22 One-Pot Dinners for Weight Loss You'll Want to Make Forever

Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

Minimize cleanup time with these easy, top-rated recipes that are sure to tantalize your taste buds. This mix of soups, stews, pastas and skillet dinners has something for everyone—from creamy pastas packed with whole grains to cozy chilis loaded with vegetables. Recipes like our Skillet Green Chile-Chicken Enchilada Casserole and Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew have fewer than 575 calories and more than 6 grams of fiber per serving, so you can eat deliciously and meet your nutritional goals.

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One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta

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A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.

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Skillet Green Chile-Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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This 45-minute enchilada recipe is bursting with chicken, tomatoes, tomatillos, chile peppers and cheese, and because it's a one-skillet casserole, cleanup is a breeze.

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Chickpea, Chorizo & Spinach Soup

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Chorizo lends this soup inspired by ingredients popular around the Mediterranean a smoky paprika flavor, and since it's sautéed first, much of the fat is drained away. Be sure to buy dry-cured, salami-style Spanish chorizo, not soft, raw Mexican-style sausage by the same name.

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Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup

overhead shot of vegetable soup in a black cast iron pot
Carson Downing

A big bowl of this vegetable soup will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories, which is helpful when trying to lose weight. Plus, it's an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day—something all of us could benefit from. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious vegetable soup and consider serving with a hunk of toasted whole-wheat bread to help round out the meal.

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Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Diet Soup

Loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and tomato, this healthy cabbage soup recipe packs in lots of flavor and is ultra-satisfying. This easy recipe makes a big batch for lunch or dinner all week.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Stew

Slow-Cooker Chicken White Bean Stew

This load-and-go slow-cooker chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve this Tuscan-inspired dish with crusty bread, a glass of Chianti and a salad.

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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night.

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One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

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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.

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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

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This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without adding too much sodium to this healthy recipe for weight loss.

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Loaded Black Bean Nacho Soup

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Jazz up a can of black bean soup with your favorite nacho toppings, such as cheese, avocado and fresh tomatoes. A bit of smoked paprika adds a bold flavor kick, but you can swap in any warm spices you prefer, such as cumin or chili powder. Look for a soup that contains no more than 450 mg sodium per serving.

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Sausage & Lentil Soup

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Brie Goldman

This hearty sausage and lentil soup is flavorful and filling. Precooked lentils, steamed lentils or canned lentils all work well in this earthy fall soup.

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Squash & Red Lentil Curry

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This healthy red lentil curry recipe has a rich flavor and complexity that tastes like it takes hours to prepare. Butternut squash and coconut milk combine with the lentils to make a hearty vegetarian dish. Serve with brown rice or naan bread.

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One-Pot Beans & Rice with Corn & Salsa

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This one-pot dinner is like a deconstructed burrito bowl—especially when topped with salsa, sliced avocado or a dollop of Greek yogurt for a cool, creamy accent. You can also enjoy it as a meal on its own, or as a vegetarian taco or burrito filling or as a side dish on taco night.

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Lasagna Soup

lasagna soup

This quick and healthy lasagna soup recipe has all the comforting flavors of classic lasagna with plenty of tomatoes, Italian turkey sausage and lasagna noodles broken into bite-size bits. A dollop of ricotta cheese mixed with mozzarella and Parmesan adds a creamy finishing touch. Serve the soup with a green salad and crusty bread to sop up what's left in the bowl for an easy, healthy dinner that's ready in under 30 minutes.

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Easy Vegetarian Chili

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Canned beans and tomatoes make this quick vegetarian chili recipe ready to go in just 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous, or with tortilla chips for added crunch, and add extra toppings as you see fit—sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sliced jalapeños are all tasty choices.

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One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta
Jennifer Causey

This creamy chicken and broccoli pasta makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. We opt for small shells in this recipe, but any other small pasta, like orecchiette, would work, too.

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Classic Beef Chili

Classic Beef Chili
Photography / Jennifer Causey, Styling / Chelsea Zimmer / Kay Clarke

This classic chili recipe features beef, beans and shredded sweet potatoes for a nutritional boost. The sweet potato blends into the chili so well that even picky eaters will gobble it up.

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Braised Cauliflower & Squash Penne Pasta

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In this braised cauliflower and squash penne pasta recipe, we cook the pasta and vegetables in broth rather than water to make this warming vegetarian pasta extra flavorful. The starch from the pasta and vegetables combines with the broth as it simmers and creates a silky sauce. And you can make the whole dish in just one pot, so cleanup is a breeze.

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One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous

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Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.

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Cauliflower Fajita Skillet

Cauliflower Fajita Skillet
Jacob Fox

Thinly sliced cauliflower florets mimic the signature shape of fajita meat in this dish. We cook it in a cast-iron skillet for that tableside sizzle you'd get at a restaurant.

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Lentil Stew with Salsa Verde

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This healthy vegetarian recipe is hearty and satisfying. Don't skip the parsley relish (salsa verde)—it's easy to make and lends a tangy accent that balances the flavors of the lentil stew. We prefer French green lentils for this stew, as they don't fall apart while cooking; however, regular brown lentils (found in most supermarkets) will also work.

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Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

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This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili recipe comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don't have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.

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