I love the art and simplicity of one-dish meals. It can be difficult to balance meat, vegetables, and a starchy side all in one pan. This dish was inspired by the first small zucchini of the season, which was very exciting to find. Paired with mini-bella mushrooms, which have a bit more taste then white mushrooms, this dish was earthy yet fresh. White mushrooms would be a fine substitute, or shiitake if you are ambitious. Here is another adventure in Spring Fever!

1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz mini-bella or white mushrooms, sliced
4-5 large green onions, green parts chopped and whites discarded
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
8 oz wide egg noodles
1 tsp salt
3 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 lb (12 oz) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
bean sprouts, optional

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and egg noodles. Boil 7-8 minutes, until just tender. 

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil over high heat in a large skillet with tall sides or a wok. Saute onion 1 minute, add mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes. Add a little water if skillet is too dry. Add green onions and saute 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Dredge pork in cornstarch mixed with chili powder. Add to hot skillet, cook for 2 minutes without turning. Add 1 cup water and turn pork, scraping pan to loosen any browned bits. When liquid begins to simmer, add onion mixture back to pan and toss with pork. Add zucchini and sugar snap peas. Turn heat to medium, cover pan and let simmer 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Drain egg noodles and add to skillet. Toss well, coating with sauce. Remove from heat and stir in pepper. Serve topped with bean sprouts, if desired.

I also served a side of roughly chopped radicchio tossed with 1 tsp dark sesame seed oil and 1/8 tsp black ground pepper. About half of a small head is plenty, though the radicchio was rather bitter and not as big of a hit as the rest of the meal.

Here is the first recipe for Spring Fever, combining fresh asparagus with sausage, mushrooms, potatoes, and more. This is a relatively quick and easy one-dish dinner, perfect on those chilly spring nights (or, if you live in Michigan, snowy spring nights). This recipe is inspired by one in Simply in Season, but I added my own personal touch to give it a little more substance and flavor. If asparagus isn’t your vegetable, try broccoli, peppers, or sugar snap peas.

1 lb bulk sausage
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4-5 medium potatoes, any variety, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup water
1 lb asparagus, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and pepper
cheese, for topping, if desired

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine sausage, onions, and mushrooms. Using a spatula, break sausage into smaller pieces (but do not crumble completely). Saute until sausage begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes and water to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Add asparagus to top of mixture but do not stir in. Cover and simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender and potatoes are tender. Stir and top with fresh ground pepper.

Serve immediately, topped with cheese if desired.

Cooking on the stove:

Ready to serve:

This pasta was inspired by a Giada De Laurentiis episdoe of Everyday Italian. The original recipe, called Thimbles with Mushrooms and Artichokes, has pasta with a creamy, light Marsala sauce. I updated the recipe with asparagus instead of artichokes and added some garlic. Instead of “thimble” pasta, any twisty shape pasta will work. I used a corkscrew shaped pasta, one of my favorites. Try this for a quick and tasty dinner.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt, plus 3/4 tsp
1 lb mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and finely chopped
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 lb pasta
1/2 lb fresh asparagus, halved lengthwise and crosswise
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 tsp of the salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining 3/4 tsp salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and continue to cook until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite and asparagus is crisp-tender, another 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala, and onions. Add the cream and Parmesan and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and pepper.

Serve immediately, topped with additional Parmesan if desired.

This recipe originally appears as Onion-Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin from the Lipton cook book, and here is my updated version. I added fresh onion and sage, instead of the soup mixture, and also added lots and lots of mushrooms. As apples come in season, I will probably add some fresh apples instead of using juice.

1 (1 1/2 to 2 lb) pork tenderloin
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
2 pkg (8 oz each) whole mushrooms, rinsed
1-2 sprigs fresh sage
1/2 yellow or Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
1 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 425F

In a small roasting pan, arrange pork. Season with pepper and rub with 1 tbsp oil. Arrange mushrooms around pork and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with sage leaves and chopped onions. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes.

Add apple juice to pan, pouring over pork and mushrooms. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, until pork is done. Serve with drizzle of juice from pan.

Here is my first attempt at cooking a pork tenderloin. The recipe I used comes from Lipton Recipe Secrets Soup Mix Magic cook book. I added mushrooms to this recipe and roasted them right along with the pork, and were they ever tasty! I saved the leftover pan gravy to use as a marinade for more mushrooms.

1 (1 1/2 – 2 lb) boneless pork tenderloin
ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup dry red wine (or water)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 package whole mushrooms (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F

In a small roasting pan or baking pan, arrange pork. Season with pepper and rub with 1 tbsp olive oil. If using, rinse mushrooms in lukewarm water and arrange around tenderloin. Add more oil if needed to prevent burning. Roast uncovered 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tbsp olive oil with soup mix, apple juice, and brown sugar. Pour over pork and mushrooms, continue roasting 10 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove pork and mushrooms to serving platter and cover with aluminum foil.

Place roasting pan over medium-high heat and bring pan juices to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Stir in water, wine, and flour. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until thickened.

To serve, thinly slice pork and drizzle with gravy.

Shown below, with mushrooms: