18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (2024)

Say hello to your new favorite herb — oregano is perfect for homemade pesto, grilled seafood, and roasted chicken. A member of the mint family and close relative of marjoram, oregano is native to the Mediterranean and is widely used in cuisines across the region. The leaves impart loads of flavor either fresh or dried and are often paired with lemon or tomato. This collection of dishes leans heavily on the earthy, warm herb. Read on to decide which tasty oregano recipe you'll make first.

01of 18

Baked “Pizza” Pasta with Soppressata

Inspired by soppressata and hot honey pizza, this comforting baked fresh egg pasta dish starts with a harissa- and soppressata-laced tomato sauce that has plenty of fresh oregano. Using chopped soppressata in the sauce and sliced on top gives you a double dose of flavor. Lots of low-moisture mozzarella yields a gooey interior and well-browned top.

Get the Recipe

02of 18

Chimichurri

This simple but flavorful bright green sauce from Argentina is made from a handful of pantry ingredients such as red wine vinegar, garlic, and crushed red pepper, plus fresh herbs like parsley and oregano. Everything comes together quickly in the food processor.

Get the Recipe

03of 18

Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

Season chicken and potatoes with fresh lemon juice and zest, chopped garlic cloves, and ground pepper, along with some chopped fresh dill and oregano. After the chicken is done, the potatoes roast in the drippings for a few extra minutes until they start to brown.

Get the Recipe

04of 18

Hot Honey Chicken Thighs with Lemon-Oregano Potatoes

Spicy, sweet honey meets seared chicken, lemony potatoes, and tangy feta for a one-pan dinner.

Get the Recipe

05of 18

Pernil Mac and Cheese

Pernil, a Puerto Rican–style roast pork shoulder, is flavored with garlic, oregano, and sazón—a seasoning blend that includes coriander and annatto. Rubbing the seasoned garlic paste into the pork and letting it rest allows the flavors to penetrate deeply into the thick roast.

Get the Recipe

06of 18

Pork Steaks with Pickled Peppers

These pork shoulder steaks are paired with a bright, tangy, and sweet pickled pepper sauce made from the pan drippings and perfumed with fresh oregano. To finish, more oregano leaves are strewn on top.

Get the Recipe

07of 18

Beef Brisket with Lemon-Oregano Sauce

This brisket gets rubbed with seasonings, braised, and roasted so it's super-tender with a crisp crust; it goes perfectly with the garlicky oregano sauce.

Get the Recipe

08of 18

Nancy Silverton's Tomato-Oregano Pizza

This outstanding cheese-less pizza recipe is modeled after the pies at cult favorite Pepe in Grani outside of Naples, Italy.

Get the Recipe

09of 18

Pistachio-Oregano Pesto

This delicious, easy pesto, made with roasted pistachios and fresh oregano, is perfect with roasted, grilled, or steamed fish.

Get the Recipe

10of 18

Grilled Shrimp with Oregano and Lemon

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (10)

The sauce for this shrimp is a simple version of Italy's salmoriglio, typically made with lemon and herbs in a mortar. This rendition contains half a cup of oregano and is also delicious spooned over grilled swordfish or any other meaty fish.

Get the Recipe

11of 18

Giant Lima Beans with Stewed Tomatoes and Oregano Pesto

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (11)

Tangy feta cheese, a bright herbal pesto, and a crisp breadcrumb topping all elevate this tomato-bean stew. It's sensational made with meaty Rancho Gordo giant limas from Peru, silky gigantes, or large limas from the grocery store.

Get the Recipe

12of 18

Lemon-Oregano Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Olives

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (12)

Tangy roasted Meyer lemons pair beautifully with quartered potatoes, olives, oregano, and chicken in this simple one-pot recipe.

Get the Recipe

13of 18

Greek Salad with Oregano-Roasted Salmon

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (13)

People think a Greek salad is mostly vegetables and cheese, but by adding simply roasted salmon, it becomes a terrific main course.

Get the Recipe

14of 18

Mussels with Speck, Lemon, and Oregano

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (14)

Chef Ethan Stowell loves mussels all year round, but he's particularly fond of the plump summer ones from Washington's Puget Sound. "I often grab a couple handfuls of mussels at the end of the night and cook them at home for a late-night snack," he says. Here he flavors the briny mussels with lemon juice, fresh herbs, and speck, the salty cured ham.

Get the Recipe

15of 18

Swordfish Sicilian-Style

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (15)

Of all the wonderful recipes legendary cookbook author Marcella Hazan created, our all-time favorite is this quick-cooking swordfish, where an oregano-infused sauce imparts bright flavor to hot-off-the-grill steaks. The secret is pricking holes in the fish so the lemony dressing seeps in.

Get the Recipe

16of 18

Baked Stuffed Eggplant with Italian Sausage

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (16)

If you don't love eggplant yet, you will after one bite of these over-the-top stuffed dreamboats. Ripe tomatoes and roasted eggplant come together to yield a hearty filling, made even better with the addition of Italian sausage. Combined with a bright and lemony breadcrumb topping and a quick-fix tomato sauce jazzed up with fresh oregano, mint, and parsley, this makes a stunning summer main dish.

Get the Recipe

17of 18

Psites Patates (Lemony Roasted Potatoes with Oregano)

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (17)

It's hard to resist that Greek diner specialty of potatoes bathed in a lemony oil. In this version, slices of lemon are roasted along with the potatoes, gently perfuming the dish to make it fresher and very satisfying.

Get the Recipe

18of 18

Warm Olives with Sesame Seeds and Oregano

18 Recipes Featuring Earthy Oregano (18)

Boston chef Ana Sortun's warm brine-cured black olives are simply dressed in olive oil with chopped fresh oregano and sesame seeds for an elegant snack.

Get the Recipe