30-Day Low-Calorie Mediterranean Diet Dinner Plan

By

Danielle DeAngelis

Published on April 26, 2023

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Trending Videos

Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks

End each day on a high note this month with this nutritious, flavor-packed dinner plan. With no more than 575 calories per serving, these low-calorie dinners are filling yet light choices for a healthy evening meal. Plus, with balanced ingredients like whole grains, healthy fats, a variety of vegetables and lean protein, these delicious dishes fit well into one of the healthiest eating patterns around: the Mediterranean diet. Recipes like our Sheet-Pan Shrimp, Pineapple & Peppers with Rice and 20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas are tasty meals you'll look forward to making all month long.

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Vegetarian Tacos

a recipe photo of the Clean Out Your Fridge Vegetarian Tacos — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

Got veggies in your fridge? Turn them into tacos! This flexible recipe pairs roasted root vegetables of your choice with a crunchy, sweet and spicy pickle filling. We stuck with traditional toppings of crumbled cheese, cabbage and sour cream, but any toppings—from your favorite salsa to guacamole—will work well.

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Sheet-Pan Shrimp, Pineapple & Peppers with Rice

ck-Sheet Pan Hawaiian Shrimp — Greg Dupree

This incredibly easy seafood dinner uses fresh pineapple and a teriyaki-style sauce a sweet-and-tangy flavor profile. The pineapple also concentrates as it bakes and helps keep the rice mixture from becoming too dry. Rather than spreading the rice to the far edges of the sheet pan, keep it closer to the center and layer the vegetables and shrimp on top. This way their juices seep right into the rice, and the teriyaki drizzle coats every bite.

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Linguine with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This easy pasta recipe is an excuse to buy wild mushrooms, available at many grocery stores these days. Or if you prefer white buttons, those will work well too. The creamy linguine is ready in 40 minutes, so it's quick enough for an easy weeknight recipe but it feels fancy enough for entertaining.

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20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas — Caitlin Bensel

Quick tip: While the sauce cooks, shred the chicken. For a spicy kick, top with chopped jalapeños.

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Chhole (Chickpea Curry)

This healthy Indian recipe is a flavorful chickpea curry that you can make in just 20 minutes. Also called chana masala, this dish is a comforting and delicious dinner.

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White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi

White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi — Jacob Fox

Sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this recipe— providing texture and umami. Combined with the spinach, they make this dish a great source of vitamins C and K.

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Salmon with Potatoes & Horseradish Sauce

Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce image — Romulo Yanes; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

You can't go wrong when you start with salmon and a sour cream sauce, especially if the sauce is flavored with dill and horseradish. Fill out the plate with a side of steamed green beans.

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Mom's Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Mom's Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole — Brian Woodcock; Styling: Cindy Barr

This lightened-up creamy chicken casserole is packed with veggies. The sauce at the heart of this family-friendly casserole uses fat-free milk with a combination of fat-free Greek-style yogurt and a little mayonnaise to give it body.

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Fast Skillet Chicken Cacciatore

Fast Skillet Chicken Cacciatore — Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Lean chicken breasts cook quickly--in just 15 minutes compared to the hour-long braise in most cacciatore recipes. If you'd like more heat in the sauce, kick up the crushed red pepper to 1/2 teaspoon.

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Green Goddess Ricotta Pasta

a recipe photo of the Green Goddess Ricotta Pasta — Photographer: Sara Baurley, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

We take the flavors of green goddess dressing—lemon, anchovy and herbs—and use them as the base for a colorful, bright pasta sauce. We like a mix of basil, chives, parsley and tarragon, but you can mix herbs depending on what you have on hand. Adding ricotta to the sauce creates a luscious, velvety texture, while the acidity from the lemon juice balances out the creaminess. We use shells, which hold the pools of sauce well, but you could easily swap in another noodle if you prefer. To amp up the veggies even more, try adding asparagus or peas to the dish.

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Chicken Mushroom Potpie

Chicken Mushroom Potpie — Justin Walker; Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart

This homey pie boasts creamy, savory sauce and refrigerated piecrust dough for convenience.

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Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice

Amp up your veggie servings with this healthy cauliflower fried rice for a quick low-carb dinner.

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One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

This chicken Parmesan pasta uses the one-pot pasta method to cook your noodles, chicken and sauce all in one skillet for a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup.

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Air-Fryer Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Air-Fryer Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a classic family meal--and they're fun to eat, too. Instead of roasting the sweet peppers in the oven, use an air fryer to get them crisp-tender but not soggy.

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Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.

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Easy Salmon Cakes

These healthy salmon cakes are a delicious way to boost your intake of omega-3s. It is also a great way to use convenient canned (or leftover) salmon.

