Special Diets Mediterranean Diet 19 Low-Calorie Mediterranean Diet Dinners in Three Steps or Less By Sadie Schulte Sadie Schulte Sadie Schulte is EatingWell's editorial apprentice. She attends Iowa State University, where she is a senior studying advertising and fashion communications. During her time at college, she has worked as a reporter at the campus newspaper, the Iowa State Daily, where she writes about culture and lifestyle. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 7, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Greg DuPree From creamy skillets to simple sheet pan meals, these delicious and easy dinners are packed with staple ingredients of the Mediterranean diet, like omega-3 fatty acids, veggies, lean proteins and whole grains. Containing 575 calories or less per serving, these dinner recipes will help you reach your nutritional goals and come together in just three steps or less. Recipes like our Garlic Roast Salmon and Brussels Sprouts and our White Bean Sage Cauliflower Gnocchi are so flavorful and simple, you’ll want to make them again and again. 01 of 19 Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach Marty Baldwin Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are coated in a garlic cream sauce, while spinach adds a boost of color and nutrition in this easy, one-skillet recipe. View recipe 02 of 19 Garlic Roasted Salmon & Brussels Sprouts Roasting salmon on top of Brussels sprouts and garlic, flavored with wine and fresh oregano, is simple enough for a weeknight meal yet sophisticated enough to serve to company. Serve with whole-wheat couscous. View recipe 03 of 19 White Bean-Sage Cauliflower Gnocchi Turn lower-carb cauliflower gnocchi into a complete and satisfying meal with this riff on classic brown butter and sage gnocchi. We added beans to amp up the fiber and protein for a fast and healthy dinner. View recipe 04 of 19 Vegetarian Potato-Kale Soup Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee This healthy soup recipe has a rich, yet light and velvety texture. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of wine for a cozy meal. View recipe 05 of 19 Smoked Turkey, Kale & Rice Bake This hearty one-skillet dinner is loaded with celery, kale, tomatoes and quick-cooking brown rice. It's easy to make the recipe vegetarian by substituting smoked tofu for the turkey. View recipe 06 of 19 Cauliflower Tikka Masala with Chickpeas In this vegetarian riff on a popular Indian dish, we swap in cauliflower and chickpeas for the chicken in tikka masala. The cauliflower's nooks and crannies are particularly good at soaking up all the intense flavors of the sauce. Serve over rice for an easy healthy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes. View recipe 07 of 19 Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon and Fennel This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes. View recipe 08 of 19 Creamy Skillet Chicken with Spinach & Mushrooms Marty Baldwin Chicken cutlets are topped with a spinach-mushroom cream sauce for a flavorful yet healthy dinner. Serve over pasta or grains to soak up the sauce. View recipe 09 of 19 Salmon Chowder The flavor of this salmon chowder recipe is greatly enhanced by adding either fresh dill or dried tarragon: each herb lends its own distinctive flavor to the soup. To give this soup a thick, chowder texture, we use instant mashed potatoes, which eliminates the need for heavy cream or butter. Leftover mashed potatoes work too, but give a slightly less-velvety texture. View recipe 10 of 19 Salmon Caesar Salad This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too. View recipe 11 of 19 Roasted Vegetable & Black Bean Tacos These hearty vegan tacos are quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights. They are so tasty no one will miss the meat or dairy. View recipe 12 of 19 Creamy Lemon-Basil Chicken Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn This ultra-quick creamy lemon-basil chicken is bright and refreshing. Using whole lemon slices in the sauce gathers the essential oils from the rind plus the acidic punch from the flesh and adds more depth of flavor than juice and zest alone. View recipe 13 of 19 Turkey-Vegetable Bake Need to use up leftover turkey from the holidays? Make this low fat casserole. It's made with brown rice and lots of vegetables. View recipe 14 of 19 Squash & Red Lentil Curry This healthy red lentil curry recipe has a rich flavor and complexity that tastes like it takes hours to prepare. Butternut squash and coconut milk combine with the lentils to make a hearty vegetarian dish. Serve with brown rice or naan bread. View recipe 15 of 19 Baked Cod with Chorizo & White Beans This recipe follows the Spanish and Portuguese tradition of pairing mild white fish with full-flavored cured sausage--just a bit gives the whole dish a rich, smoky flavor. Make it a meal: Enjoy with steamed green beans and roasted potatoes tossed with thyme and coarse salt. View recipe 16 of 19 Herby Cod with Roasted Tomatoes Oregano, thyme and paprika flavor the cod in this 15-minute, Mediterranean-inspired meal. Olives, capers and roasted cherry tomatoes add color and zest to each bite. View recipe 17 of 19 Easy Tomato & Balsamic Pasta Salad Andrea Mathis, M.A., R.D.N., L.D. This easy pasta salad is packed with fresh flavor from tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar. It takes just 10 minutes to make and while you could eat it right away, it tastes even better the longer it sits, so plan to leave at least an hour of marinating time before serving. Make a batch to have for lunch this week, serve it alongside a healthy protein source for dinner or bring it to your next potluck. View recipe 18 of 19 Tofu & Broccoli Stir-Fry We like broccoli best in this tofu stir-fry, but any mixture of vegetables you have on hand will work. One way to get great tofu texture without deep-frying is to toss the tofu in cornstarch before stir-frying. Let it cook for several minutes without stirring to help it develop a little crust. Serve with: Chinese egg noodles or rice noodles and a glass of Riesling. View recipe 19 of 19 Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale Greg DuPree Loading up your pasta with vegetables like the kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying. View recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit