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Here’s a monthly Mediterranean diet meal plan! It’s got lots of recipes, inspiration, and planning ideas to help you create a month of healthy meals.
Need healthy food to cook this month? Here at A Couple Cooks, Alex and I have spent years decades creating recipes for healthy meals. We’ve written two cookbooks (Pretty Simple Cooking and A Couple Cooks), and have devoted our careers to helping connect people to every day healthy recipes.
Here’s our new 28 day Mediterranean diet meal plan, designed to do exactly that! The goal of this plan is to help you make a sustainable practice of cooking and eating healthy food at home. In the process, we hope you’ll become inspired and find a handful of recipes you’ll make again and again! (If you like, subscribe to our newsletter for new weekly recipes.)
Is this Mediterranean diet meal plan right for you?
This Mediterranean diet meal plan is right for you if you eat a variety of foods but want to focus on veggies. This meal plan includes fish, shellfish, chicken, vegetarian, and plant based / vegan recipes. If you eat exclusively vegetarian or vegan, choose our 28 Day Vegetarian Meal Plan, 28 Day Vegan Meal Plan, or 28 Day Plant Based Diet Meal Plan.
If you have a very specific diet or health condition, consult a medical professional to understand whether these recipes are right for you.
What makes our Mediterranean diet meal plan different?
One problem with standard meal planning calendars and weekly meal plans is that they offer no flexibility. Many meal plans call for cooking something new every day of the week. They’re overwhelming with the amount of food prep! Many also don’t account for your schedule: what if Monday nights I have a weekly meeting where I eat dinner? Or this Friday night I’m going out with friends?
Here’s what makes our Mediterranean diet meal plan different:
- It focuses on dinner ideas. Dinner is the main meal where Alex and I cook and get the majority of our nutrients for the day. Our approach is this: Go big on dinner. Go super simple on breakfast and lunch. At the bottom of the meal plan you’ll find lists of healthy breakfast ideas, snack ideas, and lunch ideas.
- The approach: Pick 3. Each week, we offer 3 healthy dinner ideas. You can make them on any day that week! This encourages you to customize the ideas based on your schedule and particular tastes, and to eat up leftovers.
- Repeat your favorites! Offering only 3 dinner ideas encourages you to make dinner ideas you liked from previous weeks.
What if this meal plan doesn’t work for me?
It’s possible this meal plan might not work for you – and that’s ok! This meal plan might provide too much flexibility for you. There might not be enough options. Or, you might not like the style of these recipes. This meal plan is not for everyone, but it’s an outline of how Alex and I cook on a weekly basis.
Run out of dinner recipes? We’ve got hundreds! Here are some places to browse:
How to use this meal plan
Before you start: here’s how to use our Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan!
- Pick at least 3 dinner ideas. Alex and I don’t cook every night! We make enough for leftovers and eat them throughout the week, sometimes re-purposing them in new ways. For this meal plan, pick 3 days that you want to cook dinners. Fill in the other days with eating leftovers, “clean out the fridge” meals, or allowing for meals out. If you need more healthy dinner ideas for that week: pick another one of our other Dinner Recipes, or our 28 Day Healthy Meal Plan and 28 Day Pescatarian Meal Plan.
- Fill in breakfast, lunch, and snacks ideas. We like to keep breakfast, lunches, and snacks SUPER simple. If possible, things that don’t use recipes are great: like carrots and hummus, English muffins with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit. Doing this, we save our cooking energy for dinner.
- If you want, use a spreadsheet! Making a meal plan spreadsheet makes things much more tangible than just using a list! Once you’ve taken stock of what nights you’ll have time to cook, copy in the links to your dinners for the week, then add links for breakfast, snacks, and lunches. We suggest filling out the meal plan on the weekend (Sundays seem to be good for many people).
- Read the meal prep planning notes. Below each week of healthy dinner ideas, we’ve included some meal prep planning notes to help with ways to make ahead or prep in advance.
Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan
Dinner Ideas Week 1
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home on the days for Week 1! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
- Mediterranean Bowls (45 minutes)
- Salmon with Capers (30 minutes) + Pesto Quinoa
- Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo (25 minutes) + Easy Arugula Salad
- Shrimp and Orzo Skillet (30 minutes)
- Leftovers from above*
*Meal Prep Plan Notes
- Mediterranean Bowls: You can make the tahini sauce in advance and refrigerate until serving. You could make the quinoa in advance and refrigerate; consider making a big pot of quinoa and use it in the Salmon and Mediterranean Bowls.
- Salmon: If using frozen salmon, make sure to refrigerate the night before. It’s an easy recipe so not much can be made in advance. (The caper butter could be, but you’ll have to re-melt it anyway.) You can make the quinoa in advance and refrigerate: wait to mix it with the pesto until the day of serving.
- Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo: Make the sauce in advance and refrigerate until serving. Reheat and serve with fresh cooked pasta for a quick and easy meal. Make the salad while the pasta boils.
- Shrimp and Orzo: If you’re using frozen shrimp, throw it in the refrigerator the night before.
Dinner Ideas Week 2
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home on the days for Week 2! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
- Greek Chicken (40 minutes)
- Easy Sheet Pan Dinner (45 minutes)
- Lentil Sloppy Joes (30 minutes)
- Nicoise Salad or Salmon Nicoise Salad (40 minutes)
- Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1
- Leftovers from above*
Meal Plan Prep Notes
- Greek Chicken: Serve with rice like lemon rice, basil rice, or pesto rice, easy lemon orzo or orzo salad, or easy couscous or couscous salad. Or try green salads like chopped salad, kale salad, or arugula salad
- Sheet Pan Dinner: Chop the veggies in advance, then just pop them in the oven the day of serving. Or, you can roast them in advance and just reheat in a 350 degree oven until heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes. You also can make the rice or quinoa in advance and reheat prior to serving.
- Lentil Sloppy Joes: Cook the lentils in advance, then make the sauce the day of. Even better, make the entire filling in advance (it tastes better as it sits). If you’re serving with Pickled onions, make those in advance too.
- Nicoise Salad: This classic French salad has lots of components, but they can all be made ahead! Make the hard boiled eggs, beans, potatoes, and lemon vinaigrette in advance and refrigerate until serving. Make sure to let the dressing come to room temp before serving.
Dinner Ideas Week 3
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home on the days for Week 4! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
- Shrimp Fra Diavolo (30 minutes) + Arugula Beet Salad
- 7 Ingredient Lentil Soup or Curry Lentil Soup (45 minutes)
- Chickpea Burgers or Falafel Burgers (40 minutes)
- Chicken Meatballs (30 minutes)
- Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1 or 2
- Leftovers from above*
Meal Plan Prep Notes
- Shrimp Fra Diavolo: If you’re using frozen shrimp, throw it in the refrigerator the night before. For the arugula salad, use store-bought boiled beets for easiest prep.
- Lentil Soup: You could make the entire soup in advance and refrigerate: it saves well. (Leftovers also freeze well.) Or you could chop the veggies in advance to speed up prep.
- Chickpea Burgers: These save well! Make the entire burger in advance and refrigerate or freeze until serving. Consider making a double batch. You can also make the shiitake bacon in advance. For gluten-free, serve without the bun or on a salad with tahini sauce drizzle.
- Chicken Meatballs: Use your favorite jarred marinara sauce for easy prep. These are easy to make in advance and refrigerate.
Healthy Dinner Ideas Week 4
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home on the days for Week 4! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
- Baked Tilapia with Lemon (30 minutes) + Steamed Broccoli
- Chickpea Curry (20 minutes) + Basmati Rice
- Tuscan Soup with White Beans (30 minutes) + crusty bread
- Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1, 2 or 3
- Leftovers from above*
Meal Plan Prep Notes
- Tilapia: If using frozen fish, make sure to refrigerate the night before. The broccoli comes together quickly and you can make it while the fish bakes.
