Special Diets Mediterranean Diet Center 36 Mediterranean Diet Dinners That the Whole Family Will Love By Leah Goggins Leah Goggins Instagram Website Leah Goggins is a digital fellow for EatingWell. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, she is a devotee of old movies, farmers' markets and Ina Garten's tomato sandwich with basil mayo recipe. Leah has a degree in news media and English from The University of Alabama. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 28, 2022 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jason Donnelly We use ingredients beloved in the Mediterranean diet, like whole grains, legumes, eggs, fruits and veggies, to make these delicious dinners. There are all kinds of dishes in this mix, from veggie-packed soups and pastas to savory burgers and tacos, so you're sure to find something the whole family will love. Recipes like our Pepper, Pesto & Spinach Stromboli and Fajita-Inspired Chicken-Stuffed Peppers serve at least four people, so everyone can have a healthy and flavorful meal. 01 of 36 Winter Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup View Recipe Jacob Fox Our meatless version of the Indian-inspired British colonial soup includes parsnip and squash to keep it hearty and satisfying. 02 of 36 Pepper, Pesto & Spinach Stromboli View Recipe Jason Donnelly Stromboli can often be heavy with meat and cheese, but this version is packed with veggies. Nutty fontina is more flavorful than classic mozzarella, so a little goes long way. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping. 03 of 36 White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi View Recipe Jacob Fox Sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this recipe— providing texture and umami. Combined with the spinach, they make this dish a great source of vitamins C and K. 04 of 36 Cauliflower Fajita Skillet View Recipe Jacob Fox Thinly sliced cauliflower florets mimic the signature shape of fajita meat in this dish. We cook it in a cast-iron skillet for that tableside sizzle you'd get at a restaurant. 05 of 36 Fajita-Inspired Chicken-Stuffed Peppers View Recipe Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn These chicken-stuffed peppers feature a delicious blend of savory ingredients that closely resemble the flavors of chicken fajitas. The chicken and bean filling fits neatly into a nice, sweet pepper with a cheesy topping. Packaged brown rice makes this dinner super easy, but leftover rice will work just as well! 06 of 36 Sweet Potato-Black Bean Tacos View Recipe Will Dickey Tender, smoky sweet potato is the star of these vegetarian tacos. A mashed black bean spread with onion holds everything in place. Serve with your favorite taco toppings. 07 of 36 Turkey Pumpkin Chili View Recipe Caitlin Bensel Canned pumpkin adds mellow background flavor and works to thicken up this turkey pumpkin chili. Smoked paprika adds flavor with a hint of spice. This chili is on the thicker side—if you want it thinner, add a bit more water. 08 of 36 Chickpea Pesto Burgers with Roasted-Red Pepper Sauce View Recipe Carolyn Hodges In this easy plant-based burger recipe, we combine chickpeas and pesto to create a delicious patty that gets topped with balsamic-roasted red onions and a creamy roasted red pepper mayonnaise sauce. The end result is a delicious dinner that will quickly become your family's new favorite way to do burgers. Enjoy alongside a big salad and roasted potatoes to make it a meal. 09 of 36 Meatballs with Lemon-Garlic Orzo View Recipe Here, a little of the lemon-garlic vinaigrette used to season the orzo also gets stirred into yogurt for a flavorful and creamy topping. 10 of 36 25-Minute Sweet Potato & Bean Enchiladas View Recipe Antonis Achilleos These quick sweet potato and bean enchiladas are diabetes-friendly thanks to egg wraps that are lower in carbs than traditional tortillas. The vegetarian filling is both sweet and savory, while the topping adds texture and freshness. 11 of 36 Egg-in-a-Hole Fried Quinoa View Recipe Jason Donnelly We used quinoa to bump up the fiber and protein in this stir-fry-inspired dish. Rather than making an omelet or stirring in the eggs as you would for fried rice, we cook them in divots right in the veggie-filled quinoa for a fun presentation. Opt for a flat skillet over a wok so you have plenty of room to nestle in the eggs. 12 of 36 Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers View Recipe These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun. 13 of 36 One-Pot Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp View Recipe Brie Passano This quick one-pot shrimp and pasta dinner is cooked with asparagus in a lemony sauce. Feta cheese sprinkled over the top adds another savory layer, but feel free to skip it and add additional fresh herbs and a lemon slice instead. 14 of 36 Roasted Brussels Sprouts Pasta with Lemon View Recipe Jennifer Causey This Brussels sprouts pasta features roasted Brussels sprouts for a boost of flavor. The char of the sprouts is balanced by lemon juice for a bright, healthy pasta dish. If you can't find whole-wheat fusilli, regular fusilli is an easy substitution. 15 of 36 3-Ingredient Refried Bean & Pico de Gallo Tostadas View Recipe Sara Haas Making your own tostadas is easy. Use store-bought corn tortillas, brush them with olive oil and bake to crunchy perfection! Here we topped the tostada with refried beans and fresh pico de gallo for an easy 3-ingredient meal. 16 of 36 Falafel Burgers View Recipe Pureed chickpeas, seasoned with the characteristic flavors of falafel, make excellent veggie burgers. We use a two-stage method for cooking the patties, first browning them in a skillet and then finishing them in the oven. Garnish the burgers with tzatziki or tahini sauce (see associated recipes), pickled red onions, lettuce and tomatoes. 17 of 36 Grilled Shrimp Tostadas View Recipe Jason Donnelly Grilling gives these shrimp tostadas a boost of smoky flavor. Skewering the shrimp prevents them from falling through the grates while getting even char on each side. If you have a grill basket, you can throw them in that instead; just make sure to get them into a single layer so they don't steam. 18 of 36 Sun-Dried Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Quiche View Recipe Photo by: Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D. The concentrated flavor of sun-dried tomatoes balances the mild creaminess of fresh mozzarella cheese. Look for sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes to minimize prep work, and drain them well before adding to the quiche. 19 of 36 Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta View Recipe Victor Protasio The corkscrew-shaped rotini pasta and broccoli florets do such a great job of holding the cream cheese sauce in this easy shrimp-and-broccoli pasta. 20 of 36 Cauliflower Tikka Masala with Chickpeas View Recipe In this vegetarian riff on a popular Indian dish, we swap in cauliflower and chickpeas for the chicken in tikka masala. The cauliflower's nooks and crannies are particularly good at soaking up all the intense flavors of the sauce. Serve over rice for an easy healthy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes. 21 of 36 Chicken Nachos View Recipe Jennifer Causey These chicken nachos have crunchy chips topped with hot spiced shredded chicken, beans and melted cheese with cooling chunks of avocado, red onion and cilantro. If you like the heat, add jalapeño slices at the end. These quick nachos work well with shredded chicken breast or rotisserie chicken if you have leftovers around. 22 of 36 Mushroom-Quinoa Veggie Burgers with Special Sauce View Recipe These hearty mushroom, black bean and quinoa veggie burgers are a healthy and satisfying homemade alternative to store-bought veggie burgers. And they take just 25 minutes of active time to prep, so while they're special enough for entertaining, they're quick enough for weeknight dinners. 23 of 36 Blackened Fish Tacos View Recipe Caitlin Bensel These blackened fish tacos pack a punch. The blackened fish gets plenty of flavor from herbs and spices, the salsa adds some zing and the cabbage provides a nice raw crunch. 24 of 36 Vegan Lasagna Soup View Recipe This quick and easy vegan lasagna soup has all the classic flavors of lasagna, with plenty of tomatoes, veggies and lasagna noodles broken into bite-size bits. Plant-based meatless crumbles stand in for the sausage, and you won't miss the cheese with the fresh basil puree dolloped on top as a finishing touch. 25 of 36 Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli View Recipe The vibrant combo of cheese, cilantro, chili, and lime—inspired by Mexican street corn—makes this salmon sheet-pan dinner burst with flavor. 26 of 36 Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches View Recipe Layering apple slices into grilled cheese sandwiches adds a little crunch to a favorite soup dipper. And creamy butternut squash soup with ginger, cumin and turmeric is a nice change of pace from grilled cheese's usual tomato soup partner. Serve the duo for a comforting and easy weeknight dinner for the family. The soup keeps well in the fridge, so save leftovers for lunch or dinner later in the week. 27 of 36 Easy Cauliflower Tacos View Recipe Caitlin Bensel These easy vegan cauliflower tacos with chili powder, red onion and creamy avocado garnish are perfect for taco night. 28 of 36 Zucchini-Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Tahini-Ranch Sauce View Recipe This vegan burger recipe is one you'll want to make again and again. Savory chickpea and zucchini patties are topped with a creamy, herb-flecked tahini ranch sauce, juicy tomato slices and peppery arugula for a satisfying and healthy homemade veggie burger. Serve them on buns or stuff them in pitas. We recommend making extra sauce--it's a great dip for veggie sticks and, thinned with a little water, it makes a wonderful salad dressing. 29 of 36 Kale & Lentil Stew with Mashed Potatoes View Recipe Fire-roasted tomatoes add slightly smoky flavor to red lentils. The addition of mashed potatoes gives this an upside-down shepherd's pie feel. 30 of 36 Garlic Butter-Roasted Salmon with Potatoes & Asparagus View Recipe This spring-produce-packed one-pan meal makes a healthy and satisfying weeknight dinner. Melted garlic butter coats the salmon and vegetables, adding depth of flavor and richness to the dish. 31 of 36 Easy Shrimp Tacos View Recipe These easy shrimp tacos are inspired by the seafood tacos in Baja California. 32 of 36 One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach View Recipe This hearty vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle extra heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for a bigger punch of flavor. 33 of 36 Southwestern Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Shrimp & Avocado Crema View Recipe These healthy Southwestern cauliflower rice bowls, topped with black beans, corn and smoky chipotle shrimp, get a cool-down from homemade avocado crema and take just 30 minutes to make. 34 of 36 Spiced Grilled Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice" Tabbouleh View Recipe Chicken breasts on the grill have a smoky flavor that's enhanced with an easy spice rub. We chose flat-leaf parsley in this salad because it has a stronger herbal taste than its sometimes-bitter curly counterpart. 35 of 36 Easy Fish Tacos with Kiwi Salsa View Recipe These healthy fish tacos can be made with cod or any other firm white fish. A lively kiwi salsa and red cabbage brighten up the colors and flavors of the crispy tacos and complete this easy dinner recipe. The key to perfectly golden, crunchy fish is patience--let your oil get nice and hot before you add in the battered pieces. Dip an instant-read thermometer into the oil to make sure it's up to temp before you get cooking. 36 of 36 Zucchini & Corn Enchiladas View Recipe Skip rolling and just layer these quick and easy enchiladas. This recipe uses a quick blender sauce, but if you're short on time, pick up a can of your favorite red enchilada sauce in the international aisle of your grocery store--you'll need about 3 cups. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit