You want to follow the Mediterranean diet because it is a healthy eating plan with a wide variety of foods that allows you to prepare tasty and colourful dishes. But, you are missing simple recipes to put into practice and enjoy throughout the year.
Today, from thedietmd.com, taking into account that minor difficulty, we share ten easy recipes for the Mediterranean diet. These simple preparations and dishes range from the most classic to some special ones for winter and summer.
So, don’t waste time and take note of these simple recipes to start doing the Mediterranean Diet today with dishes that the whole family will enjoy.
Table of Contents
1 – Strawberry Spinach Sprout Salad
Ingredients
- One hundred fifty grs. of spinach sprouts.
- 150 grs. Strawberries.
- Fifty grams of toasted pine nuts.
- 100 grs. Of goat cheese.
- Shall
- Pepper
- 200 ml of balsamic vinegar
- Five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
- Two teaspoons of honey.
Preparation
The first thing to do is to prepare the dressing, and to do this, place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and cook until it is reduced by half. Reserve
Mix the spinach sprouts and the previously washed strawberries for the salad and cut lengthwise in a bowl, adding the toasted pine nuts and seasoning with salt and pepper. Reserve
Mix the vinegar reduction, olive oil and honey in another bowl, beating until everything is well emulsified.
Serve the salad by crushing the goat cheese and dressing it with the dressing.
We spread the salad on the plates and crumbled the goat cheese. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and sauce with the dressing.
2 – Lentil stew
An excellent suggestion for using legumes is to prepare them as a stew; lentils are ideal for this dish.
Ingredients
- 250 grams of lentils.
- One zucchini.
- Two carrots
- One onion.
- One clove of garlic.
- One bay leaf.
- Two small tomatoes.
- Three teaspoons of olive oil.
- Parsley.
- Salt and pepper.
Preparation
Let the lentils soak for at least 3 hours.
Peel the onion, garlic, carrot and zucchini, and chop them roughly.
Sauté the onion and garlic in a saucepan with two teaspoons of olive oil and cook for 1 minute.
Add the rest of the vegetables, the bay leaf and the hydrated lentils, cooking everything over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Wash the tomatoes and, chop them, season with salt, peppermint and the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Serve the lentils in individual pots, adding the chopped tomatoes and parsley.
3 – Spaghetti with seafood sauce
Combining dry or fresh pasta with seafood is a delicious and simple recipe for Mediterranean food.
Ingredients
- 500 grams of spaghetti.
- Five hundred grams of assorted seafood.
- Three tomatoes, peeled and diced.
- One cup of liquid cream.
- ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
- Two tablespoons of chopped parsley.
- Two cloves of ground garlic.
- Two butter spoons.
- Olive oil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation
The seafood must be boiled for 3 minutes in water and salt to prepare the sauce.
Cook the spaghetti in water and salt.
In a frying pan, melt the butter and a tablespoon of olive oil, sautéing the minced garlic there, add the shellfish and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add
the liquid cream to the sauce and stir, seasoning the preparation.
Add the Parmesan cheese, tomato, and chopped parsley to the sauce, stir and remove from the heat.
Serve the spaghetti with the seafood sauce.
4 – Calf stew
The beef stew is a tasty stew that allows you to include vegetables in its preparation, being easy and quick to prepare.
Ingredients
- Seven hundred fifty grs. of veal needle.
- Salt and black pepper
- Olive oil.
- Two onions.
- Two cloves of garlic
- One bay leaf.
- One sprig of rosemary.
- One glass of white wine
- Comino.
- One litre of beef broth.
Preparation
Season the meat, previously cut into cubes and brown it in a saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the two onions cut into strips, the two sliced garlic cloves, the bay leaf and the rosemary sprig and continue cooking until the onion is transparent.
Add a glass of white wine and let it evaporate.
Season with the cumin; I add the meat broth until the meat is covered in liquid.
Cook for about two hours over low heat or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Serve the caldera of veal accompanied by white rice.
5 – Anchovies in vinegar
The anchovies in vinegar are easy to prepare, and we can taste them anytime.
Ingredients
- 1 kg. of anchovies.
- 100 ml of vinegar.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Shall.
- Five cloves of garlic
- Parsley.
Preparation
Clean the anchovies well, separate the loins, wash them well with water and dry them with a cloth; place them side by side in a deep dish, and cover them with cold water, leaving them in the refrigerator for two hours that they bleach well.
In a saucepan, place a mixture of one-third of water and two-thirds of vinegar and leave the anchovies marinating in that liquid for 45 minutes.
Drain the loins and place them in a bowl, covering them with oil and covering the bowl tightly to freeze the preparation for 48 hours.
After the stipulated time, defrost the anchovies, and remove the oil that will look like a gel. Reserve
Very finely chop two cloves of garlic and parsley and mix with four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and two tablespoons of vinegar.
To serve as an aperitif, arrange the anchovies on a plate and cover with the dressing, sprinkling with chopped parsley.
6 – Quinoa salad with chicken
Chicken combines very well with quinoa and is a typical Mediterranean dish in which you cannot miss the classic olive oil.
