Having a few quick dinner recipes in your back pocket is always a good thing. But even better are the recipes that don't use multiple bowls and pans, allowing you to cut down on prep time and dishes. This is why I love a good skillet recipe.
Some of these recipes require cooking pasta or another ingredient before adding everything to the skillet, so they're not all one-pan recipes, but there's something really satisfying about cooking and serving dinner in a skillet — and often, depending on the dish, food actually tastes better when cooked in cast iron (I love the way chicken gets nice and crisp in our skillet).
This list features something for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, with seasonal fare like Broiled Shrimp with Fresh Tomatoes or good any-time dishes like a creamy mac and cheese. Enjoy!
Try a Skillet Dinner Recipe
1. Chicken and Kale Pizza Bake (pictured) - Savvy Mom
2. Chicken Sausage with Potatoes and Saurkraut - Eating Well
3. Italian-Style Halibut with Sage - Joy of Kosher
4. Gnocci and Chickpea Skillet Dinner - Food and Whine
5. Chicken Pad Thai - Pass the Sushi
6. Splayed Roast Chicken with Caramelized Ramps, Garlic and Capers - New York Times
7. Easy Chicken and Couscous Skillet Dinner - Kevin and Amanda
8. Three Cheese Mac and Cheese - Cook Like a Champion
9. Baked Polenta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cremini Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese - Spoon Fork Bacon
10. Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and White Beans - Martha Stewart
Any favorite skillet dinners to share?
Related: Side Dish Recipe: Easy Skillet Cornbread with Creamed Corn
(Image: Savvy Mom)
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Floral Drink Dispen...
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Beatriz's Fun & Functional Workspace
There are some good ones in this list: notably the chicken and kale pizza bake; polenta w/sausage and mushroom and the shrimp with white beans and tomatoes. Thank you!
I cook a lot in my cast iron skillet, it's a must for bacon, pancakes, and grilled sandwiches. Tamale pie is one of my all time favorites from Lucinda Scala Quinn, which she actually did on an episode of Mad Hungry that was all about cooking with cast iron. http://www.marthastewart.com/866561/tamale-pie
Frittata!
Yum! All I need is a cast iron pan now ;-)
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-summer-squash-with-bake-153998
so good.
You really shouldn't cook tomatoes in a cast iron pan. The Martha Stewart recipe points out that it can make the tomatoes taste acidic but they don't consider that a problem with a seasoned pan. But they're off base on this one - the main reason you don't cook tomatoes in a cast iron pan is that the acidity from the tomatoes can pit the cast iron. I never cook tomatoes in my cast iron
I think that shepherd's pie is just the easiest and most delicious thing to make in a cast iron pan. Filling, simple and cheap to make, and it warms you right to the bone.
I always love finding a new recipe just for Cast Iron. I use my pans at least 5 times a week!
You can cook tomatoes in a cast iron skillet as long as your pan IS seasoned well, but definitely not before that. Even on a "pre-seasoned" skillet.
I always, always roast chicken in my skillet. It's also perfect for stir fries (who needs a wok?) and pretty much any meat. Cooking in cast iron is very different from cooking in anything else (for example, it retains heat much better than most other materials), so it can take some getting used to.
This is my current skillet favorite:
http://www.marthastewart.com/952342/pork-and-greens-skillet-pie
I cook tomatoes in my cast iron. I also use soap on it. My parents do the same with theirs, and they've had their pans for over 30 years.
I love potatoes & onions. Maybe with some cheese, if I have it. Always with salt. Sometimes with rosemary, sometimes with chile & curry.
Also eggs. How easy are they?