Discover Irresistible Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes Perfect for Two!

The Mediterranean diet is celebrated for its health benefits and delicious flavors. It’s more than just a diet; it’s a lifestyle characterized by healthy eating habits inspired by the Mediterranean countries, emphasizing whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and heart-healthy fats. Many gravitate towards a coastal lifestyle, connecting with the natural environment and enjoying the simple things in life. In the realm of food, that means getting back to basics and putting fresh, easy, and wholesome ingredients first.

Embracing the Mediterranean Diet

Year after year, it’s been consistently named the best, healthiest diet. There’s so much to love about eating the Mediterranean way, and thankfully it is both balanced and healthy. You won’t find a list of dos and don’ts when eating the Mediterranean way, and yes, you can have a little dessert and a Negroni from time to time! It’s as much about food as it is about living joyfully - happiness is also important to your health.

To transition to a Mediterranean eating pattern, start with meal planning by choosing two or three recipes each week. Adopting the Mediterranean lifestyle extends beyond food! It’s about enjoying your meals, being mindful, and sharing food with family and friends.

Key Principles of the Mediterranean Diet

Focus on Whole Foods: Incorporate fresh produce like leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, and fresh herbs into your meals.
Healthy Fats: Use unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, while minimizing red meat and saturated fats.
Lean Proteins: Include fresh fish, chicken thighs, and grass-fed lean beef. Legumes are also lean proteins! These include lentils, chickpeas, and white beans.
Moderation: Enjoy richer delicious dishes in moderation, and balance high-calorie items with lighter choices.

Mediterranean Dinner Recipes for Two

Here are some Mediterranean dinner recipes perfect for two people, showcasing vibrant salads, plant-based foods, all things seafood, and easy chicken recipes. These recipes include authentic Lebanese cuisine, providing both flavor and nutrition.

Chicken Dishes

Greek Sheet Pan Chicken: Juicy, herby, and lemony chicken thighs are roasted along with simple, wholesome Mediterranean veggies. This is hands down a number one favorite dinner recipe.
Chicken Piccata: Chicken breasts are seared until golden and simmered in a lemon butter sauce with capers.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono): This Greek lemon chicken and rice soup is healthy and cozy with a Mediterranean flair.
Chicken Soup: This soup is comfort food in a bowl.
Lemon Chicken: Lemon Chicken is one of the best-and easiest-ways to prepare chicken!
Garlic, Fennel, and Lemon Chicken Thighs: Season chicken thighs with garlic, fennel, and lemon juice, sear and then braise for a succulent and flavorful main course.

Seafood Dishes

Rainbow Trout Almondine: This is one of the favorite 15-minute dinners.
Poached Salmon: It’s all about the simple poaching liquid infused with herbs, shallots, and a splash of wine.
Dijon Baked Salmon: If you love an herby, dijon flavor - this recipe is a must! Additional seasoning ideas include this baked salmon or air fryer salmon.
Tuna Salad: This classic comfort food is one to keep up your sleeve for busy weeknights. It’s crisp and creamy and works well in many meals.
Salmon Patties: Need to switch up your salmon routine?
Baked Fish with Garlic and Lemon Sauce: This baked fish recipe has been a fan favorite for a long time! It’s ready in just over 15 minutes and it’s all about the garlic and lemon sauce.
Stuffed Salmon: Tender salmon fillets are filled with a mixture of roasted red peppers, briny capers, and preserved lemon for a burst of bright, savory goodness in every bite. A little Greek yogurt is the key ingredient to the creamy, tangy filling.
Perfect Whole Roasted Fish: Perfect whole roasted fish you can make in just 20 minutes! It’s even better finished Greek-style with my lemony, garlicky ladolemono sauce.
Mediterranean Cioppino: Cioppino, pronounced chuh-pee-no, is an intensely satisfying seafood stew containing a wonderful jumble of texture and flavor including clams, mussels, white fish, and shrimp, cooked in a bold tomato-fennel broth.
Easy 15-Minute Shrimp Recipe: This easy 15-minute shrimp recipe is such a sure-fire hit! Particularly with crusty bread or couscous to capture the lemony, garlicky sauce.

Plant-Based Dishes

Falafel: These little balls of chickpea goodness are a staple in Mediterranean cuisine. A falafel recipe has a little something extra which makes them the best! Just don’t forget to drizzle them with homemade tahini sauce.
Best Hummus Recipe: A Mediterranean must-have for almost any meal.
Baba Ganoush: Roasted eggplant makes for a creamy, smoky, and insanely scrumptious dip. This recipe will have you grabbing vegetable sticks to dip in it!
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: Chickpeas are the star of this dish, accompanied by fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, feta cheese, and a zesty lemon vinaigrette.
Falafel Flatbread: Bake blended chickpeas and herbs into a delicious flatbread!
Green Goddess Hummus: This recipe loads a classic hummus with fresh herbs and veggies.
Kale Chips: When you’re craving something salty and crunchy, these kale chips are a healthy way to satisfy those cravings.
Roasted Cauliflower with Za’atar: Spruce up your average roasted cauliflower with Za’atar spice, sweet dates, and toasted pine nuts!
Baked Sweet Potato: The beauty of a baked sweet potato is that it’s great as a side dish on it’s own.
Lentil Pilaf: This pilaf is made with lentils, caramelized onions, and rice or coarse bulgur. This combo is called the “perfect protein”!
Red Lentil Soup: This soup is hearty, vegan, gluten-free, and simple to make. The sweet-heat of the butternut squash and cayenne are a perfect balance.
Lebanese Stuffed Eggplant with Tomato Sauce: Lebanese stuffed eggplant with tomato sauce can be made as stuffed halves (boats) or layered slices.
Roasted Eggplant Dip (Baba Ghanoush): Roasted eggplant blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic creates this creamy dip that’s perfect for pairing with whole wheat pita or fresh vegetables.

