Your family will love these delicious dinners ready in under an hour!

3 Mediterranean Recipes that are ready in under an hour!

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I’m sharing these 3 quick and easy Mediterranean dinners because not only does my family love them, but each one takes less than an hour to make. Whether you work late or you’re running kids around to activities, these meals are so simple that you just need a handful of ingredients, and you’ll have dinner ready in no time. They are all fresh, bright, full of flavor, and perfect for any busy weeknight meal. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Mediterranean Flounder

Melt in your mouth soft flounder in a sweet and spicy tomato sauce!

The flounder in this dish is mild, tender, and bakes very quickly. It’s perfect for a quick dinner and stays soft even if you overcook it a little bit. You can serve the saucy fish over pasta, rice, toasted bread, or cauliflower rice, and a salad would be a perfect fresh side dish.

A few ingredients

Flounder fillets –you can use cod, sole filets, or even salmon if you like
Olive oil –light oil works best
Onion –cut in half and thinly sliced
Garlic cloves –grated or minced
Prepared pasta sauce
Mild harissa or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Dried oregano
Pitted Kalamata olives –chopped or one tablespoon capers
Finely chopped parsley

How to make Mediterranean Flounder

Preheat the oven to 425 °F, 220 °C. Place the onion slices and olive oil in a pan and cook over medium heat until soft and golden –about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and warm through until fragrant. Transfer the onions to a large roasting pan and add the tomato sauce, harissa, and oregano. Stir together and adjust seasoning if needed. Season the fish fillets on both sides lightly with salt and pepper. Place them on top of the sauce and add the olives or capers. Bake on the center rack uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with parsley, and serve!

For the Creamy Pesto Tortellini

Quick and easy fresh creamy pesto stuffed pasta that’s versatile and hearty!

I get a lot of help from the supermarket for this dish. I buy already shaped, filled tortellini, and the creamy cheese filling adds a bit more heartiness to the meal. It makes a great vegetarian meal or side dish for chicken, steak, or lamb. It’s even delicious straight out of the fridge!

Super easy ingredients

Refrigerated tortellini –sub ravioli or your favorite pasta if that’s what you have
Frozen peas –or 7-8 ounces of spinach leaves
Pesto –homemade or store-bought
Half and half –or heavy whipping cream
Reserved pasta water
Scallions –thinly sliced and swirled in a bowl of cool water to release any dirt
Olive oil –try the delicious oil in our shop straight from Greece!
Crushed red pepper flakes
Salt
Lemon –fresh juice always

How to make Creamy Pesto Tortellini

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the tortellini according to the package instructions. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water, drain the pasta and set it aside. Next, in a large skillet, cook the scallions with the olive oil over medium heat –about 2-3 minutes. Add the peas, season with salt and pepper, and cook until warm –about 5-6 minutes.

Add the pesto and cream and warm through. Then, add the pasta with a cup of pasta water and the crushed red pepper flakes. Stir together, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Squeeze the lemon juice on top, toss and serve.

Mediterranean Chicken Orzo

Super flavorful sweet and savory juicy chicken and saucy red pepper pasta!

This recipe moves quickly and is ready in 30 minutes. The orzo cooks right in the sauce, creating a thick sauce for the pasta and chicken. Feta cheese adds a bit of creaminess to the sweet and savory sauce and is a flavor explosion in your mouth. Everyone will love it!

Easy ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breasts –or boneless skinless thighs
Olive oil
Onion –finely chopped
Garlic cloves –grated or minced
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Orzo pasta –uncooked
Chicken broth –or stock
Pitted Kalamata olives –sub green olives, or you can leave them out
Roasted red peppers –diced
Mild Harissa sauce – Mina Harissa is my favorite store-bought brand
Feta cheese –crumbled from a block to avoid tasteless pre-crumbles
Finely chopped fresh parsley

How to make Mediterranean Chicken Orzo

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a large skillet that is heating over medium-high heat. Then, add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 °F. Set aside to rest. Add the onion to the skillet and more oil if needed. Cook the onions over medium heat until soft and golden –about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and warm through until fragrant.

Next, add the orzo pasta to the skillet along will the harissa, broth, oregano, salt, pepper, roasted red peppers, and olives. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 7-8 minutes. The pasta will absorb most of the liquid. Slice the chicken and add it to the skillet along with the feta and parsley. Warm through for 1-2 minutes and serve.

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3 Quick & Easy Mediterranean Dinners that Your Family will Love!

Yield: serves 6

These Mediterranean recipes are easy to make and ready in under an hour. They're fresh, bright, and full of flavor!

Ingredients

For the Creamy Pesto Tortellini:

20-oz refrigerated tortellini
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
8 oz pesto
1/4 cup half and half or heavy whipping cream
2 cups reserved pasta water
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt, to taste
1 lemon

For the Mediterranean Chicken Orzo:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 of an onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated
salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup orzo pasta (uncooked)
3 cups chicken broth
4-5 pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
2 roasted red peppers, diced
1/4-1/2 cup mild Harissa sauce
4-6 oz feta cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

For the Mediterranean Flounder:

1 and 1/2 pounds flounder fillets
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
4-5 garlic cloves, grated
1 (24-oz/680g) prepared pasta sauce
1/4 cup mild harissa or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
7-8 pitted Kalamata olives, chopped or 1 tablespoon capers
1-2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

Instructions

Creamy Pesto Tortellini:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to the package instructions. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Set aside. In a large skillet cook the scallions with the olive oil over medium heat. About 2-3 minutes. Add the peas and season with salt and pepper and cook until warmed through. About 5-6 minutes.

Add the pesto and cream and warm through. Add the pasta and a cup of the pasta water along with thr crushed red pepper flakes. Mix together and taste. Adjust the seasoning if neeeded. Squeeze the lemon juice on top, toss and serve.

Mediterranean Chicken Orzo:

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet that is heating over medium-high heat add the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook 3-4 minutes per side until browned. The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 °F. Set aside to rest. Add the onion to the skillet and more oil if needed. Cook the onions over medium heat until soft and golden. About 6 minutes. Add the garlic and warm through until fragrant.

Add the orzo pasta to the skillet along will the harissa, broth, oregano, salt, pepper, roasted red peppers, and olives. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 7-8 minutes. The pasta will absorb most of the liquid. Slice the chicken and add it to the skillet along with the feta and parsley. Warm through for 1-2 minutes and serve.

Mediterranean Flounder:

Preheat the oven to 425 °F, 220 °C.

Place the onion slices and olive oil in a pan and cook over medium heat until soft and golden. About 10 minutes. Add the garlic and warm through until fragrant. Transfer the onions to a large roasting pan and add the tomato sauce and harissa with the oregano. Mix together and taste. Add more seasoning if needed. Season the fish fillets on both sies lightly with salt and pepper. Place them on top of the sauce and add the olives or capers. Bake on the center rack uncovered for 20-25 minutes.

Garnish with parsley and serve!

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3 Quick & Easy Mediterranean Dinners!