Low-Calorie Mediterranean Recipes

Herb-coated roasted chicken is served with a bounty of roasted vegetables and beans in this Mediterranean-inspired main dish. Serve with a slice of crusty bread.

Chopped vegetables take on a Mediterranean flair in this quick and easy salad recipe. Flavored with a simple pesto vinaigrette and topped with crumbled feta cheese, this salad serves two and is ready in just 20 minutes.

This festive twist on classic red sangria combines wine with cranberry juice, oranges, apples and cinnamon for a wintery spin on a traditionally summer cocktail.

This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.

This Provençal sandwich literally means "bathed bread" and gets its name from the juicy dressed vegetables piled liberally into a crusty loaf. This recipe is perfect for toting along to soccer games and concerts in the park. We suggest bringing plenty of napkins.

Fennel seeds give this tomato and balsamic sauce an extra kick, but if you don't have them on hand, try using cumin or coriander seeds, or 1 teaspoon of a ground herb or spice. Serve this easy chicken breast recipe with whole-wheat spaghetti or crusty bread to sop up the sauce. Save the unused chicken tenders in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months. Once you have enough, thaw them out for another use.

Grab a blanket and head to the park! This delicious summer picnic spread is best served with a sparkling wine, such as Cava or Prosecco.

Homemade yogurt cheese is the trick to this make-ahead party dip featuring feta cheese and zesty Mediterranean flavors. To make yogurt cheese, just drain yogurt of excess whey before use.

The delightful flavors of goat cheese and dried tomatoes make a spread that's perfect on crackers for an appetizer or a snack.

Fennel adds a nice flavoring to the marinade in this Mediterranean-inspired chicken souvlaki dish. The kabobs are perfectly paired with a veggie-packed, yogurt-dressed Israeli couscous.

Another time, use the subtly seasoned Dried Tomato-Pepper Spread to spiff up a cold turkey sandwich.

Quinoa is one of our favorite whole-grains because it is gluten-free, loaded with protein and contains all of the essential amino acids. In this recipe, we've paired the quinoa with quickly seared tuna steaks for a delicious main-dish salad that's ready in under an hour.

This classic vegetarian salad is loaded with vegetables, bulgur and chickpeas. Our suggested serving size is 1 1/2 cups, but feel free to cut that in half to serve more people or to make the dish last longer.

Take the hassle out of entertaining and use your slow cooker to make this delicious brisket at your next dinner party.

The kale and lentils in this Mediterranean-inspired salad recipe are combined with sweet red peppers and a bold garlic and dried tomato vinaigrette. To cut down on prep time, we use refrigerated steamed lentils, but offer instructions on preparing your own.

Give buttery shrimp scampi a healthy update with delicately sweet spaghetti squash. The parsley-flecked squash "noodles" slash calories, add fiber and leave this classic dish still plenty decadent.

Low-carb spaghetti squash stands in for wheat noodles in this updated twist on a classic pesto pasta dish. Cashews lend richness to the pesto, while nutritional yeast, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes contribute satisfying umami to this vegan dinner recipe.

A twist on the classic chickpea falafel, these tasty edamame falafels will not disappoint!

When you're craving something crunchy between meals, try this Balsamic Cabbage! Add flavor to raw cabbage with caraway seeds, dill weed, parsley, or curry powder. Plus, each herb or spice counts as a free food in the small amounts used to season foods.

When you need a refreshing low-calorie snack, nibble on these Lemon-Pepper cucumbers for just 8 calories and 2 grams of carb. Plus the lemon juice and black pepper count as free foods!