It seems like everyone has been talking about the Mediterranean diet lately — US News & World Report even ranked it as the best diet for 2023. This honor is well-deserved, as the Mediterranean diet isn’t a diet in the sense that it’s a temporary change to help one lose weight, but instead, a lifestyle choice that emphasizes fruit, vegetables, and whole grains; includes some seafood and lean meat; uses olive oil instead of butter or other oils; and limits red meat, dairy, and sugar. Whether you’re looking for authentic dishes or entry-level Mediterranean-inspired recipes to help you adapt to this new lifestyle, here are 22 meals for folks who want to follow a Mediterranean diet.
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Chicken souvlaki
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Lean poultry, like grilled chicken, can be a good source of protein in a Mediterranean diet. My Greek Dish suggests making chicken souvlaki by marinating your poultry in a mixture of olive oil, lemon, garlic, oregano, and salt & pepper; cooking it on a grill or in a griddle pan; and serving it with warm pitas and tzatziki sauce.
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Chickpea stew
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Hailing from the Iberian Peninsula, this recipe is “one of the greatest chickpea stews I have ever tasted,” according to the folks at Spain on a Fork. Aside from chickpeas, this flavorful tomato-based stew also features spinach, parsley, almonds, saffron, cumin, and paprika.
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Falafel
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The best kind of falafel is the kind you make yourself at home. Whether you’re looking for a snack, a side, or a meal, this falafel recipe from Tori Avey that’s crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside should do the trick. (Note: Don’t be thrown by the 13 hours of total time attached to this recipe — 12 hours of that is simply letting the chickpeas soak.)
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Falafel pita
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Falafel is fantastic by itself or dipped in tzatziki, but if you want to dress it up a bit more, try making a falafel pita. No recipe is necessary for this one — just fill your pita with falafel, a bit of hummus or baba ganoush, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, feta, or anything else you want!
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Fish soup
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Halibut, cod, sea bass, or even red snapper work well in this fish stew from The Mediterranean Dish that’s spiced with coriander, cumin, pepper flakes, turmeric, and paprika. It’s super tasty and only takes about a half hour to make, but our favorite part is that you can prepare the whole thing in a single pot.
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If you’ve never made Greek yogurt before, it’s a fun little adventure. You only need whole milk and a bit of plain yogurt (for the cultures), which you boil in a pot, pour into a bowl or jar, and then — as Live Eat Learn will tell you in this recipe — “let the bacteria do its yogurt-making magic for 4 to 8 hours.” Then simply strain and refrigerate.
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Gyros
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We define comfort as succulent sliced meat nestled into a warm pita surrounded by tomato, onion, and tzatziki. Other people call this a gyro. (To each their own!) This version from Christina’s Cucina calls for both beef and lamb, but you can make your gyro with chicken, fish, mushrooms, or just veggies.
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Hummus
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We’ll leave it up to you whether or not hummus can be categorized as a meal. If you want to cut up cucumber, carrots, and broccoli and dunk them into this classic Mediterranean spread along with pita bread, peppers, or anything else, we won’t stop you. In fact, we’ll even provide this easy hummus recipe from Inspired Taste so you can make your own chickpea dip at home.
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Lemon garlic salmon
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Get a double dose of healthy fats with this lemon garlic salmon recipe from The Mediterranean Dish. In addition to the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in the salmon, you also get more of both in the olive oil.
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Lentil and bulgur soup
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Bulgur is a variety of wheat common in Turkish cuisine, and it goes great paired with lentils in a steamy bowl of soup. This version from Give Recipe uses red or green lentils in a tomato broth spiced with chili powder, dried mint, salt & pepper, and lemon for serving.
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Minestrone
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This hearty Italian vegetable soup consists of tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, beans, and pasta. Minestrone is an entire meal in a bowl, and you can make it yourself with this recipe from Love & Lemons.
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Orzo salad
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A lot of pasta salads feature too much pasta and not enough of the other ingredients. That’s not the case with this orzo salad from Salt & Lavender, which contains ¼ cup of orzo pasta per serving, but also includes plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, and crumbled feta tossed in olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing.
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Overnight oats
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This isn’t your ordinary bowl of oatmeal. Overnight oats require no cooking and can be customized to your liking. If you want some inspiration, we’ve been digging this version from Hilda’s Kitchen Blog that uses Mediterranean ingredients like Medjool dates, date molasses, tahini paste, chia seeds, yogurt, cardamom, and cinnamon.
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Pizza margherita
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If anyone tells you pizza isn’t part of a Mediterranean diet, we know 59 million Italians who would disagree. You might not be able to make authentic Italian pizza at home, but try this recipe from Cookie + Kate that keeps it simple and calls for whole wheat dough, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and basil.
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Roasted asparagus and tomatoes
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If you’re looking for a simple side dish to serve at your next family dinner, try this recipe from Where Is My Spoon. It’s as easy as mixing asparagus and cherry tomatoes together with fennel seeds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper and roasting the whole thing on a baking sheet for 12-15 minutes before topping with feta.
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Shakshuka
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Shakshuka, or Shakshouka, is a North African dish containing poached eggs in tomato and pepper sauce. As acceptable for lunch and dinner as it is for breakfast — and bursting with the flavors of paprika, cumin, and chili powder — this recipe from Downshiftology can be made entirely in one pan.
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Shrimp scampi
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Shrimp and other seafood are an important part of a Mediterranean diet, but a dish like shrimp scampi can have a lot of butter — an ingredient you’re supposed to avoid. This version from Gimme Some Oven calls for whole wheat pasta and only contains a single tablespoon of butter, divided into 4-6 servings. It can also be made in 15 minutes!
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Spinach feta frittata
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Spinach, feta cheese, garlic, and leeks go into this egg frittata from Flavor the Moment. Like Shakshuka, this is essentially a one-pot Mediterranean meal made in a skillet.
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Strapatsada
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If you’re a fan of scrambled eggs, you’ll flip for this Greek version from Real Greek Recipes. All you need are eggs, feta cheese, olive oil, a tomato, and about 5 minutes to whip it all together. Don’t forget the warm grilled bread!
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Tabbouleh
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Here’s bulgur again, but this time it’s appearing in the Lebanese dish known as tabbouleh. As Feel Good Foodie will explain, this very green dish also includes two heaping cups of parsley, some green onions, a couple of tomatoes, and a bit of lemon juice and olive oil.
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Tomato basil chicken with orzo
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Looking for an easy Mediterranean meal? This recipe from DeliAnytime saves you some time by using rotisserie chicken as the protein, which is paired with tomatoes, basil, orzo pasta, and parmesan or feta cheese.
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Watermelon feta salad
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Looking for a summer salad that abides by the Mediterranean diet? Try this one from Feel Good Foodie that’s bursting with the flavors of watermelon, mint leaves, feta, and simple olive oil, lime juice, and honey dressing.
