Chef notes
The Mediterranean diet is popular for a reason: Not only is it considered to be one of the healthiest diets in the world, but it highlights downright delicious ingredients and recipes. Mediterranean-inspired meals are recommended by many dietitians because they’re full of good-for-you ingredients such as olive oil, nuts and seafood. This one-pan, easy shrimp dinner is the very best of the diet.
The nutritional stars of the show in this recipe — and one of the keys to harnessing that true Mediterranean flavor — are the salty Greek olives, which are an excellent source of fiber, healthy fats and essential vitamins. Olives have also been connected to better heart health and a reduced risk for cancer, so go ahead and add them to your daily diet. Plus, they bring a welcome briny bite to this easy sheet-pan meal.
This recipe comes together in a snap. Just quickly toss the asparagus, tomatoes, olive oil and spices together before spreading them on a sheet. Stick the sheet pan in the oven to let the vegetables cook while you prepare the shrimp, which are seasoned with fresh herbs including mint and oregano. After combining the veggies and the shrimp on the sheet pan and cooking for another 10 minutes, a sprinkling of salty feta cheese on top ties the whole dish together.
Technique Tip: Don’t get precious and waste time perfectly chopping off asparagus ends. Trim the asparagus by simply bending each spear about 1 inch from the cut end until it snaps.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup mixed pitted Greek olives
- 1 pound large deveined, tail-on shrimp, thawed if frozen
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh mint
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, for garnish
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2.Trim the asparagus by bending each spear about 1 inch from the cut end until it snaps. In a large bowl, toss the asparagus and tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread evenly on a large rimmed sheet pan. Add the olives, tossing them evenly over the vegetables. Cook for 20 minutes while you prepare the shrimp.
3.Toss the shrimp with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper, along with the oregano and mint. Toss the vegetables gently with tongs, then place the shrimp on top of the vegetables in an even layer. Cook for 10 minutes more, until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve immediately.
