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15 easy one-dish meals for weeknight dinners

With the return of busy fall schedules it can be hard to find the time to actually cook a family meal instead of resorting to eating out or heating up processed meals in the microwave. Making a one-dish meal is a simple answer. Low on fuss and high in flavor, most of these easy-to-assemble meals take less than 45 minutes from the time you begin food prep until you deliver a hot dish on the table. Our Stir It Up! bloggers love these kinds of meals. Here are a few of our favorites.

In Praise of Leftovers
Baked ziti comprised of soft tubular pasta, tomato sauce with sausage, and the most beautiful, bubbly cheesy top. Garnish with fresh basil.

1. One-pot pasta

Nest Meg
Throw everything into one pot, bring to a boil, and stir. This pasta recipe is that easy!

By Meghan Prichard, Nest Meg

Have you ever tried cooking your pasta and sauce all at once? It works!

Serves 4

12 ounces linguine
16-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups fresh spinach
1 onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups water
4 sprigs basil, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Parmesan cheese

1. Combine first eight ingredients in a pot wide enough to allow the pasta to lie flat against the bottom. Add 2 sprigs of basil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

2. Put the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir regularly for about 10 minutes.

3. Serve the pasta with the remaining 2 sprigs of basil, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Read the full post on Stir It Up!

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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