What can I make with olive oil?
Olive Oil is the kind of ingredient that quietly rescues dinner. Recipes using olive oil are below, along with storage and substitution notes.
12 recipes with olive oil
Avocado Toast
Creamy smashed avocado on toasted sourdough with lemon and chili flakes.
American10m1Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki)
Tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, olives and a slab of feta with olive oil.
Mediterranean10m4Classic Hummus
Silky chickpea dip with tahini and lemon.
Middle Eastern10m6
Greek Salad
Crisp cucumber, tomato, olives, and feta with oregano dressing.
Mediterranean10m2
Pizza Dough
Chewy, blistered Neapolitan-style pizza base.
Italian15m3Zucchini Noodles
Spiralized zucchini tossed with pesto and cherry tomatoes.
American15m4Kale Caesar Salad
Hearty kale tossed in creamy Caesar dressing.
American15m4
Classic Caesar Salad
Crisp romaine with garlicky anchovy dressing and parmesan.
American15m4
Fish Tacos
Crispy or grilled fish in warm tortillas with cabbage slaw and crema.
Mexican-American20m4
Creamy Hummus
Smooth chickpea dip with tahini, lemon, and garlic.
Middle Eastern20m6Tabbouleh
Bright parsley and bulgur salad with lemon and mint.
Middle Eastern20m4
Fattoush
Crunchy pita salad with sumac and pomegranate molasses.
Middle Eastern20m4
How to cook with olive oil
- 1Start with aromatics - onion, garlic, or ginger softened in fat - then add the olive oil.
- 2Season early and taste as you go rather than salting only at the end.
- 3Give it enough heat and enough space; a crowded pan steams instead of browning.
- 4Finish with acid and fresh herbs, the two things that make a simple dish taste deliberate.
What goes well with olive oil
Olive Oil is at its best with onion, garlic, lemon, chili, herbs and stock. Any two or three of those, plus olive oil, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing olive oil
Dry olive oil keeps for months in a sealed container away from light and heat. Once cooked, cool it quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and use within 3-4 days; cooked grains and legumes freeze extremely well in single-portion bags.
Substituting olive oil
If you are out of olive oil, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Olive Oil recipes: common questions
- What can I make with olive oil and not much else?
- Plenty. With olive oil plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest olive oil recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute olive oil?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover olive oil?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover olive oil without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.