3 Easy One-Pan Meals for Lunch or Dinner

Knowing what protein, carbohydrate-rich foods and vegetables bring to a meal is useful. Putting them together does not need to be complicated.

These three easy one-pan lunches show what that can look like in real life: simple ingredients, one pan, and meals that are warm, satisfying and easy to make again.

One-Pan Turmeric Chicken Meatballs with Potatoes, Mushrooms & Peas

This is the kind of lunch that does not need overthinking: protein from the chicken meatballs, carbohydrates from the potatoes and rice, and vegetables cooked right into the pan.

Serve it with brown rice, quinoa, bulgur, or skip the extra side entirely. The one-pan dish is good on its own too.

Ingredients

For the chicken meatballs:

1 lb / 450 g ground chicken

½ small onion, finely grated

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking

For the turmeric broth:

8 oz / 225 g mushrooms, sliced

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Fresh parsley, to finish

To serve:

Brown rice, cooked according to package instructions

or quinoa, bulgur, or any side you like

Make the meatballs

Mix the ground chicken, grated onion, parsley, cumin seeds, salt and black pepper until combined. Shape into small meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs for about 5–6 minutes, turning them gently so they colour on all sides. Transfer them to a plate.

Build the pan

Add the mushrooms to the same skillet and cook for 3–4 minutes.

Add the potatoes. Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock, then stir in the turmeric, ground cumin, salt and black pepper.

Return the meatballs to the pan. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 18–22 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Add the peas for the final 3 minutes of cooking. Finish with fresh parsley.

Serve

Spoon the meatballs, potatoes, mushrooms, peas and turmeric broth over brown rice.

Quinoa and bulgur work just as well, or serve it without an extra side when you want the one-pan meal exactly as it is.

One-Pan Noodle Stir-Fry (Use What You Have)

This is a real one-pan lunch when you use vacuum-packed, pre-cooked noodles. Open the package and add them straight to the wok — no boiling water, no second pot and no waiting.

Choose whole-wheat or buckwheat-based noodles when you find them, then add any protein and whatever vegetables are in the fridge. Beef, chicken and tofu all work. So do broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, green beans, snap peas or spinach.

The noodles and sauce are the base. Everything else is flexible.

You’ll need

2 packs vacuum-packed, pre-cooked noodles, about 14–16 oz / 400–450 g total

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado or grapeseed oil

10–12 oz / 280–340 g beef, chicken, tofu or another protein, cut into bite-size pieces

4–5 cups chopped vegetables

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

To finish:

Sliced scallions

Sesame seeds

Chili flakes or chili crisp, optional

About the noodles

Vacuum-packed, pre-cooked noodles are the easiest option: they go directly from the package into the wok.

You can also use noodles that only need a quick soak or blanch before cooking — prepare those according to the package, then continue with the stir-fry.

Regular dry whole-wheat noodles work too, but cook them separately first. The stir-fry itself still comes together in one pan.

Make it

Stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and honey or maple syrup together.

Heat a large wok or deep skillet until very hot. Add the neutral oil and cook your chosen protein first. Transfer it to a plate once browned and cooked through.

Add the firmest vegetables first: broccoli, carrots, peppers or green beans. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes.

Add the quicker-cooking vegetables, such as mushrooms, zucchini, cabbage, snap peas or spinach. Cook until just tender.

Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.

Return the protein to the wok. Add the pre-cooked noodles and pour over the sauce. Toss everything for 2–3 minutes, until the noodles are hot, glossy and coated in the sauce.

Finish with scallions, sesame seeds and chili if you like.

Use what you have, add more vegetables, and make the same base work differently every time.

Information only, not personal nutrition advice.

One-Pan Moroccan-Style Fish with Potatoes, Peppers & Carrots

:Ingredients

4 firm white fish fillets, such as cod, haddock or halibut

4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds

1 red bell pepper, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1½ cups water

1 packed cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or wide pot over medium heat.

2. Add the garlic, red pepper and carrots. Cook for 3–4 minutes, just until they begin to soften.

3. Arrange the potato slices over the vegetables. Season with sweet paprika, salt and black pepper. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the potatoes, then pour in the water. The liquid should reach about halfway up the potatoes.

4. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes are nearly tender and the paprika sauce has reduced.

5. Scatter the cilantro over the potatoes and vegetables. Place the fish fillets on top and spoon some of the paprika sauce over each fillet.

6. Cover again and cook for 6–8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it flakes easily. Do not turn the fish.

Serve the fish with the potatoes, vegetables and paprika sauce from the same pan.