A Full Week's Worth of Menus for the Mediterranean Diet
We love the fresh produce, whole-food focus of the Mediterranean diet. But sometimes we struggle to put together a complete Mediterranean-inspired meal for dinner. Often, we land on the perfect main dish but stall out trying to find the right side. So to make things easier, we've gathered together healthy menus that pair Mediterranean diet-friendly main dishes with sides for the entire week — mix and match them as you like. We've also dropped in a few breakfast suggestions to help keep things Mediterranean friendly all day. Here they are, a week's worth of complete meals for your healthy Mediterranean diet.
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Mediterranean Diet Menu #1
This menu starts with chicken tenders with balsamic-fig sauce. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts pair up with a red wine, balsamic vinegar, shallot, garlic, and fig sauce. Lutzflcat says, "The balsamic vinegar is a nice contrast to the sweet figs which add great texture, and the thyme provides just a bit of savoriness to this sweet and rich sauce." Pair it with a vibrant, herby quinoa tabbouleh; and a fresh, flavorful Mediterranean-inspired bean and tomato salad brightened up with a light, refreshing olive oil and lemon-juice dressing.
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Mediterranean Diet Menu #2
This menu begins with Moroccan-inspired white fish, which cooks on a bed of sauteed onions, garlic, bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, olives, and garbanzo beans. "This dish is wonderful, full of flavor and a healthy dinner," says Cindy McGary. We've paired it with a vegetarian grain salad featuring ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, cucumbers, red onion, pearl couscous, and a bright dressing.
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Mediterranean Diet Menu #3
For the main dish, strips of skinless, boneless chicken breast combine with grape tomatoes, green onions, zucchini, and sun-dried tomato pesto. Pair it up with steamed fresh kale tossed with a lemony dressing.
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Mediterranean Diet Menu #4
This Greek-inspired dinner features crispy, browned chicken and potatoes. "Best roasted chicken I have ever made," raves missmisty. Serve it with Chef John's Greek salad, which boasts a a healthy combo of crunchy cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, oregano, and feta cheese dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
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Mediterranean Diet Menu #5
"Flounder baked with fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, onion, and white wine," says Martin Kaplan. Serve with white rice and a green vegetable." Try it with Briam, a traditional Greek vegetable dish featuring roasted potatoes, zucchini, pureed tomatoes, red onions, and lots of olive oil; and/or a savory vegetable pilaf featuring chopped spinach, peas, garlic, onion, and tomatoes, with protein-rich millet, rosemary, and white wine.
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Mediterranean Diet Menu #6
Sicilian olive chicken is a saucy one-skillet chicken dish with tomatoes, spinach, olives, and capers. "Try Kalamata olives in place of the green Sicilians or a combination of both," says Breana Lai. Enjoy with Sicilian-style broccoli rabe. iMakeItRainInTheKitchen recommends serving it with "crusty Italian bread and some good vino. The best part is dipping the crusty bread in those juices. Buon appetito!"
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Mediterranean Diet Menu #7
"I love a classic meat sauce as much as the next half-Italian, but when I want something quick and easy for a weeknight meal, I reach for the tuna," says Chef John. "The taste and texture is really closer to a veal sauce than one made with fish." It will match up beautifully panzanella, a simple, rustic bread salad with tomatoes, crispy bread cubes, and fresh basil in a red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.
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