30 Days of Mediterranean Diet Dinners

Updated December 14, 2020

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The Mediterranean Diet loaded with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and olive oil is one of the world's healthiest styles of eating. Here are EatingWell's best Mediterranean dinner recipes, from colorful sheet-pan recipes to veggie-packed pastas.

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Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom Pizzas with Arugula Salad

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Roasted portobello mushrooms stand in for pizza crust in these comforting individual "pizzas." An easy arugula side salad makes a vibrant accompaniment.

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Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Quinoa with Arugula

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Chock-full of quinoa, chickpeas and vegetables, this salad is a meal in itself. The roasted red peppers, lemon, olives and feta add familiar Mediterranean flavor. If you want to provide a meat option, serve with grilled chicken.

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Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon

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Salmon and walnuts are both great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Pair this easy salmon recipe with a simple salad and a side of roasted potatoes or quinoa.

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Chicken Parmesan-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

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This filling, hearty stuffed spaghetti squash is a lower-carb version of your traditional chicken Parmesan with pasta. This chicken Parmesan recipe is still full of cheesy goodness, but has the added benefit of sweet winter squash. If you can't find two small squashes, use one (3-pound) squash and cut each half into two portions when ready to serve.

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Watch: How to Stock Your Kitchen for the Mediterranean Diet

EatingWell Senior Digital Meal Plan Editor, Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D., explains how to set up your kitchen for Mediterranean cooking, so when you go to make these healthy dinners, you'll already have some ingredients on hand.

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Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breasts

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Feta cheese, roasted peppers, spinach and more flavors from the Mediterranean fill these easy stuffed chicken breasts. Browning the chicken in a skillet before baking gives it a beautiful golden color, and finishing it in the oven ensures that this healthy baked chicken recipe cooks evenly throughout.

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Charred Shrimp & Pesto Buddha Bowls

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These shrimp and pesto Buddha bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add additional vegetables and swap the shrimp for chicken, steak, tofu or edamame.

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Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli

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The vibrant combo of cheese, cilantro, chili, and lime--inspired by Mexican street corn--makes this salmon sheet-pan dinner burst with flavor.

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Mediterranean Ravioli with Artichokes & Olives

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Store-bought spinach ravioli and a handful of basic pantry items are all you need to get a healthy dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Ingredients like oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives and toasty pine nuts help to build big flavor fast. If you can't find frozen artichokes, swap in a 15-ounce can (just be sure to drain and rinse them well).

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Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Stew

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This Mediterranean stew is a healthy dinner chock-full of vegetables and hearty chickpeas. A drizzle of olive oil to finish carries the flavors of this easy vegan crock-pot stew. Swap out the chickpeas for white beans for a different twist, or try collards or spinach in place of the kale. Any way you vary it, this stew is sure to go into heavy rotation when you are looking for healthy crock-pot recipes.

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Greek Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Chicken

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These healthy Mediterranean cauliflower rice bowls topped with feta, olives, veggies and grilled chicken are impressive yet take just 30 minutes to make.

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Prosciutto Pizza with Corn & Arugula

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Prosciutto and arugula elevate this simple grilled pizza. If you have time, let the dough stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to make rolling it out easier in this 20-minute healthy pizza recipe. Thawed frozen corn works in place of fresh, just pat it dry before sprinkling it on the pizza.

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Vegan Mediterranean Lentil Soup

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This vegan Mediterranean lentil soup is packed with fresh ingredients and plenty of lentils that deliver a healthy dose of fiber in each bite. This vegan soup is the perfect cold-weather lunch or healthy dinner the whole family will love.

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EatingWell's Eggplant Parmesan

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Here we bake breaded eggplant for crispy results with fewer calories to boot. This makeover of the classic recipe was originally developed by our Test Kitchen in 1995 and got an update in 2020 for our 30th anniversary issue.

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BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

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In the U.S., dry whole-wheat couscous has been partially cooked, making it a quick-cooking (5 minutes!) whole-grain weeknight dinner champ. And when you buy peeled shrimp, plus a bag of prechopped kale and bottled barbecue sauce, the savings in prep time helps to get this healthy dinner done in a jiff.

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Green Shakshuka with Spinach, Chard & Feta

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The inspiration for this green shakshuka recipe comes from HaBasta, a popular restaurant on the edge of Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, where the shakshuka is packed with green chard and spinach and a little hot pepper provides just a touch of spice. Serve with pita or crusty bread to sop up the sauce for a quick dinner or for brunch.

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One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous

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Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.

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Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

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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.

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Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens

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Protein-rich quinoa and chickpeas add staying power to this zesty and healthy salad recipe.

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Sheet-Pan Mediterranean Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Gnocchi

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In this healthy dinner recipe, chicken thighs, Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes and packaged gnocchi are all roasted on the same sheet pan for a complete meal that couldn't be easier to make. And though it's simple, this dish gets tons of flavor from Mediterranean seasonings, including garlic, oregano and red-wine vinegar. It all adds up to a dish that's ready to go into heavy weeknight rotation in your house.

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Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

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We've taken the key ingredients of the popular caprese salad--tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil--and piled them into portobello mushroom caps to make a delicious and satisfying vegetarian main dish.

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Sweet & Spicy Roasted Salmon with Wild Rice Pilaf

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Fresh jalapeños give this quick and easy roasted salmon dish its kick; honey and balsamic vinegar give it a sweet finish. A nutty-tasting wild rice pilaf completes this healthy dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes.

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Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Smoked Mozzarella

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This healthy riff on lasagna rolls uses strips of zucchini instead of lasagna noodles for a vegetable-packed dinner that's fun for the whole family. This is a great recipe for kids to help make—let them get their hands dirty rolling the zucchini ribbons with the cheesy filling. Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to quickly slice the zucchini into uniform thin strips—this will ensure easy rolling and even cooking.

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Herby Mediterranean Fish with Wilted Greens & Mushrooms

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This Mediterranean fish recipe makes a tasty and healthful weeknight meal. Serve with wild rice or roasted potatoes.

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Chicken with Tomato-Balsamic Pan Sauce

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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.

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Roasted Pistachio-Crusted Salmon with Broccoli

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This easy one-pan roasted salmon with broccoli is quick enough for weeknight dinners but elegant enough for company. The lemony pistachio crust would also be lovely on other types of fish or on chicken breasts.

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Crispy Baked Ravioli with Red Pepper & Mushroom Bolognese

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Legend has it that toasted ravioli originated with a St. Louis chef dropping the pasta in hot oil instead of water. Here, we lighten it up by baking instead of frying and adding a serving of vegetables in the form of a vegetarian Bolognese-style sauce. More good news: this easy vegetarian dinner takes just 35 minutes to make.

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Pan-Seared Halibut with Creamed Corn & Tomatoes

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For this healthy fish recipe, you steep corncobs in milk; the resulting "stock" boosts the intensity of made-from-scratch creamed corn, plus extra starch from the corn contributes to its thick texture. This recipe calls for halibut—line-caught from the Pacific Ocean is the most sustainable option. Can't find it? Swap in Pacific cod or U.S. farmed tilapia instead. Serve this summery combination of seared fish, corn, tomatoes and basil for weeknight family dinners or to company on the weekends.

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Greek Burgers with Herb-Feta Sauce

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These healthy burgers get a Mediterranean twist with a yogurt sauce seasoned with oregano, lemon and feta cheese. If you can't find ground lamb, ask the butcher to grind some for you.

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Greek Roasted Fish with Vegetables

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This dish is packed with flavor and fits perfectly into a Mediterranean diet.

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Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara

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Fresh pasta cooks up faster than dried, making it a must-have for fast weeknight dinners like this luscious yet healthy meal. Eggs are the base of the creamy sauce. They don't get fully cooked, so use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs if you prefer.

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