Healthy Recipes Healthy Regional Recipes Healthy Mediterranean Recipes 30 Mediterranean Diet Dinners to Make This April By Eleanor Chalstrom Eleanor Chalstrom Eleanor is EatingWell's editorial apprentice. She attends Iowa State University, where she is a junior studying journalism, political science and history. During her time at college, she has worked as an editor and reporter at the campus newspaper, the Iowa State Daily, where she wrote about culture and lifestyle. She is an editorial director at TREND Magazine, an on-campus fashion publication. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 4, 2023 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 It's officially springtime and these 30 dinner recipes are packed with the flavors of the season. Not only are they fresh and delicious, but each of these recipes also follows the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest eating patterns around. It emphasizes meals that are packed with plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins and whole grains. It is also customizable and flexible to individual health needs and preferences, making it an easy and enjoyable eating pattern to follow. Recipes like our Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing and Eggplant & Chickpea Baked Pasta are perfect to make this month. 01 of 30 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. 02 of 30 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. 03 of 30 Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing View Recipe For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp. 04 of 30 Spinach-&-Artichoke-Dip Grilled Cheese View Recipe Jacob Fox This spinach-and-artichoke-dip grilled cheese offers the classic ooey-gooey filling, packed with plenty of spinach and artichokes, between two slices of crispy toasted bread so you can ditch the dipping. 05 of 30 Crispy Fish Taco Bowls View Recipe The adobo sauce in a can of chipotles lends earthy heat to the crema that tops these bowls. Don't toss out the unused peppers! Freeze them in an airtight container and pull them out to add to sauces, marinades or chili. 06 of 30 Eggplant & Chickpea Baked Pasta View Recipe Photography / Fred Hardy, Styling / Ruth Blackburn / Audrey Davis Turn leftover Eggplant & Chickpea Stew into a comforting vegetarian baked-pasta dish. We love the taste of mint with the other Mediterranean-inspired flavors, but you can use parsley or basil if you prefer. 07 of 30 Feta & Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken Breast View Recipe Feta cheese, roasted peppers, spinach and more flavors common to regions around the Mediterranean inspired this quick and easy stuffed chicken breast recipe. 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. 08 of 30 Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls View Recipe This pesto chicken quinoa bowl is packed with herbs from the basil pesto and the Italian spice mix and gets a slight kick of heat from the red pepper. If you enjoy the flavor profile, this dish can also be made with orzo in place of quinoa. 09 of 30 Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens View Recipe In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy. 10 of 30 Salmon Power Bowl View Recipe Crystal Hughes Crush your day with this salmon power bowl! Here, you'll get protein and a healthy dose of omega-3s from salmon, antioxidants from shredded cabbage, and plenty of fiber from farro. Cumin and coriander flavor the salmon, while a fresh herb dressing coats the veggies. 11 of 30 Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage View Recipe Though traditional stuffed cabbage recipes are made with meat, here Savoy cabbage leaves are stuffed with a combination of rice, mushrooms, onions, garlic and herbs for a healthy vegetarian stuffed cabbage recipe. The stuffed cabbage leaves gently bake in a simple tomato sauce. This easy stuffed cabbage recipe can be made ahead of time and baked just before serving. 12 of 30 Feta, Kale & Pear Salad View Recipe The crunchy seed topping is the perfect textural juxtaposition to a creamy dressing, soft pears and tender massaged kale salad. Tossing it all with mint, feta and red onion gives it a Middle Eastern flair. 13 of 30 Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad View Recipe After making the salmon cakes, we firm them up for 5 minutes in the freezer before cooking so they don't fall apart when they hit the hot oil. You can also make these salmon cakes with canned salmon to make them pantry- and budget-friendly. 14 of 30 Creamy Spinach Pasta with White Beans View Recipe Here, we whir up fresh spinach and kale with cream cheese and Gruyère for the luscious sauce that highlights this rich pasta dish. Paired with beans, it makes a filling vegetarian meal. 15 of 30 One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous View Recipe 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. 