When the weather outside is frightful, eat healthy with these Mediterranean diet winter recipes, they’re so delightful!
Sinatra would be so proud of me.
We always hear the Mediterranean diet is the fountain of youth and fitness. We do, we also hear how we need to eat with the seasons. Well, maybe it’s just me, but it’s pretty hard to know what season it is when the supermarket grows the same fruits and vegetables all year round. Berries are always in season, spinach and tomatoes are always there for you too.
Well, it took me a while, actually a year of gardening to understand that you can’t grow spinach in summer and peppers in spring. I even had to learn that I can’t have sheep’s yogurt after summer, because sheep don’t make milk when it starts getting cold. And chickens won’t lay eggs when they’re cold either. And I’m not an idiot. In fact, I had spent plenty of time during my childhood with my grandma who made everything herself. My grandparents grew their own food, made everything from scratch and used to milk the goats every evening. But I guess I spent most of my time there during summer.
My point is, we don’t know what’s in season and are told to eat with the seasons. Like, thank you for the tip. Of course, it depends where you live, but for those of us who live where there are seasons, we need to learn a bit more about the world around us. And not just eat chopped tomatoes grown in cotton under a lamp during winter and call it a Mediterranean salad.
There are many Mediterranean dishes suitable for cold weather, although the winter is usually mild in that region.
In general, to follow the Mediterranean diet during winter you want to stick to
- cold weather crops like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radishes, carrots, spinach
- or produce that can last a long time like potatoes, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, onions, garlic…
- fermented or preserved non-perishable foods (like spices, tomato paste, sauerkraut, dried beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds)
- You can also have whatever protein you wish!
Now to give you some ideas and inspiration, here are some tasty cold-weather Mediterranean diet winter recipes that you can try! The collection includes healthy winter salads and bowls, stews, soups and some breakfast recipes!
1. Easy Meatball Soup
Make this bowl of comfort for dinner using ground beef, noodles of choice, carrots, potatoes and onion.
2. Mediterranean Salmon Bowl
The combination for this Mediterranean bowl may sound weird, but trust the process! It’s one of my favorite recipes on the blog and it’s a reader favorite as well!
3. Easy Moussaka Skillet With Sweet Potatoes
This healthy and easy weeknight dinner will become your favorite Mediterranean diet recipe for winter! It calls for sweet potatoes, potatoes, ground meat, spices, garlic, onion and tomato paste. Don’t forget to serve with some garlic yogurt sauce as suggested in the recipe – the pairing is amazing!
4. 20-Minute Chickpea Soup
You need canned chickpeas, a tomato (you can also use canned), spinach and herbs to make this quick hearty soup!
5. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad With Beets
This is the winter version of a Mediterranean chickpea salad! It’s packed with flavor, fiber, protein and vitamins!
6. Easy Apple Cake
We’re using oats, yogurt, eggs and apples to make this delicious healthier apple cake! It’s a great coffee or tea cake, but if you’re busy – you can have it as a snack or breakfast on the go!
7. Spicy Ground Turkey Cauliflower Rice
I know, it’s not a traditional Mediterranean recipe, but it’s SO good and fits the Mediterranean diet pattern! The flavors are there and the recipe is super easy to make for dinner!
8. Avocado Chicken Lunch Bowls
Packed with vegetables, protein and fiber from the beans these bowls are easy to make for lunch or dinner!
9. Easy Spicy Vegetable Bean Soup
Make this simple nourishing soup using pre-cooked or canned beans, canned tomatoes, spices and seasonal vegetables like spinach and carrots.
10. Sauerkraut With Chicken and Bulgur
Even if you’re not a huge fan of sauekraut, if you’ve got some – try this recipe, it’s one of my favorite dinners when it’s cold!
11. Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
This amazing recipe for meatballs is customizable for any season – winter or summer alike! For winter use canned tomato sauce and cabbage.
12. Easy High-Fiber Salad
Packed with vitamins, fiber and flavor! You need some cabbage, lettuce, beans and corn to make this nutrient-packed salad!
13. Spinach and Rice
Another one to pair with yogurt garlic sauce! This Mediterranean diet recipe is comforting and perfect when the weather gets colder.
14. Homemade Potato Chicken Stew
Probably one of my favorite recipes to survive the harsh winter season! This stew is simple, but SO incredibly delicious!
15. Cauliflower Ground Beef Soup
The tomatoes, garlic and basil make this soup! It’s low in carbohydrates, but full of flavor and good for you healthy foods!
16. Bulgur and Lentils
Onions, butternut squash, garlic, mint and tomato sauce become best friends with bulgur and lentils and it’s SO delicious. Another Mediterranean recipe to enjoy with yogurt garlic sauce!
17. Homemade Chicken Barley Soup
The most comforting hearty homemade chicken soup!
18. Winter Salad With Tuna, Cabbage And Rice
Get those vitamins during winter and have this tasty salad with cabbage, lettuce, avocado, tuna and rice for lunch!
19. Lentil Soup
Make lentil soup from scratch with this easy, simple and cozy recipe!
20. Spicy Roasted Vegetable Chicken Bowls
These bowls are packed with roasted seasonal vegetables, spicy chicken, yogurt sauce and a good vitamin-rich salad!
21. Oatmeal Crepes
Make crepes, but a bit healthier by using oats instead of flour! This recipe is great for breakfast or dessert!
22. Mediterranean Rice and Chicken Bowls
Last one of our winter Mediterranean diet recipes, these bowls with chicken and rice are versatile and packed with flavor!
I hope you enjoy the recipes you try!
22 Mediterranean Diet Winter Recipes
When the weather outside is frightful, eat healthy with these Mediterranean diet winter recipes, they're so delightful! The collection includes healthy winter salads and bowls, stews, soups and some breakfast recipes!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 cups chicken, shredded
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot, thinly chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp hot paprika or as needed
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp water (if needed)
Tzatziki
- 1 cup cucumber, shredded or grated
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, thinly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup strained Greek yogurt
Black Pepper Rice
- 1/2 cup rice (I used basmati)
- 1 1/2 cup cauliflower, thinly chopped*
- 1 tsp black pepper kernels
- 1/2 onion, thinly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Additionally
- sauerkraut (optional)
- red onion
- red cabbage slaw
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 493Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 511mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 7gSugar: 12gProtein: 34g