20 Mediterranean Diet Dinners to Bring in Fall

Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli
Photo: photography / Caitlin bensel, Food Styling / Emily Nabors Hall

Fall is right around the corner, and you can bring in the cooler temps deliciously with these comforting and cozy dinners. From hearty pasta dishes to filling soups and stews, these meals are packed with ingredients like whole grains, veggies, legumes and seafood that are cornerstones of the Mediterranean diet, one of the easiest and healthiest eating patterns around. Recipes like our Vegan Lentil Stew and Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli are incredibly satisfying and will have you ready to take on autumnal days.

01 of 20

Vegan Lentil Stew

Vegan Lentil Stew
Fred Hardy

This comforting vegan lentil stew is incredibly satisfying thanks to hearty lentils and sweet potato. The leeks provide a savory allium note while the tomato paste, miso and cumin add bold flavor.

02 of 20

Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli

Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli
photography / Caitlin bensel, Food Styling / Emily Nabors Hall

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

03 of 20

Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)

Bowl of Easy Italian Wedding Soup on a gray cloth background

Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this Italian Wedding Soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.

04 of 20

Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

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This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium. To simplify the prep, look for chopped fresh onion and shredded carrot or a soup starter mix in the produce section.

05 of 20

One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta

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A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish Greek-inspired pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.

06 of 20

Gochujang-Glazed Tempeh & Brown Rice Bowls

Korean BBQ Tempeh Grain Bowl

If you're a tempeh skeptic, you've probably never had the firm soy-based slabs slathered with a sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce. We give this easy BBQ tempeh combo a punch of umami with tamari and add a little heat courtesy of gochujang. It's easy to put your own spin on this recipe; see Variations (below) for some riffs.

07 of 20

One-Pot Arroz con Pollo

One-Pot Arroz con Pollo
Ali Redmond

Juicy cuts of chicken get cooked alongside rice, onion, tomatoes and broth in this irresistible one-pot dish that pulls inspiration from the Puerto Rican arroz con pollo. For added fiber, brown rice stands in for the white rice typically used.

08 of 20

Fusilli with Green Sauce & Burst Cherry Tomatoes

Fusilli with Green Sauce & Burst Cherry Tomatoes
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Martgaret Dickey Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke

This vegetarian dinner is packed with flavor, thanks to a lemon-herb shallot sauce. The herbaceous green sauce uses plenty of fresh herbs, including cilantro, dill and parsley. Use any leftover sauce as a dressing for grain bowls and salads.

09 of 20

Adobo Chicken & Kale Enchiladas

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Put out your favorite toppings for these quick and healthy layered enchiladas. We like cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños.

10 of 20

One-Pan Spicy Okra & Shrimp

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Serve spicy blackened shrimp and tender vegetables over aromatic basmati rice for an easy skillet supper. Use precooked microwave rice so you don't have to mess up another pan. This one-pan dinner is perfect for company, but easy enough to make on a weeknight.

11 of 20

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.

12 of 20

Spinach, Lima Bean & Crispy Pancetta Pasta

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We opt for fresh spinach pasta here--it cooks quickly and adds a pop of color. Cooking lima beans in pancetta drippings infuses them with flavor.

13 of 20

Black Bean Fajita Skillet

Black Bean Fajita Skillet

You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping.

14 of 20

Chicken & Broccoli Curry with Turmeric Brown Rice

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When students in Georgia were challenged to use local ingredients to come up with a creative dish that could be easily made in cafeterias, this recipe was a finalist. The kids wanted to cook their rice in milk with turmeric to give it a creamy texture and golden color, but they swapped in rice milk to keep the dish dairy-free. Regular milk works just as well. Adapted from Georgia Farm to School.

15 of 20

Vegan Lentil Soup

Vegan Lentil Soup

This vegan lentil soup recipe 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

16 of 20

Shrimp Risotto with Asparagus

Wild Rice Risotto with Shrimp & Spring Vegetables
Dera Burreson

Asparagus, snap peas and a touch of lemon zest bring fresh spring flavor to this riff on classic risotto made with a whole-grain rice blend.

17 of 20

Chicken Enchilada Skillet Casserole

Chicken Enchilada Skillet Casserole
Jacob Fox

This simplified take on cheesy chicken enchiladas only requires one pan for cooking and eliminates the need to stuff and roll corn tortillas. Charring the veggies in a cast-iron skillet adds depth of flavor. Don't worry if you don't have one, because you can use any oven-safe skillet instead.

18 of 20

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.

19 of 20

Chicken Shawarma with Potatoes

Chicken Shawarma with Potatoes

Cook once; eat thrice: this chicken shawarma recipe makes a satisfying single-serving dinner, plus extra chicken, potatoes, and onions that you can use later in the week.

20 of 20

Scallops & Cherry Tomatoes with Caper-Butter Sauce

Scallops & Cherry Tomatoes with Caper-Butter Sauce

These pan-seared scallops come together in just 20 minutes for a delicious, easy dinner. You'll want some whole-wheat angel hair pasta or polenta to sop up all the rich, briny sauce.

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