16 of 30 Creamy Pasta with Scallops & Brussels Sprouts View Recipe Pan-frying Brussels sprouts brings out their nuttiness, a flavor that pairs well with the rich bacon and creamy sauce here. 17 of 30 Sheet-Pan Balsamic-Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas & Vegetables View Recipe A tangy, balsamic dressing and nutty Parmesan cheese combine to coat tender roasted vegetables and chickpeas in this springy vegetarian dinner. To keep it vegetarian, serve it over quinoa or, for meat-eaters, serve with roasted chicken or pan-seared fish. 18 of 30 Tofu Tacos View Recipe These quick vegan tacos, filled with a spicy tofu filling, make a perfect weeknight dinner. To keep them vegan, top them with shredded cabbage, fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. For vegetarians, add crumbled queso fresco. 19 of 30 Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza with Red Peppers, Chicken & Spinach View Recipe Jason Donnelly Whirring up roasted red peppers with olive oil and garlic makes a tangy sauce that's a nice alternative to classic pizza sauce. Don't have a large cast-iron skillet? Don't fret. We tested this recipe on a pizza stone and baking sheet as well. As long as you preheat whichever one you use, the crust will come out crispy every time. 20 of 30 Slow-Cooker Chicken & Orzo with Tomatoes & Olives View Recipe Perk up basic chicken breast and whole-wheat orzo with the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean, like lemon and olives. This load-and-go recipe makes a complete and satisfying meal; just add a green salad. 21 of 30 Bean & Barley Soup View Recipe This hearty bean and barley soup tastes like it has simmered for hours, but actually it's quite quick to throw together. Plus this recipe for healthy bean and barley soup freezes beautifully. If you have cooked barley on hand, omit the quick-cooking barley and stir in 1 1/2 cups cooked barley along with the broth in Step 2. 22 of 30 One-Pan Garlicky Shrimp & Rice View Recipe Caitlin Bensel This one-pan shrimp and rice recipe makes a great weeknight dinner with easy cleanup. The garlic mellows as it cooks and infuses its flavor into the sweet shrimp and rice in the pan. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens up the dish. 23 of 30 Salmon Rice Bowl View Recipe Ali Redmond Inspired by the viral TikTok trend, this salmon rice bowl makes for a tasty lunch or dinner. With healthy ingredients like instant brown rice, salmon and veggies, you'll have a flavorful meal in just 25 minutes. 24 of 30 Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan View Recipe This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's 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. 25 of 30 Shrimp and Cauliflower Bake View Recipe This quick and easy seafood casserole gets bright flavor from fresh dill and feta cheese. 26 of 30 Steak, Pepper & Sugar Snap Stir Fry View Recipe Turn to this beef stir-fry recipe for a quick and easy dinner. The tender, spicy steak is cooked in the same wok or skillet as the crisp, colorful vegetables and smells divine as the dish is cooking. 27 of 30 Pesto Chicken Bake View Recipe This pesto chicken bake is easy to make as well as delicious! The chicken stays moist while the cheese on top gets bubbly and crispy. The pesto, mozzarella and tomato combination is a home run every time. Serve the chicken over pasta or your favorite grain. 28 of 30 Bok Choy Soup with Shrimp & Noodles View Recipe Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food stylist: Ali Ramee, Prop stylist: Claire Spollen This shrimp and noodle soup is inspired by the flavors of Vietnamese pho, with a spice-infused broth and rice noodles. Shrimp, bok choy, carrots and mushrooms cook in the aromatic broth while mung bean sprouts and plenty of fresh mint add a refreshing bite on top. 29 of 30 Lemony Lentil & Chard Soup View Recipe Photography / Nico Schinco, Food Styling / Frances Boswell, Prop Stylist / Paige Hicks This satisfying lemony bowlful was inspired by the lentil soup served at the now-closed Lebanese restaurant La Shish in West Bloomfield, Michigan. It keeps well but will thicken, so you may want to thin it with a bit of water or broth when reheating. Serve with warm whole-wheat pita. 30 of 30 3-Ingredient Chicken Caesar Flatbread View Recipe Photo by: Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D. A frozen cauliflower-based pizza crust becomes the crispy base for this no-fuss flatbread. Pick up a Caesar-style salad kit to save yourself the hassle of needing to buy lots of other ingredients (everything's included in the kit!), and use rotisserie chicken breast to simplify prep even more. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit