Easy Mediterranean Recipes

If you are looking for a diet that is not only satisfying to eat but has been scientifically proven beneficial to your health, then the Mediterranean diet is the one for you.

Not only is it a traditional diet that has been around for centuries — and it's delicious, too — but it was also ranked as the best diet in 2019 by U.S. News and World Report for being reasonable and putting an intelligent emphasis on good-for-you foods without restriction. This was because it was ranked as the best diet overall in 2019. "The Mediterranean diet is not only sustainable but also all-encompassing, and it is something you can adhere to. According to Rachel Berman, RD, CDN, who is based in New York City and is the author of the book "Mediterranean Diet for Dummies," "It is not so prescriptive that it is prohibitive."

In addition, the Mediterranean diet strongly emphasizes sharing meals with loved ones while seated around a table. Because of this, you should consider the Mediterranean diet to be more of a way of life than a diet in and of itself. According to Berman, it has been a tradition practiced for centuries in many nations around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Turkey, and Italy. According to Berman, "many of these regions are 'Blue Zones,' which are regions around the world in which people live longer and healthier lives than in other parts of the world." Sardinia, located in Italy, and Ikaria, situated in Greece, are two of the original Blue Zones. These zones are places that have the highest percentage of people who live to be 100 years old.

According to Elena Paravantes-Hargitt, RD, a nutritionist based in Greece who specializes in the Mediterranean Diet and the founder of OliveTomato, the Mediterranean diet is a primarily plant-based eating style that emphasizes pulses such as beans and lentils, vegetables (particularly dark leafy greens), fruits, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, along with fish, and a little bit of meat and dairy. This is according to an explanation provided by Elena Paravantes-Hargitt, "Research shows that it's not only a diet that's good for your heart and associated with a longer lifespan, but it's also protective against some malignancies and cognitive illnesses like Alzheimer's disease," she explains. According to her, another factor contributing to lower disease risk is the high concentration of anti-inflammatory compounds found in the foods that are part of the diet plan.

However, beginning a Mediterranean diet might be challenging, particularly if you don't consider yourself skilled in the kitchen. To your relief, one of the most difficult tasks you'll need to complete is to soak beans in water for an entire night.

To help you get started with the Mediterranean diet, here are ten beginner-friendly recipes:

1 Grain Bowls Inspired By The Mediterranean Diet, Including Lentils And Chickpeas

If you're new to the Mediterranean diet, increasing the number of beans and lentils you eat is one way to have a significant influence on your eating habits (and your health). This meal, which can be prepared for either lunch or dinner, consists of a base of deliciously chewy farro, lentils, and chickpeas, which is then topped with vegetables, avocado, and Kalamata olives, and feta, in addition to a vibrant lemony garlic dressing. Even better, you can simply save leftovers for a speedy meal the next day that you can toss together with little effort.

2 White Beans Roasted In The Style Of Greece, Served With Summer Vegetables

If you serve beans as the main course alongside some crusty whole-grain bread, you'll have a supper that's both delicious and nutritiously satisfying. It's possible that the additional step of using dry beans is not something you're used to, but the texture of these beans is so unbelievably smooth that it makes the extra effort well worth it.

3 The Pinnacle Of Breakfast In The Mediterranean

If you find yourself in a rut regarding breakfast, let us acquaint you with the Mediterranean breakfast board. Instead of making pancakes and eggs on a Sunday morning, put together a gorgeous board of traditional dishes from the Mediterranean, such as sliced cucumber and tomatoes, pita, falafel, cubes of feta cheese, hummus, and marinated olives, artichokes, and mushrooms. Everyone should be allowed to go to town to construct their ideal plate.

4 Recipe For A Creamy Greek Salad With Pasta

This dish is perfect for you if you want to elevate the status of pasta salad to the next level. Pasta that has been allowed to cool, together with a variety of vegetables (onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and corn), are rolled up in a dressing made of Greek yogurt that is herbaceous and creamy. If you are required to bring a dish to a potluck or are in charge of serving at your next party, make this dish.

5 Vibrant Orange And Arugula Salad

This recipe should win a prize for being the most aesthetically pleasing one ever devised. In addition, the very fact that it is visually appealing will pique your interest in preparing this dish. Baby arugula, which has a peppery flavor, is combined in this meal with sweet oranges, goat cheese that has a creamy texture, crisp almonds, and radishes. When served with a piece of roasted white fish, this dish makes for a supper that is healthy and full.

6 White Beans From the Mediterranean Prepared With Artichoke And Tomato

Because of the use of canned beans and either canned or frozen artichoke hearts, this meal may be prepared in a hurry. And if you don't cook with artichokes very often, this dish is a beautiful way to get acquainted with the tremendous hearty vegetable filled with fiber. You won't even miss the meat.

7 Shrimp And Veggies Baked On A Sheet Pan In A Mediterranean Style

Dinners during the week might be challenging. Because of this, a dish that can be prepared in just 25 minutes, including the preparation time, is a godsend. In addition, there is only one sheet pan involved, which makes cleaning a breeze. This dish is typical of Mediterranean cuisine, which produces flavorful dishes using few ingredients. This dish is no exception to that rule: After being marinated in olive oil, cumin, garlic, and sumac, shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and onion are roasted in the oven until the asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and onion get caramelized.

8 Salad Of Roasted Cauliflower And Farro Topped With Feta Cheese And Avocado.

Salads made with grains are portable and convenient to bring to the office. After cooking a large pot of farro, which you will enjoy even more than brown rice, toss the cooked grain with roasted cauliflower, briny Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese. This will quickly become your go-to method for consuming salads in the future when it is served above a bed of greens.

9 Spaghetti Aglio E Olio With Broccoli

Pasta is an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, which you probably already knew before reading. This recipe calls for whole-grain pasta and instructs the cook to prepare the healthy noodles to an "al dente" consistency. Doing so reduces the glycemic index of the noodles, which means that they are digested more slowly and do not cause a significant rise in blood sugar followed by a subsequent drop in blood sugar levels. Choosing noodles made with whole grains is another way to stave off this slump.

10 Chickpea Stew From Greece

This stew is made with just five essential ingredients: chickpeas, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and olive oil. However, after it is finished cooking and with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, you will want to have this for lunch every day. This is a robust stew that gets protein and fiber from chickpeas, making it quite filling.

11 A Recipe For Baked Salmon With A Garlic And Cilantro Sauce

If you are at a loss as to where to start when it comes to cooking fish, you could skip using the pan and instead place a fillet in the oven. To make this dish, you must set the fish in a baking dish, top it with the garlic-cilantro sauce, and place it in the oven. Every time, it will turn out perfectly. And it is just what you require to get started with fish.