I’m quite excited to welcome fall in a week or so, but in the meantime, whoa the back to school schedule. I’ve hardly been able to make it to the grocery store, never mind find time to meal plan. If you’re in the same boat, these flavorful recipes that only need lemon, garlic, and olive oil (or butter) will save the day when those are the only staples left in your pantry after a busy week. These three ingredients work together to make magic with pretty much anything else you have on hand—from chicken to spinach or pasta—in almost no time.
Just please don’t judge if I make every one of these this week. Or even on weeks when I do have time to meal plan!
Top: Lemon Garlic Chicken at Rasa Malaysia | Pan Roasted Salmon and Brussels Sprouts at Diethood | Sautéed Shrimp with Lemon, Garlic and Parsley at Food 52
Related: 5 kid-friendly dinners you can cook straight from the freezer.
This Lemon Garlic Chicken at Rasa Malaysia is a quick, flavor-packed recipe perfect for school nights. In addition to our main trio of ingredients, it also calls for a few dried spice staples, but nothing that you probably don’t have on hand. Add fresh steamed veggies on the side and dinner’s done.
This recipe takes some prep time since the olive oil needs to sit for at least an hour to infuse before you cook the spinach, but do that in advance and the Sauteéd Spinach with Lemon and Garlic Olive Oil at Food and Wine comes together nearly instantly. It might even convince your kids to eat their spinach. If not, there’s more yum for you.
This recipe for One-Pan Lemon Garlic Pasta at Yellow Bliss Road is a great vegetarian recipe to serve on #MeatlessMondays—or, really, on any other day. You can also serve it as a side dish with some simple grilled chicken. We might even throw in some zucchini or snap peas, if you have any left over this summer.
Related: 8 kid-friendly vegetarian recipes for #MeatlessMonday.
For a sweeter take that the kids are sure to like, try this quick Honey Garlic Lemon Chicken at I Knead to Eat. Grab some chopsticks on Amazon Prime to make it even more fun. This is one of those fantastic, quick recipes I love because the leftovers are great packed in my kids’ lunchboxes.
A squeeze of lemon and some fresh garlic are all you need to bring out the flavor of a fresh piece of fish, and this recipe for Pan Roasted Salmon and Brussels Sprouts at Diethood is a perfect example. It’s so easy too. And, of course, you can switch out the sprouts for any roast-able veggie you have on hand: asparagus, broccoli, red onions, or peppers all work great.
I tend to default to chicken with these flavors, but don’t forget the other white meat. These Lemon Garlic Pork Chops at Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts are just as simple and tasty. This is one of those recipes that really shows how a simple combination of salt, pepper, lemon, garlic, and olive oil can come together for so much more than you’d expect. Add a green salad or some veggies on the side, and you’re done.
This is exactly the kind of dinner that makes us always keep frozen shrimp on hand for weeknight cooking. The Sautéed Shrimp with Lemon, Garlic and Parsley at Food 52 is almost embarrassingly easy and quick. Almost.
