24 Cozy Vegetarian Dinners Perfect for the Mediterranean Diet

Alex Loh is EatingWell's associate food editor. As part of the food team, she creates healthy, delicious recipes for the EatingWell audience. Alex also writes informative food and cooking articles that range from how to store ground beef to the best picks from Trader Joe's. Alex conducts product and taste tests to find the best options, from salad spinners to salsas.

Lisa Valente is a registered dietitian and former senior digital nutrition editor for EatingWell. She studied at the University of Vermont, where she completed her undergraduate studies in nutrition, food science and dietetics, and attended the dietetic internship program at Massachusetts General Hospital to become a registered dietitian.

Enjoy a cozy vegetarian dinner with these flavorful recipes that are appropriate for the Mediterranean diet. These recipes are packed with nutritious vegetables, whole grains and legumes, which are all healthy Mediterranean Diet staples. Dinners like Vegan Mediterranean Lentil Soup and Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Quinoa with Arugula make it easy and delicious to follow this healthy eating pattern.

Roasted Gnocchi & Brussels Sprouts with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

In this quick vegetarian dinner recipe, you can skip boiling the gnocchi--they'll cook through while roasting on the sheet pan with the rest of the ingredients. If you can't find Meyer lemons, use 1 small regular lemon in Step 2 and use 4 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons orange juice in Step 4.

Mediterranean Ravioli with Artichokes & Olives

Store-bought spinach ravioli and a handful of basic pantry items are all you need to get a healthy dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Ingredients like oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives and toasty pine nuts help to build big flavor fast. If you can't find frozen artichokes, swap in a 15-ounce can (just be sure to drain and rinse them well).

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Stew

This Mediterranean stew is a healthy dinner chock-full of vegetables and hearty chickpeas. A drizzle of olive oil to finish carries the flavors of this easy vegan crock-pot stew. Swap out the chickpeas for white beans for a different twist, or try collards or spinach in place of the kale. Any way you vary it, this stew is sure to go into heavy rotation when you are looking for healthy crock-pot recipes.

Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms

Sliced Brussels sprouts and mushrooms cook quickly and cling to the pasta in our fall version of pasta primavera. Look for presliced mushrooms to cut prep time. Serve with a tossed salad.

Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

A mixture of tomatoes, spinach, feta, olives and fresh oregano gives portobellos a Mediterranean vibe in this healthy stuffed mushroom recipe. Serve these along with chicken, fish or tofu as a super-satisfying side dish, or add a hearty salad and make them the centerpiece of a vegetarian dinner.

Savory Bean Spinach Soup

Let a slow cooker complete this vegetarian soup. Serve it in cups as a sandwich side or ladle it into bowls for a light meal.

Tomato & Artichoke Gnocchi

Artichoke hearts, olives and a splash of red-wine vinegar give this ultra-quick, healthy vegetarian gnocchi recipe pizzazz. For an additional hit of Mediterranean flavor, try topping with feta cheese.

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Quinoa with Arugula

Chock-full of quinoa, chickpeas and vegetables, this salad is a meal in itself. The roasted red peppers, lemon, olives and feta add familiar Mediterranean flavor. If you want to provide a meat option, serve with grilled chicken.

Vegan Mediterranean Lentil Soup

This vegan Mediterranean lentil soup is packed with fresh ingredients and plenty of lentils that deliver a healthy dose of fiber in each bite. This vegan soup is the perfect cold-weather lunch or healthy dinner the whole family will love.

Mediterranean Cauliflower Pizza

In this healthy, gluten-free cauliflower "pizza" recipe, shredded cauliflower is mixed with mozzarella and oregano to make a flourless crust that echoes the flavor of a traditional pizza pie. The Meyer lemon, olive and sun-dried tomato topping adds a sophisticated Mediterranean flavor, but feel free to try more traditional pizza toppings, such as marinara sauce and mushrooms--even pepperoni.

EatingWell's Eggplant Parmesan

Here we bake breaded eggplant for crispy results with fewer calories to boot. This makeover of the classic recipe was originally developed by our Test Kitchen in 1995 and got an update in 2020 for our 30th anniversary issue.

Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

We've taken the key ingredients of the popular caprese salad--tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil--and piled them into portobello mushroom caps to make a delicious and satisfying vegetarian main dish.

Feta & Spinach Couscous Patties

Feta, spinach and dill flavor these tofu patties. Slice some lemon wedges and pick up some whole-wheat pita bread to serve with this Greek-inspired meal.

Lemony Linguine with Spring Vegetables

Instead of cooking pasta in a huge pot of water, here we use just 3 1/2 cups for this one-pot pasta recipe. When the pasta is al dente, most of the water has evaporated and the bit that's left is thickened with the starch that cooks off the pasta. With just a few add-ins like lemon and Parmesan cheese you have a delicious silky sauce. Want to use up your veggie stash in the freezer? Swap in 8 ounces frozen spinach for fresh.

Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Kale & Rice

You can vary the filling by substituting robust mustard greens or collards, or milder greens, such as spinach, escarole or Swiss chard. (Cook the greens until just tender in Step 2.)

Spanakopita-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

These stuffed portobello mushrooms have a filling inspired by the Greek spinach pie, spanakopita. To keep them quick, we ditched the phyllo, so they're great for an easy weeknight vegetarian dinner.

Baked Penne Florentine

This comforting and flavorful vegetarian dish is packed with protein.

Mediterranean Cabbage Soup

This vegan soup recipe is surprisingly easy to make. The flavorful broth is spiked with garlic, tomatoes and a hint of coriander. Just slice and dice your cabbage and fennel and you'll be enjoying this quick healthy soup in no time.

Caramelized Onion & White Bean Flatbread

Here we top pizza with herbed mashed beans, sliced plum tomatoes, sweet caramelized onions and some shredded Gouda for a tasty flatbread that will have you rethinking pizza toppings.

Stuffed Eggplant

In this Italian stuffed eggplant recipe, fresh breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and parsley make a simple, yet delicious filling for an "inside-out" eggplant Parmesan. Serve these stuffed eggplants as a light dinner along with a big salad.

Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom Pizzas with Arugula Salad

Roasted portobello mushrooms stand in for pizza crust in these comforting individual "pizzas." An easy arugula side salad makes a vibrant accompaniment.

Cartwheel Pasta with Peppers & Onions

This simple pasta recipe is one of the best ways to enjoy sweet bell peppers. The pasta sauce--red peppers stewed with caramelized onions and tomatoes--is tossed with wagon-wheel pasta for an easy and filling pasta dinner.

White Bean Soup (Fassoulatha)

A simple, rich stew of white beans. Serve with Mediterranean Tuna Panini.

Eggplant-Shallot Stew

This simple combination of coarsely mashed eggplant and shallots makes a quick vegetarian side dish or main dish.

Related Articles

• About Us
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Nutrition Guidelines
• Privacy Policy
• Product Reviews
• Advertise
• Terms of Service
• Careers
• EU Privacy
• Contact

We Care About Your Privacy

We and our 100 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

We and our partners process data to provide:

Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners (vendors)