You Just Started the Mediterranean Diet—Here Are the Dinner Recipes to Make First

January 23, 2021

These dinner recipes are perfect if you’ve just started the Mediterranean diet. Each of these dinners is packed with key ingredients of the diet including fish, vegetables and whole grains. Whether it’s Greek Roasted Fish with Vegetables or White Bean & Veggie Salad, these healthy and delicious recipes will help you transition to this new lifestyle with ease.

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Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Chickpea Soup

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This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker recipe simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken is the key to making rich soup without adding broth.

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White Bean & Veggie Salad

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This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.

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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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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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Mediterranean Cabbage Soup

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This vegan soup recipe is surprisingly easy to make. The flavorful broth is spiked with garlic, tomatoes and a hint of coriander. Just slice and dice your cabbage and fennel and you'll be enjoying this quick healthy soup in no time.

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Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

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Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic 5-ingredient lunch for one!

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Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Chicken

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In this healthy copycat of a takeout salad favorite we combine precooked (or leftover) chicken and poppy seed dressing with fresh greens, strawberries and goat cheese for an easy throw-together meal that's ready in 10 minutes.

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Dijon Salmon with Green Bean Pilaf

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In this quick dinner recipe, the delicious garlicky-mustardy mayo that tops baked salmon is very versatile. Make extra to use as a dip for fries or to jazz up tuna salad. Precooked brown rice helps get this healthy dinner on the table fast, but if you have other leftover whole grains, such as quinoa or farro, they work well here too.

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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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Roasted Gnocchi & Brussels Sprouts with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

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In this quick vegetarian dinner recipe, you can skip boiling the gnocchi--they'll cook through while roasting on the sheet pan with the rest of the ingredients. If you can't find Meyer lemons, use 1 small regular lemon in Step 2 and use 4 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons orange juice in Step 4.

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Lemon-Herb Salmon with Caponata & Farro

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Dig into your farmers' market haul to cook this colorful and healthy Mediterranean diet dinner recipe that's packed with vegetables. Feel free to swap in any vegetables or cook up another whole grain, such as brown rice. Serve with a glass of your favorite red wine.

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Mediterranean Cod with Roasted Tomatoes

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Oregano, thyme and paprika flavor the cod in this 15-minute, Mediterranean-inspired meal. Olives, capers and roasted cherry tomatoes add color and zest to each bite.

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Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Salad

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This zesty quinoa salad is delicious all on its own, with some serious Mediterranean flair. Make a double batch for lunches later in the week.

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White Bean Soup (Fassoulatha)

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A simple, rich stew of white beans. Serve with Mediterranean Tuna Panini.

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Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon, and Fennel

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This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.

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Pasta with Creamy Mushroom-Pea Sauce

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Peas combine deliciously with wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles, but they are hard to come by this early in the season. You can still get the depth of flavor from more available creminis.

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Salmon and Couscous Casserole

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Salmon is tossed with couscous, spinach, and roasted red peppers, then topped with toasted almonds for a light and easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

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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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