Hey there Thursday, you came so soon, it’s been a nice week. Except for the 90+ degree heat, and the intense sweating and red face, June is lovely.

Today I have two one-dish dinners to share. The first is a tortellini dish with peppers and olives. I was trying it out for a baby shower in a few weeks. I will make it again then, but maybe with a different pasta because tortellini doesn’t go very far and penne or spaghetti might fill out the dish better. This was a great sized dish for 2-3 people for dinner or 4-5 for a side dish.

Tortellini with Peppers and Olives

Ingredients (serves about 2 for a full dinner, or about 4 as a side dish)

• 2.5 C tortellini, I used Buitoni
• 1 can artichoke hearts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 C black olives, pitted, I used Lindsay Olives
• 1/3 C Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 C basil, chiffonade
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3/4 C grape tomatoes
• 1 C spinach*
• red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, EVOO

Instructions:

• In a pot large enough for pasta, boil water and cook as according to box, about 10 minutes once water boils.
• In a separate skillet, pour 2 T EVOO and 2 cloves garlic and let saute. Add bell peppers, olives, tomatoes and artichokes and let cook until peppers are soft and grapes are starting to pop.
• In a third pan, steam spinach (could also use microwave, or do this before the vegetables and remove). Spinach is optional but adds a green leafy vegetable. *One cup is for one person, add more if it’s for more people.
• Once spinach is steamed and pasta is cooked and drained, add both to vegetables and mix together. Top with parmesan cheese.
• A sauce is not necessary, but you could use a pesto, marinara, or make your own with olive oil.

My second dish was also a one-dish dinner, but I’ll warn and say Jeffrey didn’t enjoy it. It didn’t help that he doesn’t like broccoli or cherry tomatoes, and those were two of three vegetables I included. I thought it was very tasty, and made great leftovers for lunch. Ignore the sausage, it was not good.

I really like one-dish dinners, especially with quinoa because it’s considered a complete protein. I bulked it up by putting it over spinach. We added sausage for more sustenance, but this brand wasn’t good. I also think one-dish dinners are great for weeknights and are easy to use as leftovers.

For more dishes like these using quinoa, click the “quinoa” tag at the bottom of this post or on the tag cloud sidebar.

Quinoa with Vegetables and a Crunch

Ingredients:

(serves about 4)

• 1 C dry quinoa (I mixed black quinoa and regular)
• 2 C water
• 1/2 C frozen or fresh broccoli (I keep a bag of frozen in the freezer)
• 1/2 C edamame, frozen
• 1 C cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 dates, pitted and chopped
• EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder, teriyaki
• 1/4 C cashews

Instructions:

• In a soup pot, bring 2 C water to a boil.
• Add 1 C quinoa and stir every few minutes until quinoa dissolves water.
• In a separate pot, add about 1 T EVOO and add broccoli, edamame and cherry tomatoes. Add a dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a splash or teriyaki.
• Stir together until tomatoes start to get soft.
• Add dates and cashews, stirring well together.
• Add quinoa to vegetables and mix well  over low heat to combine.
• Serve over spinach, raw or steamed.

What are your favorite one-dish dinners?

P.S. I had a guest post on one of my favorite blogs–The Weekly Bite. Estela and her family are moving from the DC area to San Diego, and she’s having a baby in a few months. I wrote about some of my favorite healthy snacks to have on hand.