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These Mediterranean diet recipes make eating well delicious and simple! My well-tested healthy meals star olive oil, fresh vegetables, seafood, and whole grains—and have all been enjoyed by my entire family.

Mediterranean Diet Recipes
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Mediterranean Rice Bowls

Want to eat the Mediterranean way? You’ve come to the right place. I’m Sonja Overhiser, and over the past 15 years, I’ve dedicated my career to mastering Mediterranean diet recipes. As the co-author of two published cookbooks and creator of thousands of tested recipes, I can confidently say the Mediterranean diet isn’t just one of the healthiest ways to eat—it’s also the most delicious.

I’ve spent countless hours perfecting these recipes in my own kitchen, testing them on my family (including two very honest kids!), and sharing them with hundreds of thousands of home cooks around the world.

What makes the Mediterranean diet special

The Mediterranean diet has been called one the healthiest diets in the world (by US News and World Report). It’s a way of eating and living modeled after countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, like Italy and Greece. It’s not a strict diet, but more a set of guidelines. Here’s how the Mayo Clinic defines the Mediterranean diet:

  • Daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats (like olive oil)
  • Weekly consumption of fish, poultry, legumes (beans & lentils), and eggs
  • Moderate portions of dairy products
  • Limited intake of red meat and foods with added sugar.

Mayo Clinic stresses that a Mediterranean diet is plant based, not meat based. It’s essentially a whole food plant based diet with a bit of seafood, poultry, and dairy thrown in. (Here’s some general guidance from the Cleveland Clinic on serving goals and serving sizes.)

Why I’m passionate about Mediterranean diet recipes

What draws me to Mediterranean diet cooking goes far beyond the flavors. I’ve found that this way of eating transforms not just what’s on your plate, but the way you approach food! Instead of restriction or following rules, the Mediterranean diet is about abundance and enjoying food in community.

I’ve tested every single recipe I share, often multiple times, to ensure they work perfectly in real home kitchens. My approach focuses on using accessible ingredients you can find at any grocery store.

Beyond food: the Mediterranean lifestyle

One of the best things about the Mediterranean diet is that it’s all about the lifestyle. This eating philosophy originated based on the longevity of people in the Mediterranean, and researchers observed more than just eating habits. Simply eating Mediterranean diet recipes is not all there is to it. Here’s what’s important in addition to food:

  • Stay active and exercise regularly.
  • Avoid smoking.
  • Enjoy wine in moderation if you drink alcohol.
  • Reduce the amount of stress in your lifestyle.
  • Actively participate in community: be invested and engaged in the people around you.

Top Mediterranean diet recipes

Below are my top Mediterranean diet recipes that work for lunch or dinner! They feature:

  • Olive oil as the cooking oil of choice.
  • Beans, lentils, bulgur wheat, quinoa, and rice as major players. While whole grains are downplayed in trends like the keto diet and Whole 30, recipes in the Mediterranean diet rely on legumes and whole grains as nutritious foods.
  • Vegetarian, vegan, and seafood recipes. Mediterranean diet recipes are plant-based in nature. It’s recommended to include seafood about 2 times per week.

Why make these recipes?

One of our readers is a doctor who recently let us know she recommends our recipes to her patients. She said, “I am an Internal Medicine physician and I’ve been recommending your cookbook and website to my patients, as I tell them the way to stay healthy is to follow a Mediterranean diet. Thank you for continuing to provide me and my patients with easy, delicious, and healthy recipes!”

Mediterranean diet breakfast, lunch, and snack recipes

Looking for another meal of the day? Try our Mediterranean diet breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas below:

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50 Mediterranean Diet Recipes: Rice Bowl & More

Mediterranean Rice Bowls

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5 from 2 reviews

This Mediterranean rice bowl is ready in just 30 minutes, packed with colorful vegetables and bright flavors! I’m always looking for plant-based dinners that are both healthy and satisfying, and this is one I could truly eat on repeat. With fluffy turmeric rice, seasoned chickpeas, and creamy tzatziki—it’s a weeknight dinner homerun in my book!