Salads

Caprese Salad: Ripe tomatoes and creamy mozzarella make for a simple, yet elegant salad that stands the test of time. Place fresh basil leaves in between the layers.
Easy Cucumber Salad: With the help of onion, dill, and vinegar, sliced cucumbers never tasted so good!
Nicoise Salad: Experience a taste of the French Riviera with this classic Nicoise salad! It’s perfect for summertime entertaining.
French Carrot Salad: Enjoy everything carrots offer with this bistro salad!
Tuna, Cucumber, Mozzarella Salad: After enjoying this simple, yet oh-so-delicious salad in Italy, it was recreated here.
Salmon Salad: This flaky salmon salad with crunchy celery, red onion, and radishes has a delicious bite to it.
Watermelon Salad with Feta and Cucumber: Enjoy classic Greek flavors and juicy watermelon with a refreshing, sweet twist. Cubes of watermelon and cucumber, tossed in a simple honey and citrus dressing and finished with fresh herbs and feta. Save this for mid-summer cooking!
Lebanese Fattoush Salad: Once you start making Lebanese Fattoush Salad, it will be a go-to favorite salad!
Easy Chickpea Salad: This easy Chickpea Salad recipe is healthy, vibrant and delicious! Use chickpeas, lots of chopped vegetables, and a zesty Mediterranean vinaigrette. Great as a side, or a protein and fiber-packed snack or lunch.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: This simple chickpea salad recipe is packed with fresh herbs, juicy grape tomatoes, velvety roasted red peppers, crisp cucumber, and creamy avocado.
Quinoa Salad: Serve as the foundation for this lemony chopped vegetable salad. Scallions, peppers, and cucumber give it great crunch, and Greek kalamata olives and feta add wonderful savoriness. It’s a great make-ahead option as the leftovers last for a week in the fridge.
Tomato Cucumber Salad: The base of this salad is tomatoes and cucumbers, dressed up with parsley and red onion. Finish it with some good extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and a dash of salt, pepper, and sumac! Enjoy on its own, serve over fish, tuck it into shawarma add it to your favorite grain bowl.
Tabbouleh Salad: The quintessential Middle Eastern salad starring parsley, bulgur, and tomatoes. Add cucumbers for some crunch.

Other Recipes

Sweet Potato Soup: Rich, savory, and creamy, this roasted sweet potato soup is a must for cooler weather days.
Paella: A famous rice dish from Spain, paella always feels like a party, but this version is easy enough to make on a weeknight. Juicy chicken thighs, chicken stock, smoked paprika, and saffron give short-grain rice incredible flavor.
Provençal Stew: This easy recipe adapts the famous slow-simmered Provençal stew to fit a busy weeknight! It keeps all the flavor and veggie-packed goodness but it’s ready in 45 minutes or so.
White Chicken Chili: This Mediterranean twist on a white chicken chili has the cannelini beans, chicken, and corn you might expect, but big, bold Mediterranean flavor from Cherrmoula, a lemony North-African herb sauce, drizzled on top.
Spaghetti Sauce: Spaghetti sauce is so easy to make using a few staple ingredients you may already have on hand!

Shareable Sides and Small Plates

Hummus: Think of hummus as another base recipe in your Mediterranean Diet toolbox. Keep it simple and use it as a dip with pita chips and vegetables or use it to make layered hummus with spiced meat, top it with Middle Eastern meatballs, or use it as a protein-packed spread for wraps or breakfast toast.
Ezme Salad: Hailing from southern Turkey, Ezme means “crushed” in Turkish, named after the way vegetables are finely chopped to make this versatile spread. Fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers and herbs marry with rich Pepper Paste and tomato paste, and tangy lemon juice.
Italian Pickles: These crisp Italian pickles are surprisingly easy to make and so handy to keep at the ready in your fridge! Mix into antipasto salad, add to your cheese board or sandwiches, serve as a refreshing side to roasted meat-the list goes on!
No-Knead Bread: Once you master this crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside Italian bread you’ll make it on repeat! This recipe comes with all the tips and tricks you need, plus, you’ll love the big flavors from rosemary and roasted garlic!
Pita Bread: If you don’t have a Middle Eastern bakery near you, then you should for sure try making your own perfect, pillowy pita bread! This is an easy recipe that takes a few ingredients you probably already have. And you can make pita bread in the oven or a skillet.
Layered Mediterranean Dip: Take the classic 7-layer dip and make it Mediterranean with hummus, avocado, tomatoes, olives, labneh, olive oil, spices (sumac!), and anything else your creative mind and refrigerator may suggest!
Hushweh: This is Hushweh, a favorite for anyone at the table. reheats beautifully on the stove or in the microwave; just sprinkle with a bit of water or broth before reheating.
Hummus with Sautéed Red Bell Pepper: Use hummus as a base for sauteed red bell pepper seasoned with your favorite spices. Try taking them spicy with cayenne pepper and a shower of fresh herbs.
Homemade Hummus: Follow my simple recipe for how to make smooth, excellent homemade hummus using just a few ingredients and tips to get there.

Read also: Delicious Mediterranean Recipes

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