Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Smoky sausage, tender cabbage and sweet apples, along with mustard and cider vinegar, create a perfect balance of flavor in this hearty skillet dinner. View Recipe 04 of 20 Vegetarian Potato-Kale Soup Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee This healthy soup recipe has a rich, yet light and velvety texture. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of wine for a cozy meal. View Recipe 05 of 20 Braised Chicken & Fall Vegetables Jacob Fox A rustic chicken dinner doesn't get much easier than this. You can make the entire meal in one skillet, which makes cleanup a breeze. We've used a combination of parsnips and carrots to give this dish a variety of colors and flavors, but you could replace the parsnips with additional carrots if you'd like. View Recipe 06 of 20 Slow-Cooker Kale & White Bean Stew Ali Redmond Warm up to a hearty bowl of soup made with vegetables and protein-rich white beans. Comforting spices like oregano and thyme build flavor, while Parmesan provides an irresistibly savory finish. View Recipe 07 of 20 Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili Jason Donnelly If you like Buffalo wings, you'll love the flavors in this warm, hearty chili that comes together easily in the slow cooker. Sour cream helps cut the heat, but you could also use plain strained yogurt. View Recipe 08 of 20 Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta This healthy sausage and kale pasta recipe cooks in one skillet, so there's only one pot to clean! Try it with any greens you have in the fridge, such as chard or spinach. View Recipe 09 of 20 One-Skillet Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms & Onions Try this quick and easy one-skillet version of the Hungarian classic chicken paprikash. Serve the chicken cutlets, mushrooms and creamy sauce over egg noodles with a green salad on the side. View Recipe 10 of 20 One-Pot Chicken Alfredo This creamy, simple chicken Alfredo recipe is incredibly comforting and cheesy from the combination of Parmesan and cream cheese. You'll taste a nice pop of pepper and nutty notes from the whole-wheat pasta, too. Plus, it's a one-pot meal, which means less cleaning for you and a dish that will quickly become your best chicken Alfredo recipe. View Recipe 11 of 20 Vegetarian Gumbo This flavorful vegan dinner is a veggie version of the Louisiana classic. It's chock-full of butternut squash, tomatoes, poblano peppers and okra, to name just a few. This vegetarian gumbo is a quick dinner packed with flavor and spice that's done in only 30 minutes. To make it a meal, serve it with cornbread drizzled with olive oil. View Recipe 12 of 20 Tofu & Vegetable Curry with Zucchini Noodles We've combined tofu and plenty of veggies with a flavorful sauce made with red curry paste, lime juice and coconut milk. Serve the curry over lightly warmed zucchini noodles to get even more veggies in your weeknight dinner. Bonus: Everything is cooked in one skillet, so there's only one pan to wash after dinner. View Recipe 13 of 20 Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili with Black Beans This butternut squash and black bean chili is a satisfying vegetarian meal. Load up bowls of the butternut squash chili and top with Greek yogurt, cilantro and minced red onion. Or skip the yogurt and keep this healthy dinner vegan. View Recipe 14 of 20 Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen This easy one-pan skillet recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as the potatoes and kale for minimal cleanup. View Recipe 15 of 20 Instant Pot Vegetarian White Chili Parsnips lend a wonderful sweet and nutty flavor to this healthy white bean chili. Pureeing some of the chili gives the stew a nice creaminess, but feel free to skip that step to save time. Garnish the chili with cheese and sour cream for a richer meal, or serve it as-is to keep it vegan. View Recipe 16 of 20 Slow-Cooker Vegan Chili Grab your crock pot for this hearty and easy vegan chili, which is chock-full of great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients, including pinto and black beans, red pepper, tomatoes and butternut squash. A garnish of fresh avocado and chopped cilantro is a nice touch. View Recipe 17 of 20 One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta This one-pot pasta with tangy tomato-basil sauce is a simple, fast and easy weeknight dinner. All of your ingredients go into one pot, and with a bit of stirring and about 25 minutes of cook time, you'll have a healthy dinner the whole family will enjoy. View Recipe 18 of 20 Southwestern Sweet Potato Stew This hearty Southwestern-inspired stew may take a while in your slow cooker, but it's so worth it! Full of sweet potatoes, black beans, and hominy, it will satisfy your taste buds and keep you full for hours. View Recipe 19 of 20 Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup The only things better than healthy dinner ideas are easy healthy dinner ideas. This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker soup recipe is just that. It simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. View Recipe 20 of 20 White Bean-Sausage Soup Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Make this heart-healthy main-dish white bean and sausage soup with fresh onions. If you're really pressed for time, look for frozen chopped onions, which can be added to soups and stews in seconds. View Recipe Medically reviewed by Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit