39 Mediterranean Recipes That Will Make You Feel Like You’re Eating By The Sea (2024)

Traditionally stuffed with a meat and rice mixture, dolmas can also be made vegetarian (known as yalancı dolma, or “fake dolma”). Here we stick to rice with lots of herbs and spices, plus some currants for flavor and pine nuts for texture.

Get the Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves) recipe.

These Greek donuts were given to Olympic winners in Ancient Greece. Too bad this isn’t a reward anymore! Now they're eaten around special occasion, but we say make these just for fun or to impress your guests at the next dinner party.

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This one-pot recipe is the perfect way to spruce up chicken breasts with bright Mediterranean flavors without dirtying all the pots and pans in your kitchen. Serve this up with your favorite sides, like orzo or couscous, to soak up all the sauce.

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Greek lemon potatoes—aka patates lemonates—just might be the ideal way to make potatoes. Crispy yet tender, tangy and bright, these potatoes are the perfect pairing to countless dinner mains.

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The best part of this herby, garlicky dream? Your sides and main will both be ready in under an hour, making this an ideal last-minute, filling dinner. We paired this one-pan meal with roasted zucchini and asparagus, but feel free to switch it up.

Get the Garlicky Greek Chicken recipe.

Drumsticks are the unsung hero of dinner in this easy-to-execute, one-pan, Greek-inspired chicken meal. A tasty sprinkle of tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and dill give the whole dish a fresh finish—think main and salad all in one!

Get the One-Pan Greek Chicken Drumsticks recipe.

This easy, fresh recipe is filled with all of our favorite bright Mediterranean flavors and mix-ins, like sweet tomatoes, briny olives, cucumber, and tangy feta, but you can toss in any veggies, cheese and dressing you like.

Get the Greek Orzo Salad recipe.

The flavors in this recipe take their cues from shawarma, the popular Levantine dish that features thin cuts of seasoned meat. The traditional street food is turned into a family-friendly meal where each bite of flavorful chicken is nicely balanced by the tomato-cucumber-feta salad and chewy orzo.

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Ticket for one to Greece please! What's that? Too expensive? Sigh. We'll have to settle for these epically tasty homemade sandwiches. Pronounced YEE-roh or ZHEE-roh (it rhymes with hero), gyro sandwiches are packed with delicious spiced lamb, crunchy fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and tangy herb-and-cucumber tzatziki sauce.

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A classic Greek street food, souvlaki consists of tender pieces of marinated meat that have been skewered (in Greece “souvla” means skewer) and cooked on a grill. What results is a tender, flavorful main that’s perfect to be served alongside veggies for the easiest summer dinner or added to a salad for a healthy lunch.

Get the Chicken Souvlaki recipe.

There's nothing as creamy and decadent as Italian risotto. This easy rice dish is as comforting as it comes and isn't as intimidating as it seems—follow our tips for success, and trust us, each time you make it, it will get better and better!

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According to food historians, the first Niçoise salad (from Nice, on France’s southeastern coast) contained only tomatoes, olive oil, and anchovies. Over the years, ingredients have been added and subtracted, so we figured we’d follow our stomachs and gather some of our favorites: crunchy cucumbers, tender boiled potatoes and green beans, briny black olives and capers, jammy boiled eggs, tuna, and a punch of salty umami a la anchovy fillets.

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Shawarma refers to the Middle Eastern method cooking where thin slices of meat are stacked on a vertical rotating spit in front of a fire or other heat source. The outside meat is slowly cooked and then shaved off to serve. Our version varies a little by being baked in the oven but still mimics the traditional tender, juicy, and well-spiced meat.

Get the Chicken Shawarma recipe.

The lemon-parsley vinaigrette perfectly ties together all the Mediterranean-inspired ingredients here. Feel free to sub in or out your favorite ingredients, including adding some hard-boiled eggs or canned salmon to turn it into a full meal.

Get the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad recipe.

We think it's due time that halloumi, the brined Cypriot cheese, got its time in the spotlight. Besides the delightfully squeaky texture (where the cheese curd lovers at?) and the tangy, salty flavor, the high melting point is really what makes this cheese stand out—when heat is applied, it develops a delicious golden crust that is so delightful in this salad.

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Hummus is one of our favorite dips, made even better by how simple it is to make. Made from blending chickpeas, tahini, and a few other simple ingredients in a food processor, it’s the easiest last-minute appetizer or satisfying snack to throw together.

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We like our eggplant-based, Levantine baba ghanoush GARLICKY. If you don't, skip grating the raw clove in at the end. Without it, you'll have a more subtle (slightly sweet) garlic flavor that will still make everyone very, very happy. Accompanied by crudités and pita chips, you really can't go wrong.

Get the Baba Ghanoush recipe.

Pasta alla Norma is an easy Sicilian pasta dish with pan-fried eggplant, lots of ricotta salata, and a quick marinara sauce. The homemade sauce incorporates the oil that the eggplant is cooked in, which adds incredible flavor and mouthfeel.

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Originating in North Africa and now strongly associated with Israeli cuisine, shakshuka typically involves cooking eggs in a sauce of tomatoes and red peppers. Ours is mildly spicy, full of flavor, and has perfectly runny eggs.

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Cucumbers, tomato, feta, olives, and avocado combine to create a salad that may just be your go-to office lunch from here on out. Hot tip for taking this salad to go: Ditch the whisking and throw all the dressing ingredients into a jar or small container. Right before you eat, give the jar a good shake, and you will have a perfectly emulsified vinaigrette.

Get the Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad recipe.