A Month of Mediterranean Diet Dinners You Can Make in One Skillet
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
The Mediterranean diet has consistently been shown to be one of the healthiest eating patterns. So we gathered a month's worth of dinner recipes that fit seamlessly into this delicious way of eating.
These meals are packed with nutritious ingredients that are staples of the Mediterranean diet, including fish, legumes, leafy greens and whole grains. Plus, each dinner requires just one skillet to make, so they're easy to prep and result in minimal cleanup.
Recipes like our Skillet Chicken Parmesan and One-Pan Garlicky Shrimp & Rice are great for serving straight from the pan for dinner tonight.
Skillet Chicken Parmesan
If you can't find cutlets for this easy chicken Parmesan recipe at your supermarket, place a boneless, skinless breast flat on a cutting board, hold it steady with your palm and, using a sharp knife, slice the breast horizontally into two thin pieces.
Italian-Style Turkey & Penne Skillet
This delicious one-skillet pasta meal-for-two is ready in just 35 minutes! Turkey—seasoned with a spicy Italian-seasoning blend—is served with tomato sauce and wilted spinach over multi-grain pasta.
One-Pan Chicken with Basil-Anchovy Butter & Shishito Peppers
Don't skip the anchovies in this healthy chicken thigh recipe. Their fishiness blends in, adding a salty, umami flavor so that even skeptics of the salty little fish won't protest. And this healthy skillet dinner is cooked in one pan and takes just 20 minutes to prep—in case you need more selling points for this recipe.
One-Pan Garlicky Shrimp & Rice
This one-pan garlicky shrimp and rice dish makes a great easy dinner with easy cleanup. The garlic mellows as it cooks and infuses its flavor into the sweet shrimp and rice in the pan. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens up the dish.
Chicken Skillet with Orzo & Tomatoes
In this one-skillet Mediterranean chicken recipe, chicken thighs are infused with lemon, garlic and herbs and paired with orzo that's perfectly al dente. Charred tomatoes and onions add full flavor to complete this easy Mediterranean dinner.
Southwest Breakfast Skillet
One skillet is all you need to create this satisfying, veggie-loaded breakfast—or dinner—dish. This skillet is packed with mushrooms, bell pepper and chard to help up your veggie count for the day and is topped with bacon, eggs, cheese, pico de gallo and fresh cilantro.
Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale
This easy one-pan skillet-roasted lemon chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as baby potatoes and kale for a satisfying meal with the added bonus of minimal cleanup.
Summer Skillet Vegetable & Egg Scramble
Don't toss out those almost-past-their-prime vegetables and fresh herbs. Toss them into this skillet egg scramble for a quick vegetarian meal. Nearly any vegetable will work in this easy skillet recipe, so choose your favorites or use what you have on hand.
Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.
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.
Tofu & Vegetable Curry with Zucchini Noodles
For this quick Thai-inspired curry recipe, we've combined tofu and plenty of veggies with a flavorful sauce made with red curry paste, lime juice and coconut milk. Serve the curry over lightly warmed zucchini noodles to get even more veggies in your weeknight dinner. Bonus: Everything is cooked in one skillet, so there's only one pan to wash after dinner.
Garlic Chicken Thighs with Olives & Potatoes
Bright-green Castelvetrano olives hail from Sicily and have a buttery flavor and meaty texture that pair perfectly with the Italian seasoning and salty capers in this one-skillet chicken dinner. Look for them on your supermarket olive bar or in jars with Italian ingredients.
Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata
This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Make it for breakfast, or serve for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette.
Chicken & Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
The key to this chicken salad is the homemade bacon dressing, which is made directly in the pan used to cook the bacon. Brussels sprouts are tossed with the dressing in the warm pan, allowing the residual heat to gently wilt the shredded sprouts.
Black Bean Fajita Skillet
You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping.
Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach
Simmer eggs in a rich tomatoey cream sauce studded with chickpeas and silky spinach for a super-fast vegetarian dinner. Serve with a piece of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Be sure to use heavy cream; a lower-fat option might curdle when mixed with acidic tomatoes.
Chicken with Tomato-Balsamic Pan Sauce
Fennel seeds give this tomato and balsamic sauce an extra kick, but if you don't have them on hand, try using cumin or coriander seeds, or 1 teaspoon of a ground herb or spice. Serve this easy chicken breast recipe with whole-wheat spaghetti or crusty bread to sop up the sauce. Save the unused chicken tenders in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months. Once you have enough, thaw them out for another use.
Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry
To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 mg of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.
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.
One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta
This chicken Parmesan pasta uses the one-pot pasta method to cook your noodles, chicken and sauce all in one skillet for a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. Finish the dish under the broiler to achieve a delicious melted cheese crust.
Spring Green Frittata
Frittatas are a versatile dish that can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner. This easy frittata, featuring green spring vegetables accented by chopped tomatoes and parmesan cheese, can be on your plate in just 25 minutes.
Chickpea & Potato Hash
The eggs cook right on top of this chickpea and potato hash—cook them a few extra minutes if you prefer hard-set eggs. Serve with warm pita bread and a cucumber salad with mint and yogurt.
Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner recipe—the flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the shallots and the actual tomatoes help to add delicious flavor to the creamy sauce. Served with perfectly cooked salmon, you really can't go wrong with this easy 20-minute weeknight meal. This recipe is a variation on our insanely popular Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce recipe by Carolyn Malcoun.
One-Pan Spicy Okra & Shrimp
Serve spicy blackened shrimp and tender vegetables over aromatic basmati rice for an easy skillet supper. Use precooked microwave rice so you don't have to mess up another pan. This one-pan dinner is perfect for company, but easy enough to make on a weeknight.
Chicken Cutlets with Tomatoes & Olives
This saucy one-skillet chicken dish is full of tomatoes, spinach, olives and capers. Try Kalamata olives in place of the green Sicilians or a combination of both. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles with a mixed green salad on the side.
Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken with Fingerlings
Fingerling potatoes are small, long, knobby spuds that are shaped like fingers. Look for them in the produce department or at farmers' markets.
One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach
Shrimp, spinach and garlic brown and cook quickly for a simple one-pot weeknight dinner. A fast pan sauce gets life from zesty lemon juice, warm crushed red pepper and herby parsley. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat baguette to swipe up every last drop of sauce.
Chicken Enchilada Skillet Casserole
This simplified take on cheesy chicken enchiladas only requires one pan for cooking and eliminates the need to stuff and roll corn tortillas. Charring the veggies in a cast-iron skillet adds depth of flavor. Don't worry if you don't have one, because you can use any oven-safe skillet instead.
Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice
This vegetarian faux fried rice uses riced cauliflower in place of white or brown rice to pack in extra veggies and cut down on carbs. Chile-garlic sauce pumps up the heat, and fresh ginger adds a bright, warm bite. If you don't like the heat of the chile-garlic sauce, leave it out and add a bit more tamari or soy sauce for a rich, fermented tang.
One-Skillet Pastitsio
Pastitsio is a classic Greek baked pasta dish made with ground beef and bechamel. Our version has all the flavors and the comforting feel of the classic, but is made in one skillet (less cleanup!) and is healthier for you, using whole-grain pasta, lean meat and low-fat dairy.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
