It Gets Dark at 4 P.M.—So I’m Escaping to the Mediterranean With These 7 One-Pan Dinners

These Mediterranean-inspired dinners come together in just one pan, making weeknight meals feel as relaxed as a mini vacation.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and pastry chef. She has also curated and written numerous recipe roundups for Serious Eats.
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Published January 03, 2026
Pot of shakshuka on grey stone surface, with coffee cup, and side of pita.

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

As I sit huddled under a fleece blanket, watching the sky darken at 4 p.m., I’m tapping away on the laptop, envisioning myself sipping wine on Italy's sunny Amalfi coast. Since I have no plans to fly off to Greece, Spain, Italy, or Morocco anytime soon, I’ll settle for meals that transport me there—like these seven Mediterranean-inspired one-pan dinners. These meals require minimal hands-on prep and cleanup, and include a vibrant green shakshuk and  oven-roasted salmon with spicy tomato-eggplant compote. So even if you can't travel to the Mediterranean, you can close your eyes and taste your way through it with these easy, fuss-free dinners.

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  • Sheet-Pan Greek Chicken

    A plate of roasted chicken with vegetables and feta on a patterned plate on a green background additional plate and utensils visible

    Serious Eats / Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Sylist: Josh Hoggle

    This Greek-inspired weeknight wonder requires minimal effort, features two sauces, and is impressive enough for a dinner party. An herby lemon vinaigrette pulls triple duty: It marinates the chicken, seasons the vegetables, and turns the pan drippings into a sauce. Roasting skin-on chicken thighs and vegetables in stages—then finishing with juicy cherry tomatoes, briny olives, and creamy feta—ensures each component is perfectly cooked. While everything is in the oven, you can whip up a cool, creamy tzatziki, set the table, and maybe have a glass of wine.

  • Sheet-Pan Harissa and Orange Chicken With Chickpeas

    Overhead view of Sheet Pan Harrissa and Orange Chicken with Chickpea

    Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine

    This recipe is an excellent example of a dish that's greater than the sum of its parts. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, onions, and chickpeas bathe in a bold, aromatic marinade of fiery harissa, orange zest and juice, honey, and warm spices, then get layered onto a sheet pan. As the chicken roasts, the bed of onion and chickpeas underneath soaks up all the flavorful chicken juices. Not into chickpeas? Swap them out for small chunks of potato or cauliflower.

  • Sheet-Pan Caponata With Cod

    A plate of cod fillet served on a bed of caponata placed on a greencolored plate with a fork

    Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine

    This recipe starts with roasting eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and sweet peppers on high heat until meltingly soft, then lowering the heat to slowly roast cod fillets in the same pan after the vegetables have been removed. While the fish cooks, lightly mash the vegetables with capers, olives, fresh parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a touch of sugar to bring out the sweet-sour agrodolce flavors of traditional caponata.  

  • Sicilian-Style Baked Cod

    Overhead view of Sicilian Style Baked Cod

    Serious Eats / Jen Causey

    A crispy anchovy-and-herb breadcrumb topping and scattering of rich, salty oil-cured olives deliver assertive flavor to simple baked cod. Red onion and red wine vinegar add a nice touch of sweetness and acidity, balancing the deep savoriness of the anchovy and olives and resulting in a well-rounded dish.

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  • Sheet-Pan Salmon With Tomato-Eggplant Compote

    salmon-eggplant-tomato-10

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    This easy weeknight dinner requires little more than a sheet. Strategic placement and timing of the ingredients guarantees the fish stays tender and moist, while producing a silky, intensely flavored tomato-eggplant compote enhanced with gochujang.

  • Moroccan-Inspired Beef Stew With Ras el Hanout

    bowl of beef stew on a blue plate, with pot of stew to one side, plate of rice to another side, and cutlery. All on a green stone surface.

    Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine

    For this recipe, we apply some Western stewing techniques to create a boldly seasoned, Moroccan-inspired dish layered with the complex flavors of ras el hanout—a spice blend that includes cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and ginger. It features big, juicy chunks of beef stewed in a warmly spiced, tomato paste–enriched broth, paired with collard greens and chickpeas.

  • Green Shakshuka

    Pot of shakshuka on grey stone surface, with coffee cup, and side of pita.

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

    This gorgeous take on classic North African shakshuka replaces the traditional tomato-and-red-pepper sauce with a green one that's packed with fresh herbs, spinach, and warm spices. Blanching the greens with a small amount of baking soda helps weaken the vegetable cell walls, quickly softening them for easy blending while also helping them retain their intense green hue.

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