10 High Protein One Pot Meals Ready in 30 Minutes

When you are crunched for time but need a boost of energy that only a protein-packed dinner can provide, these recipes are here to help. Ready on the table in 30 minutes or less, these recipes will save cooking and cleaning time since they only use one pot. With ingredients like savory steak, chicken and beans, these recipes follow our high-protein nutritional guidelines with at least 15 grams per serving so you can fuel up fast. Recipes like American Goulash and One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta have all the components to a quick, easy and delicious meal.

1. American Goulash

American goulash, also known as old-fashioned goulash, is the perfect economical family meal. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so this satisfying dish can cook in just one pot.

2. Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms.

Whether you scored wild mushrooms at the farmers’ market, found cultivated maitake or shiitake at the supermarket or just have some baby bellas on hand, this healthy creamy chicken recipe is delicious with any of them. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

3. Chicken & Broccoli Casserole.

 This one-pan chicken and broccoli casserole is prepared in a skillet on the stovetop, then finished in the oven until it’s browned, cheesy and bubbling. Serve with a crunchy green salad.

4. One Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta.

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.

5. Creamy White Chilli with Cream Cheese.

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.

6. One pan chicken with basil anchovy butter & shishito peppers.

Don’t skip the anchovies in this healthy chicken thigh recipe. Their fishiness blends in, adding salty, umami flavor, so that even skeptics of the salty little fish won’t protest. And this healthy skillet dinner is cooked in one pan and takes just 20 minutes to prep–in case you need more selling points for this recipe.

7. Lemony linguine with spring vegetables.

Instead of cooking pasta in a huge pot of water, here we use just 3 1/2 cups for this one-pot pasta recipe. When the pasta is al dente, most of the water has evaporated and the bit that’s left is thickened with the starch that cooks off the pasta. With just a few add-ins like lemon and Parmesan cheese you have a delicious silky sauce. Want to use up your veggie stash in the freezer? Swap in 8 ounces frozen spinach for fresh.

8. One pan spicy okra & shrimp.

Serve spicy blackened shrimp and tender vegetables over aromatic basmati rice for an easy skillet supper. Use precooked microwave rice so you don’t have to mess up another pan. This one-pan dinner is perfect for company, but easy enough to make on a weeknight.

9. Easy Tuna cakes with Greens & lemon dressing.

Dried herbs, white beans and canned tuna come together in these easy tuna cakes served over greens. A lemony dressing ties this quick dinner together.

10. Easy Vegetarian Chili.

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.