10 shortcut dinners that start with a jar of salsa

These recipes are easy, cozy, and satisfying.

Salsa is one of my favorite dinner shortcuts—it’s already packed with tomatoes, chiles, onions, and spices, so you don’t need much else to build a simple, flavorful meal. A jar can stand in as a sauce, a soup base, or a built-in seasoning blend, which makes it perfect for low-effort weeknights. From Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup to Easy Taco Casserole, these recipes prove that a single jar of salsa can do some serious heavy lifting at dinnertime.

01 of 10

Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake

Get Recipe: Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake

“With melty cheese inside and on top of the tender flour tortillas, bright picante salsa offering tang, and a hearty chicken and spinach coming through in every bite, this dish is sure to be a winner at family dinnertime.” —Editors of Simply Recipes

02 of 10

Easy Taco Casserole

Get Recipe: Easy Taco Casserole

“The crunchy chips add lots of texture when layered with the meat and beans, and the whole dish comes together in just 20 minutes. Kids will love the crowd-pleasing flavors and textures, and they’ll have fun adding their toppings before digging in.” —Laurel Randolph, Associate Editorial Director

03 of 10

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Get Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

“It tastes like the inside of a cheesy salsa verde chicken enchilada but without any of the rolling, stuffing, or inevitable casserole dish scrubbing that comes with the real thing. Everything goes straight into the slow cooker in the morning, and by the time I’m corralling kids to the table, dinner has cooked itself.” —Morgan Baker, Recipe Developer

04 of 10

“””It tastes like the inside of a cheesy salsa verde chicken enchilada but without any of the rolling, stuffing, or inevitable casserole dish scrubbing that comes with the real thing. Everything goes straight into the slow cooker in the morning, and by the time I’m corralling kids to the table, dinner has cooked itself.”” —Morgan Baker, Recipe Developer “

Get Recipe: Salsa Chicken This 3-Ingredient Salsa Chicken Is Ready in 30 Minutes

“You can serve this salsa verde chicken in several ways. Set out a trivet and place the baking dish on the table for folks to serve themselves whole breasts. Serve alongside rice and beans, veggies like green beans or broccoli, and more. You can also shred the chicken, toss it with the sauce and cheese, and use it to fill tacos or burritos.” —Laurel Randolph, Associate Editorial Director

05 of 10

Quick Tortilla Soup

Get Recipe: The 5-Ingredient, 15-Minute Tortilla Soup I Make At Least Twice a Month

“The original recipe called for minced jalapeño, and because the heat level of jalapeños can vary, too often the finished soup was way too hot for me. One night I decided to skip the jalapeño, and then out of laziness, I skipped the onion too. Turns out, the heat level the salsa provided was spot on, and the amount of onion in the salsa was all I needed.” —Mackenzie Schieck, Recipe Developer

06 of 10

Cowgirl Casserole

Get Recipe: Cowgirl Casserole

“In the parade of stick-to-your-ribs recipes named after cowboys, this cowgirl casserole gives the ladies their due. A Tex-Mex inspired take on a chicken and rice casserole, it’s a welcome change of pace yet packed with familiar flavors. Best of all, thanks to frozen vegetables, there’s no chopping—just mix the ingredients and bake.” —Sara Bir, former Senior Editor

07 of 10

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Get Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Four ingredients—chicken, prepared salsa and lime—simmer in the slow cooker to create the most tender taco filling. “To jazz things up, sometimes I cover the chicken in a mixture of chili powder, cumin, and oregano before adding the salsa. Or I add a chopped onion and some garlic to the mix. There are plenty of options for playing with flavor to make this your own!” —Sarah Haas, Recipe Developer

08 of 10

Huevos Rancheros Casserole

Get Recipe: Huevos Rancheros Casserole

“Why save it just for breakfast? It would be equally at home for a luncheon or dinner. There’s very little prep, and the ingredients are mostly pantry staples. It just may be your new dream meal for those times when you need something crowd-pleasing in short order—without making you feel like a short-order cook.” —Sara Bir, Recipe Developer

09 of 10

Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

Get Recipe: Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

“Just line a baking dish with chicken breasts, pour over plenty of salsa verde, bake, sprinkle with some cheese, bake some more, and presto wham-o you’re there. Serve over rice to absorb the sauce. This recipe is so easy, it’s surprising how good it is!” —Elise Bauer, Founder

10 of 10

Burrito Casserole

Get Recipe: Burrito Casserole

“Enter Burrito Casserole: Seasoned rice, shredded chicken, beans, salsa verde, and cheese are layered in a casserole dish and baked until perfectly melty. Cut them into small, medium, or generous portions, and leftovers, if any, reheat beautifully.” —Wanda Abraham, Recipe Developer

Read the original article on Simply Recipes