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One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This one-pot pasta with tangy tomato-basil sauce is a simple, fast and easy weeknight dinner. All of your ingredients go into one pot, and with a bit of stirring and about 25 minutes of cook time, you'll have a healthy dinner the whole family will enjoy.

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Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks with Potatoes

Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Use your favorite dried herb blend to season both the drumsticks and the sauce in this healthy sheet-pan dinner. A garlic-and-herb mix is crowd-pleasing, but something with a little more heat, like Cajun seasoning, would be delicious too. Whichever way you go, opt for a salt-free version to keep the sodium down in this quick and easy chicken recipe.

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30-Minute Roasted Salmon Tacos

a recipe photo of the Roasted Salmon Tacos with Corn Pepper Salsa — Sara Haas

A honey-and-chipotle glaze gives this roasted salmon a sweet and spicy kick. If you have time, consider grilling or broiling the corn for a few minutes for additional flavor. Short on time? Thawed frozen corn can be used in place of fresh.

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Creamy Chicken-Tomato Skillet

Creamy Chicken-Tomato Skillet — Caitlin Bensel

Yes! You can make chicken and rice in 20 minutes. When a craving for comfort food hits and you need it in a hurry, this fast take on chicken and rice hits the spot. Stirring chopped baby spinach into warm brown rice is a smart way to get more vegetables and jazz up an otherwise plain starchy side. Our pro tips for speedy cooking: Cut chicken into bite-size pieces so it cooks in just a few minutes, use precooked rice and heat it in the microwave, then use the hot rice to wilt the spinach for you while you finish the chicken. Fresh thyme, chopped basil, or parsley are all good stand-ins for the rosemary. Round out the meal with a glass of sauvignon blanc.

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Cashew, Chickpea & Pasta Salad with Cilantro-Mint-Shallot Vinaigrette

a recipe photo of the Cashew, Chickpea & Avocado Salad with Coriander-Mint-Shallot Vinaigrette — Sara Haas

In our humble opinion, the dressing makes this salad. Tangy and zesty with a bit of a crunch from the shallots, this cilantro-mint-shallot vinaigrette will quickly become your go-to. Make the dressing and chop up the veggies while you wait for the pasta to cook, then mix everything and enjoy!

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Vegetarian Tacos with Zucchini & Corn

a recipe photo of the Vegetarian Tacos with Zucchini and Corn — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

These fresh vegetarian tacos with zucchini and corn take advantage of summer's best produce. The chipotle-infused refried beans add a layer of heat. For vegan tacos, skip the queso fresco and add chopped avocado in its place.

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Brown Rice Shrimp Bowl with Tomatoes & Avocado

Brown Rice Shrimp Bowl with Tomatoes & Avocado

This quick and easy bowl pairs brown rice with cooked shrimp, tossed in a ginger-soy-sesame sauce, to create a flavorful dish in no time. Topping with tomatoes and avocado adds color and nutrients. Use leftover brown rice or pick up a package of pre-cooked brown rice from the grocery store to keep this meal no-cook.

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Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Butter-Chive Pasta

ck-Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Butter-Chive Pasta Image — Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower, Claire Spollen

You'll be amazed how crisp these schnitzel-inspired cutlets get with only 6 minutes of cooking.

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Seafood & Chicken Paella with Peas

mr-traditional-spanish-paella 2019 — Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

If mussels aren't your favorite, you can easily substitute littleneck clams in their place--just be sure to thoroughly scrub the clams' shells in cold water before using. To round out the meal, choose a good Spanish red wine from the Rioja region, grab a crusty baguette, and serve with salad.

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Cauliflower Steaks with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

a recipe photo of the Cauliflower Steaks with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce — Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Annie Probst

These cauliflower steaks with sun-dried tomato cream sauce are easy to make. Each head of cauliflower yields about two steaks. You can roast any extra florets that fall off the core, or save them for another night. Serve this vegetarian dinner with a piece of crusty whole-grain bread to sop up the leftover sauce.

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Kung Pao Tofu

a recipe photo of the Kung Pao Tofu — Laura Kanya

Kung pao sauce is typically made with dark soy sauce and sugar—we lightened it up in calories but still kept the dark color by swapping in a touch of molasses. Cooking the tofu and vegetables over high heat means they get crisp on the outside but stay tender in the center.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Stew

Slow-Cooker Chicken White Bean Stew

This load-and-go slow-cooker chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve this Tuscan-inspired dish with crusty bread, a glass of Chianti and a salad.

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Fast Chicken Chili

Fast Chicken Chili — Mary Britton Senseney/Wonderful Machine; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

This quickie chili comes together in a flash, making it ideal for busy weeknights. Stirring mashed cannellini beans into the chili adds body. You could also use navy or pinto beans.

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Baked Ziti & Summer Veggies

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies — John Autry and Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

Add pops of color to this 40-minute baked ziti with summer veggies like squash, zucchini, and tomato.

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