18 Fall Skillet Dinners You'll Want to Make All Season Long

Enjoy crisp autumn nights with these easy one-pan dinners made in a skillet.

a cast iron skillet of spaghetti with chicken, red bell peppers, and tomatoes topped with grated Parmesan
Photo:

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Craving delicious fall food but don't want to spend all day in the kitchen? We know the feeling. That's why we've rounded up our easiest skillet dinners that take the stress out of cooking. These recipes — like skillet lasagna, skillet pizza, skillet chili, and skillet jambalaya — are pretty quick and easy to make and even easier to clean up since they're all made in one skillet. Scroll through to find easy dinner recipes that will satisfy you all autumn long.

01 of 19

Easy Skillet Lasagna

Skillet Lasagna
Buckwheat Queen

Comfort food ready in just 45 minutes, this meat and cheese-filled lasagna can be made with regular lasagna noodles and ground turkey instead of ground beef. Some reviewers like to add ricotta cheese to this recipe, in addition to the mozzarella.

02 of 19

Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Skillet

Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Skillet in a white dish
Bren

"Sausage, gnocchi, and spinach are the main ingredients in this quick, one-skillet meal. I've used mild sausages but hot Italian sausages can be substituted," says Allrecipes Allstar Bren. Reviewers say this easy dish is great, even without the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

03 of 19

Paprika Chicken Thighs and Rice Skillet

Paprika Chicken Thighs and Rice Skillet
fabeveryday

"This chicken thigh and rice skillet supper cooks together in one pot for an easy, relatively hands-off, all-in-one dinner that is full of smoky paprika flavor." —fabeveryday

04 of 19

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet

Overhead view of unstuffed pepper skillet.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

"This unstuffed pepper skillet is much easier to make than actual stuffed peppers but packs just as much flavor. A super satisfying and delicious dish." —Julia Levy

05 of 19

Skillet Chicken Picante

Skillet Chicken Picante
Yoly

Serve the skillet chicken, tomatoes, onion, and picante sauce on tortillas topped with cheese, salsa, or your other favorite toppings. Some reviewers like to add more veggies—like bell pepper, green chiles, or cilantro—to brighten up this dish.

06 of 19

Italian Chicken Skillet

Italian Chicken Skillet
Rock_lobster

"This is my all-time FAVORITE pasta dish ever. It's so easy to make. Furthermore, it's an easy base dish to add on to, and it's WONDERFUL without other additions. Love it," says reviewer Wickedwillows.

07 of 19

Broccoli and Chicken Stir-Fry

overhead angle looking down at a large bowl of broccoli and chicken stir-fry

"This chicken and broccoli recipe is easy to make by stir-frying chicken pieces with fresh broccoli in a mix of soy, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar. Serve with rice for an easy, pleasing dinner." —Jeri

08 of 19

One-Skillet Mexican Quinoa

One Skillet Mexican Quinoa
My Hot Southern Mess

This easy Mexican-inspired quinoa dish is the perfect skillet dinner for your next Taco Tuesday. This dish is delicious as is, but some reviewers like to make additions like chicken, shrimp, chorizo, kale, or sweet potatoes. Serve topped with avocado, cheese, sour cream, or your favorite taco toppings.

09 of 19

Skillet Chicken Pasta

Skillet Chicken Pasta
Allrecipes

This pasta is loaded with chicken, veggies, and homemade tomato sauce, and topped with Parmesan cheese. Each part of this recipe is prepared in the skillet, and the dish is ready to serve in just over 30 minutes.

10 of 19

One-Pan Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Skillet

One-Pan Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Skillet
masonshrt03

If you love enchiladas but not the prep, you'll love the ease of these one-pan cheesy chicken enchiladas. "All the chicken enchilada taste without the fuss! My husband wasn't hungry due to a late lunch and said he'd have 'a taste.' He's now eating his second serving," says home cook Susan T-O.

11 of 19

Chicken and Tortellini Pesto Skillet

Chicken and Tortellini Pesto Skillet

This Chicken and Tortellini Pesto Skillet is packed with flavors from the cheese tortellini, chicken, pesto, Parmesan cheese, baby spinach, and cherry tomatoes. Even better, this creamy dish—which reviewers say tastes like restaurant quality—is ready in just 40 minutes.

12 of 19

One-Skillet Hearty Chili and Cornbread

One-Skillet Hearty Chili and Cornbread
SunnyDaysNora

This dish has all the comforting tastes of chili and cornbread rolled into one. As the chili cooks in the skillet, add your cornbread mixture to the top and then bake the whole skillet so the cornbread gets nice and crispy.

13 of 19

Weeknight Skillet Slaw

Weeknight Skillet Slaw
Matt Wencl

"When you get home from work, you hardly want a big production for dinner. That's when this recipe can be your standby. Cook your ground turkey, then add veggies, cole slaw mix, and sauce, and in 10 minutes you've got a hearty meal for everyone to enjoy," says recipe contributor Matt Wencl. Reviewers say this dish can be made with chicken or tofu instead of ground turkey—and it's great over rice or noodles.

14 of 19

Chicken Jambalaya

Chicken Jambalaya I
John

This one-skillet jambalaya has chicken, rice, herbs, and just a little bit of a spicy kick. You can also use seafood instead of chicken if you prefer; some reviewers like to use shrimp. "I made this last night for some friends and everyone scraped their bowls clean. So quick and easy to make," says home cook Keagan Mize.

15 of 19

Roast Chicken with Skillet Stuffing

Roast Chicken with Skillet Stuffing
Kim's Cooking Now

Stuffed chicken just got easier with this one-pan dish. The result is an all-in-one moist and juicy chicken filled with comforting, tasty stuffing. If you don't like your stuffing to have a lot of veggies, reviewers suggest cutting back on the amount of celery and onion.

16 of 19

Creamy Sausage and Mushroom Gnocchi Skillet

Creamy Sausage and Mushroom Gnocchi Skillet in a white bowl
Lloyd Flores

In just 40 minutes, you'll have this creamy dish with turkey sausage, mushrooms, shallots, wine, and potato gnocchi ready to serve. "This was great and my kids loved it. We did add fresh spinach at the very end and let it wilt. Topped it off with some fresh Parmigiano, gave it that extra kick," says reviewer Sarah Keetle.

17 of 19

Deep-Dish Cast Iron Pizza

Deep-Dish Cast Iron Pizza
Eric

Homemade pizza dough is topped with layers of pizza sauce, Italian sausage, pork sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese, all baked in a cast iron skillet. This recipe is made in a 12-inch skillet, so if you have a smaller one, make sure to adjust the dough recipe.

18 of 19

Skillet Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes

Skillet Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes
Jaime Nolan

"These chicken thighs are cooked in one skillet for easy cleanup. Carrots, potatoes, and onions are added for a complete meal. Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread." —Yoly

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