20 One-Pot Mediterranean Diet Dinners to Make This Spring
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
No need to take out several pots and pans for dinner tonight. You need just one to make these bright and flavorful meals packed with seasonal ingredients like asparagus, mushrooms and peas. Plus, each dish is made with nutrient-dense foods found in the Mediterranean diet, including omega-3-rich fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and healthy oils. With recipes like our One-Pot Chicken with Farro and One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous, you’ll know why the Mediterranean diet is not only one of the healthiest eating patterns to follow, but also one of the most delicious.
One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Broccoli
Photographer: Kelsey Hansen; Food Stylist: Greg Luna
Shrimp and broccoli cook quickly in this easy, one-pot recipe, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Serve this healthy shrimp recipe over whole grains or rice.
One-Pot Chicken with Farro
Inspired by arroz con pollo, this chicken and whole-grain dish is hearty with satisfying complexity. Cumin, saffron, and oregano season rich chicken thighs and nutty farro as the dish simmers. If using saffron, deploy it sparingly; those tiny threads bring subtle flavor and a little color to the dish, but too much will yield a medicinal taste.
Skillet Gnocchi with Shrimp & Asparagus
The gnocchi cooks right in the skillet, along with shrimp, shallots, asparagus and Parmesan cheese, in this gnocchi recipe. Look for shelf-stable gnocchi near other pasta. Serve with baby arugula salad with vinaigrette and a glass of pinot grigio.
Sheet-Pan Chicken with Roasted Spring Vegetables & Lemon Vinaigrette
This Greek-inspired chicken and vegetable sheet-pan meal is bursting with flavor. The chicken is coated in a mayonnaise and bread crumb mixture, roasted alongside asparagus, cremini mushrooms and grape tomatoes and then served with a lemon-feta vinaigrette.
One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous
Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.
Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
These seared pork chops are topped with a rich and creamy mushroom sauce that gets flavored with fresh herbs.
Crustless Caprese Quiche
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This light and fluffy crustless quiche is dotted with tomatoes, little bites of melty mozzarella and savory pesto. And the best part—it’s mixed, assembled and baked in a pie plate for easy cleanup. Enjoy as an easy breakfast or brunch option or serve for lunch or dinner with a mixed green salad on the side.
Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Whether you scored wild mushrooms at the farmers' market, found cultivated maitake or shiitake at the supermarket or just have some baby bellas on hand, this healthy creamy chicken recipe is delicious with any of them. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
One-Skillet Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms & Onions
Try this quick and easy one-skillet version of the Hungarian classic chicken paprikash. Serve the chicken cutlets, mushrooms and creamy sauce over egg noodles with a green salad on the side.
Sheet-Pan Salmon with Crispy Quinoa
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
Enjoy a complete protein-rich dinner cooked on just two baking sheets for easy cleanup with this salmon, roasted tomato and quinoa recipe. Baked quinoa adds texture and crunch to the dish. After the quinoa finishes cooking, fluff it with a fork to release steam and encourage it to crisp up as it sits. Packages of precooked quinoa streamline the prep, but if you have leftover quinoa, it works just as well.
15-Minute Eggs in Vodka Sauce
Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Amanda Stanfield, Prop Stylist Josh Hoggle
Drawing inspiration from the classic Italian recipe Uova al Purgatorio (Eggs in Purgatory), this easy one-pot meal melds tangy tomato sauce with perfectly poached eggs, ideal for sopping up with crispy toasted bread. We like to add a dash of heavy cream to give the sauce some added richness, but you can leave it out if you prefer. A garnish of chopped fresh basil or parsley, if you have it on hand, would be a welcome addition.
Potato Frittata
This potato frittata is packed with fresh herbs and vegetables. Dill havarti adds a creamy, mild flavor to the dish. The frittata releases easily from the cast-iron pan, revealing a savory crust on the bottom that adds flavor and texture.
Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
This one-pan chicken and broccoli casserole is prepared in a skillet on the stovetop, then finished in the oven until it's browned, cheesy and bubbling. Serve with a crunchy green salad.
Vegetable and Pasta Soup
A slow-cooker will do all the work for this delicious, diabetic-friendly Vegetable and Pasta Soup. Opt for vegetable stock to make this soup vegetarian.
Skillet Pork Chops with Peas, Carrots & Pearl Onions
This superfast one-dish dinner is full of classic flavor and is such a crowd pleaser that you'll want to work it into your regular weeknight dinner rotation. We call for bone-in pork chops to maximize flavor, but boneless pork chops are a fine substitution. To round out this meal a little more, serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
Green Shakshuka with Spinach, Chard & Feta
The inspiration for this green shakshuka recipe comes from HaBasta, a popular restaurant on the edge of Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, where the shakshuka is packed with green chard and spinach and a little hot pepper provides just a touch of spice. Serve with pita or crusty bread to sop up the sauce for a quick dinner or for brunch.
Lemony Linguine with Spring Vegetables
Instead of cooking pasta in a huge pot of water, here we use just 3 1/2 cups for this one-pot pasta recipe. When the pasta is al dente, most of the water has evaporated and the bit that's left is thickened with the starch that cooks off the pasta. With just a few add-ins like lemon and Parmesan cheese you have a delicious silky sauce. Want to use up your veggie stash in the freezer? Swap in 8 ounces frozen spinach for fresh.
Slow-Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
This vegetarian lasagna couldn't be easier, thanks to jarred pasta sauce and no-boil lasagna noodles. Prep it in the morning and let your crock pot do the work.
Creamy Scallop & Pea Fettuccine
This rich pasta dish is full of sweet seared scallops and plump peas. Low-fat milk and flour thicken the sauce, giving it creamy texture without the extra calories and fat found in traditional cream sauces. Serve with a small Caesar salad on the side.
Shrimp & Vegetable Soup with Garlic & Ginger
This colorful, savory soup combines a blend of crunchy vegetables and shiitake mushrooms with shrimp. It's an easy, low-calorie lunch that comes together in minutes and will leave you satisfied all afternoon.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
