Nothing beats a delicious bowl of pasta for dinner. These easy pasta dishes will make cleaning up a breeze, since they require just one pot to prepare. With at least four stars in reviews, these dishes are some of our best, and our readers just can’t get enough. From veggie-packed meals like our One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta to creamy dishes like our Creamy Caramelized Cauliflower Pasta, there are plenty of options to suit every plate.

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One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta

This one-pot pasta dish with white beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is lively and vibrant and leaves you with an easy cleanup. Toasting the orzo before adding the broth adds another layer of flavor. Another dark, leafy green, such as chopped kale or Swiss chard, can stand in for the spinach, but it may take longer to wilt in the pan. If you use a sturdier green, add it to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

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Pasta with Garlicky Tomato Sauce & Bay Scallops

This scallop pasta is an easy yet elegant dish that delivers restaurant-quality flavor without the fuss. Sweet, tender bay scallops are lightly seared to perfection and combined with a fresh, garlicky tomato sauce simmered with zucchini to deepen the flavors. When buying scallops, look for ones that are dry-packed and don’t feature artificial preservatives.

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Creamy Caramelized Cauliflower Pasta

This creamy cauliflower pasta is the ultimate comfort food—rich, velvety and flavorful. With simple ingredients and quick prep, it’s a satisfying dish that feels fancy without the fuss and is the ideal meal for a cozy weeknight dinner. Add a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of chile flakes to elevate this easy, comforting classic even more!

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High-Protein Pasta with Peas

This one-pot pasta with peas is packed with plant-based protein and a healthy dose of fiber. The chickpea pasta is cooked with vibrant green peas and tossed with fragrant basil and a rich pesto sauce for fresh flavor in every bite. Nutty toasted pine nuts provide the perfect crunch, adding depth and texture.

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High-Protein Lemon Chicken Orzo

This lemon chicken orzo is a true weeknight classic—comforting and bursting with fresh flavor. Tender bites of chicken, orzo pasta and a bright, creamy broth come together in a one-pot meal. This dish is perfect for busy evenings when you want something cozy.

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Creamy Basil-Tomato Chicken Pasta Bake

This creamy tomato-chicken pasta bake is comfort food at its finest. Tender chicken breast is baked along with juicy cherry tomatoes and creamy Boursin cheese for a rich, herby sauce. The chicken is shredded and returned to the dish with cooked pasta and fresh basil, then baked with fontina cheese on top until bubbly. This easy pasta bake is a complete meal that delivers big flavor.

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Spaghetti with Creamy Lemon-Spinach Sauce

Give your veggie servings a boost with this easy spaghetti with spinach sauce recipe. Loosely inspired by the flavors of classic pesto, this vibrant pasta packs in plenty of spinach and basil with a garnish of nutty walnuts and savory Parmesan cheese. Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and a green salad on the side.

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Smoky Shrimp, Corn & Pea One-Pot Pasta

Make your sauce and pasta all at once with this fast weeknight pasta dinner recipe. By using the exact amount of broth you need to cook the pasta—no colanders here—the starch that cooks off into the liquid (that you usually drain away) stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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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.

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One-Pot Cheesy Tex-Mex Pasta

This comforting one-pot pasta dish has a Southwestern kick. Chili powder and pico de gallo flavor the dish, while melted Mexican cheese adds a creamy finish. Top it with your favorite fixings like scallions, cilantro and sour cream, and serve it alongside a crisp green salad for an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love.

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One-Pot Lemon-Broccoli Pasta with Parmesan

This hearty pasta dish with bright, fresh flavor is ideal for busy weeknights. The Parmesan adds welcome saltiness and notes of umami, and you get added texture from the slight crunch of broccoli and whole-wheat noodles. Add some shredded rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp or crispy chickpeas to punch up the protein.

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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

You’ll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Crispy Gnocchi with Tomatoes & Leeks

These gnocchi are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside because you sauté them in hot oil. Plus, they leave a little fond (crispy brown bits) to add toasty flavor to the tomato and leek sauce, which is cooked in the same pan. Since this easy gnocchi recipe calls for store-bought shelf-stable gnocchi, it's quick to prepare—just 20 minutes, start to finish. Opt for whole-wheat gnocchi to get 2 extra grams of fiber per serving compared to white. This easy and healthy dinner is easy to customize, too; see Tips for variations with shrimp, pesto instead of butter, and pork chops instead of gnocchi.

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One-Pot Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp

This quick one-pot shrimp and pasta dinner is cooked with asparagus in a lemony sauce. Feta cheese sprinkled over the top adds another savory layer, but feel free to skip it and add additional fresh herbs and a lemon slice instead.

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One-Pot Pasta With Spinach & Tomatoes

This one-pot pasta dinner is simple, fresh and healthy—what's not to love? Cooking the pasta right in the sauce saves time and cleanup while infusing the noodles with more flavor. This speedy recipe is also endlessly adaptable and lends itself to plenty of easy ingredient swaps.

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One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta

A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish pasta recipe. Cooking the pasta ahead and refrigerating it saves time here—or use any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.

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Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas

This speedy dinner recipe combines shrimp with pillowy gnocchi, pesto and peas in a creamy sauce. Feel free to substitute the peas with other veggies, such as broccoli or asparagus. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper for a bit of heat, or garnish with grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory flavor.

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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.

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One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

This creamy orzo with white beans and sun-dried tomatoes is the ultimate weeknight winner, ready in just 30 minutes! This comforting dish combines tender orzo, protein-packed white beans and tangy sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy garlic-and-herb cheese sauce. This one-pot meal is both quick and satisfying, perfect for those busy evenings when you want something hearty without the hassle.

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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.

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One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

This chicken Parmesan pasta uses the one-pot pasta method to cook your noodles, chicken and sauce all in one skillet for a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & Orzo with Tomatoes & Olives

Perk up basic chicken breast and whole-wheat orzo with the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean, like lemon and olives. This load-and-go recipe makes a complete and satisfying meal; just add a green salad.

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Ground Beef & Pasta Skillet

Add extra vegetables to your day with this easy one-skillet pasta recipe. Finely chop mushrooms to resemble the texture of ground beef and stir them into a classic meat sauce for a healthy twist on a dinnertime favorite.

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One-Pot Italian Sausage & Kale Pasta

For a fast weeknight pasta dinner, why not cook your sauce and pasta all at once? When you use the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta instead of draining it, the starch that cooks off into your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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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 be made in just one pot.

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Italian-Style Turkey & Penne Skillet

This delicious one-skillet pasta meal for two is ready in just 35 minutes! Turkey—seasoned with a spicy Italian-seasoning blend—is served with tomato sauce and wilted spinach over multi-grain pasta.

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