6 Skillet Dinners to Get You Through the Week

Eat delicious dinners in no time at all.

By
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva is a trained chef, registered dietitian, recipe writer, and food photographer, specializing in modern Jewish cuisine. She runs Nosh with Micah, her personal blog.
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Published December 01, 2025
Micah Siva
Chicken Parmesan with melted cheese in a skillet with tomato sauce and basil garnish

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

I love cooking (obviously, I do it for a living!), but I can’t stand the mountain of dishes that creep into my sink. When cleaning takes more time than actually eating a meal, I know I’ve done something wrong.

Between my toddler’s bedtime routine, the laundry begging to be folded (don’t even get me started on putting it away), walking the dog, and watering plants (they’re all pretty much dead at this point), the last thing I need is the dishes piling up higher than my to-do list. 

My ideal dinner is on the table with just a few items to clean and put away, so I can attend to the other adulting tasks I’ve been putting off. Now that we are in the throes of the holiday season, my patience for a fussy dinner is thin, so skillet dinners are my weeknight savior. They're convenient, require minimal cleanup, and are perfect for building flavor without the hassle of multiple dishes and appliances.

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  • Pesto Chicken Skillet

    Chicken breasts cooked in pesto sauce and garnished with basil in a skillet

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Abby Armstrong

    If there’s one shortcut ingredient I always have in my fridge, it’s pesto. Sure, I can make my own pesto (and I do!), but a container of store-bought pesto in the fridge is a simple way to transform a weeknight meal. I love the creamy, herbaceous sauce. Instead of chicken, I’ll be making this with salmon filets and serving it over bucatini for dinner in less than 30 minutes.

  • Tortellini Skillet

    A skillet with tortellini, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and cheese

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Julia Gartland / Food Styling by Samantha Seneviratne

    Eating seasonally is usually my goal, but when there’s a sale at my local grocery store, I’ll be using that to guide my dinner choices. Lately, zucchini and cherry tomatoes have been on sale and I’m not one to pass that up. I love that I can make this as seasonal as I like, adding whatever odds and ends I have in my fridge - including using up some of those leftover herbs I have laying around, like dill and chives.

  • Skillet Chicken Parmesan

    Chicken parmesan in a skillet with marinara sauce and melted cheese
    Nick Evans

    Is there anything more comforting than melted cheese on… anything? Growing up, we sat down to either eggplant or chicken parmesan every weekend, but the process was always something that made it feel like a special occasion, reserved for Saturday or Sunday evenings around the dinner table. Thankfully, you don’t have to dirty 100 dishes to get this on the table.

  • Creamy Skillet Shrimp with Corn, Pancetta, and Tomatoes

    Plate of creamy skillet shrimp with corn, pancetta, and tomatoes at a table setting with a glass of water, a white and red table napkin on the counter, and a bowl of basil

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

    If you are looking for a quick cooking protein, shrimp is the ultimate weeknight choice. In fact, if it is taking too long, you are probably overcooking it. Not only are shrimp the perfect weeknight protein, but frozen corn makes this dish extra simple—no husking required! I don’t even thaw mine before adding it to the skillet. Did I mention you barely have to chop anything for this recipe? Between frozen corn, whole cherry tomatoes, and shelled shrimp, this couldn’t be easier.

    Continue to 5 of 6 below

  • Ratatouille Ground Beef Skillet

    A skillet containing a cooked dish of diced vegetables and ground beef, garnished with fresh basil

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    I must admit that I didn’t fully understand the hype around ratatouille until the beloved movie came out. Sure, I love vegetables, but it all felt a little fussy with the carefully lined up zucchini and eggplant. That’s why I love this recipe. It's a no-fuss, unpretentious ratatouille-inspired skillet that feels perfect for a family dinner. It takes like summer, no matter what time of year you make it, and the addition of beef makes it hearty enough to eat even on the coldest of days.

  • Skillet Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

    Cooked chicken breasts on bok choy garnished with sesame seeds on a serving platter
    Coco Morante

    If we are talking about quick dinners, we can’t leave out chicken cutlets. Chicken cutlets are essentially thinly sliced chicken breasts, which means they cook in a matter of minutes. The best part? The only thing to prep is the bok choy (you can use broccoli florets in their place). I’m serving this with some soba noodles and a drizzle of sriracha for a quick weeknight dinner after my son’s swimming lessons.

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