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the chickpeas

  • 15-ounce can chickpeas
  • ½ teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon each cumin and dried dill
  • ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the bowl

  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 handful cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • Pickled Red Onions (made in advance) or ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 handful olives, pitted and sliced
  • 1 handful feta cheese (optional)
  • 1 ½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt*
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill
  • ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Make the rice: Using a strainer, rinse the rice under cold water, then drain it completely. In a saucepan over high heat, bring 1 ¾ cups water to a boil. Add the rice, turmeric, garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir once, then cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Once all the liquid has cooked out and the rice is tender, remove the heat. Cover the pot and allow the rice to steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Taste and add a little more salt and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
  2. Make the tzatziki (or see notes for vegan Tahini Sauce): Meanwhile, grate ½ the cucumber using the small holes on a box grater (if using a standard cucumber, peel and seed it first). Place the grated cucumber in a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Sprinkle it with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, then place over a liquid measuring cup and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, dill, and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze out more water from the cucumber before adding it to the dip. Stir in the grated cucumber. Depending on your yogurt consistency, you can stir back in the cucumber water (or regular water) until it comes to the desired consistency (some Greek yogurts are very thick!). Stores up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
  3. Cook the chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a medium bowl, mix them with the spices and kosher salt.  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the chickpeas (carefully to avoid spitting) and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until warmed through.
  4. Assemble the bowls: Slice the remaining half of the cucumber and slice the tomatoes in half. If using red onion instead of pickled onions, slice the onion. Add the rice to a bowl and top with the vegetables and chickpeas, then sprinkle with olives and feta crumbles and add a dollop of tzatziki. Leftovers last up to 3 days refrigerated.

Notes

To add protein, make the chicken from Greek Chicken Bowls.

To make this recipe vegan, make Tahini Sauce instead of the tzatziki and omit the feta cheese.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi there! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of two cookbooks, busy parents, and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share simple, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking. We now offer thousands of original recipes, cooking tips, and meal planning ideas—all written and photographed by the two of us (and tested on our kids!).

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11 Comments

  1. Emily Riley says:

    Yes, thank you guys so much!!!!

  2. donna says:

    My husband and I have been trying to prepare healthier meals. I watched a program on PBS and starting checking out the internet for a healthier way to eat. Well, this evening I prepared Eggplant Rollantini. WOW is this delicious. I was so busy preparing this dish that I didn’t plan anything else. We didn’t need it. We had plenty with just two rolls. My neighbor called just as dinner was ready and we invited her over and she was so impressed with this dish. Thank you for all your recipes and help. We definitely want to purchase you cook book and would like to sign up for future info and recipes. Thank you so much, we might be on our way to a longer life.

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      So glad to hear this! Thank you for the comment :)

  3. Michael Lanphere says:

    I could probably live on this kind of food, Two problems. First, it calls for a lot of sea food, too expensive. Second, I live in the country and the veggies at our market are terrible. Not fresh. Fruit has been frozen. And it’s a 30 mile round trip to the market. I have afib and looking to eat healthier but this won’t work for me.

  4. Marcia Cortese says:

    Very on happy with your recipe book. The recipes on line were not in the book. We were looking at salmon and salads scallops and so many other dinner meals. Too many to copy off. Would like to return this cookbook.

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Yes, the book has all unique vegetarian recipes. You can return to the store where you bought it!

  5. Beth sundy says:

    Do you have diabetes diet

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      We don’t, sorry!

  6. Naomi Coates says:

    I’m so happy for your recipes and suggestions… I just recently decided to focus on the Mediterranean Diet and your recipes look fantastic!!!
    Thank you so much!!!!

  7. Frederic Keith Williamson says:

    Good stuff, ty!

  8. latesha says:

    This is Sooooo delicious! My favourite flavours blended together for a light and nutritious meal