Ingredients
- Three chicken breast fillets.
- One glass of raw quinoa.
- Three chicken breast fillets
- Four tomatoes cherry.
- Parsley.
- Shall.
- Lemon juice.
- Olive oil.
Preparation
Rinse the quinoa in a colander under cold water for a few minutes and drain well. Reserve
In a frying pan, place olive oil and add the quinoa, cooking for two minutes.
Add two glasses of water, and when it boils, let it cook over low heat with the pan covered for 20 minutes.
Grill the breasts, browning on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and cut into strips.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.
Let the quinoa cool and mix with the chicken and tomato, adding salt, chopped parsley and if you want any spices.
Prepare a vinaigrette with olive oil and lemon juice, season and add to the salad before serving.
7 – Eggplants with tomato sauce
This recipe combines the fibre and nutrients of the vegetables and the delicious flavour of olive oil.
Ingredients
- Three medium aubergines.
- 1 kg. of ripe tomatoes.
- Four cloves of garlic
- One teaspoon of oregano.
- Powdered cumin.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Honey.
- Shall.
Preparation
Cut the aubergines into thin slices, salt them and put them to drain for an hour in a colander.
Chop the tomatoes.
In a frying pan, place plenty of oil, and when it is hot, fry the aubergines on both sides and drain them on kitchen paper.
Finely chop the garlic cloves and sauté them for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently and taking care not to brown them excessively, adding the chopped tomatoes.
Add salt and pepper and continue cooking for about 20 minutes with the container covered and another 15 minutes without a lid.
Remove the aubergines carefully and blend the tomatoes, adding the oregano and cumin, heating everything for ten minutes.
Serve the aubergines and place the tomato sauce on them.
8 – Lamb casserole
A delicious casserole is prepared with lamb meat, cinnamon, cumin, and saffron flavours.
Ingredients
- 750 gr of the chopped leg of lamb.
- Three small onions.
- Two carrots
- One clove garlic
- Cinnamon powder.
- Comino.
- Peppers.
- Saffron.
- 100 grs. Of green and black olives.
- Olive oil.
- Shall.
- Pepper.
Preparation
Season the lamb and sprinkle with cinnamon, cumin and paprika, leaving the meat to marinate for an hour in the fridge.
Peel the onions and carrots, and cut them into slices.
Brown the lamb in a saucepan in 2 tablespoons of oil, remove and sauté the onion and carrot in the same oil in the same oil, adding the minced garlic for about 15 minutes and cook everything for a minute.
Add the lamb to the casserole again, cover with water and add the saffron, rectifying the salt.
Cook the preparation for an hour with the pan covered.
After the cooking time, add the olives and continue cooking for ten more minutes.
Remove from heat and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
9 – Lemon cream tartlets
A simple sweet to prepare with all the flavour and aroma of lemon.
Ingredients
- One hundred seventy-five grs. of puff pastry.
- Mild olive oil.
- One vanilla bean.
- 150 ml of milk.
- Juice of ½ lemon
- One egg.
- One egg yolk.
- 25 grams of sugar.
- 25 grams Of flour.
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest.
- Powdered sugar
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Cut the puff pastry into 12 discs about 7 centimetres in diameter and line tartlet moulds previously greased with oil.
Fill with chickpeas and bake for 12 minutes.
Open the vanilla and remove the seeds that will be added to the milk before bringing it to a boil. Remove, let it cool and filter it.
Beat the egg with the yolk, the sugar and the sifted flour, add the milk, and cook to low heat for 5 minutes until it thickens. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Whip the cream and add the juice and lemon zest, spreading the cold cream over the cooked tartlets.
Bake the tartlets for 12 minutes at 170 ° C. Let cool, unmold and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
10 – Catalan cream
Catalan cream is a classic dessert that is easy and quick to make.
Ingredients
- Five egg yolks.
- 600 ml of milk.
- 100 grs. Of sugar.
- 25 grams of Maizena.
- ½ lemon peel
- Cinnamon stick.
- 30 grams of sugar (to caramelize)
Preparation
Place half of the milk, the lemon peel and the cinnamon stick in a saucepan, cooking over medium heat until it almost boils.
Mix the sugar and the yolks in a bowl with the rest of the milk and cornstarch; add all this to the yolks and mix well.
Add the hot milk and stir without stopping, straining it to remove the remains of the lemon peel and the cinnamon stick.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to low heat, cooking without stopping, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it thickens and becomes creamy. Remove from the fire.
Pour the cream into the containers, cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge for 4 hours.
Once cold and before serving, spread a generous layer of sugar on the surface and burn with the help of a blowtorch or a kitchen plate.
My name is Ellie Lauderdale, MD and I am USA based professional Nutritionist .
I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and board certified specialist in sports dietetics who is trained in integrative medicine. I have worked with hundreds of clients, from those suffering with chronic disease to professional and olympian athletes. My goal is to help optimize you from the inside so that you can feel, perform, and look your best on the outside.