- Curry: This one is quick to put together, but you could chop the veggies in advance and refrigerate. Make the Basmati Rice in advance. To reheat: place in a pan with a splash of water and simmer until it’s heated through and moist.
- Tuscan Soup: This soup is pretty quick to whip up, but you could chop the vegetables in advance and refrigerate to save a few minutes on prep.
Mediterranean Diet Breakfast Ideas Weeks 1-4
Here are lots of simple ideas for healthy Mediterranean diet breakfasts! Pick any of these to eat throughout the week. We’ve offered quite a bit of options to account for your breakfast tastes and style. Do repeats as much as you’d like!
- Oatmeal or Microwave Oatmeal
- Banana Baked Oatmeal or Baked Oatmeal
- Breakfast Quinoa
- Magic Breakfast Cookies
- Peanut butter or Nut butter on multigrain toast or English muffin
- Yogurt Bowls
- Cinnamon Pecan Muesli with almond milk (made in advance)
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Avocado Toast with Egg
- Apple Oatmeal Muffins or Vegan Blueberry Muffins (made in advance)
- Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies (made in advance)
- Pesto Arugula Breakfast Sandwich or Healthy Breakfast Sandwich
- Strawberry Smoothie, Banana Smoothie, Green Smoothie, Berry Smoothie, Blueberry Smoothie, or Honeydew Smoothie
- Acai Bowl or Smoothie Bowl
Mediterranean Diet Snack Ideas Weeks 1-4
Pick any of these Mediterranean diet snacks to eat throughout the week.
- Green Pea Dip & crackers (as minimally processed as possible)
- Stuffed Dates
- Dark Chocolate Hummus or Fruit Dip & fruit
- Hummus, Spicy Hummus or Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip & veggies
- Healthy Banana Bread Muffins with peanut butter
- Healthy Chocolate Snack
- Crispy Roasted Chickpeas or Crispy Roasted Black Beans
- Kale Chips
- Classic Tuna Salad with crackers
- Plain yogurt (with a splash of maple syrup) with granola or berries
- Roasted almonds and dried cherries
- Popcorn (Homemade or purchased without flavoring)
Mediterranean Diet Lunch Ideas Weeks 1-4
Lunches can be hard, especially if you’re eating at your desk! Again, our philosophy for lunches is: keep them very simple, without a recipe if possible. Pick any of these Mediterranean Diet Lunch Ideas to eat throughout the week.
- Leftovers from any of the dinners
- Chickpea Salad or Garbanzo Bean Salad
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad
- Hummus Bowls
- Cannellini Beans, Black Beans or Chickpeas
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich or Egg Salad Sandwich
- Smoked Salmon Salad
- Ricotta Toast
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Cottage Cheese Bowls
- Easy Lentil Salad
- Loaded Hummus Dip
- Peanut Butter Dip with green apples
- Hummus Sandwich
- Mini Frittatas (made ahead & refrigerated or frozen)
- Hummus, Spicy Hummus, or White Bean Dip, veggies and crackers, cheese slices
- Famous Tomato Dip with crackers
- Classic Tuna Salad, Tuna Salad with Egg, or Avocado Tuna Salad
- Mediterranean Loaded Veggie Sandwich
- Hummus and Veggie Roll Ups or Mexican Pinwheels
- Seasoned Brown Lentils (with Greek yogurt or cashew cream and pita wedges)
- Avocado Toast or Ricotta Toast
- Classic Egg Salad or Hard Boiled Eggs
- Mexican Quinoa, Black Bean Salad, Lentil Salad, or Vegan Italian Pasta Salad
Did you like this Mediterranean diet meal plan?
We’d love to hear your feedback on this Mediterranean diet meal plan: let us know in the comments below (or click the heart below). And let us know if you have any questions!
For more recipes like these: try our cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking!
You have a link to Ricotta & White Bean Fancy Toast that links to https://www.acouplecooks.com/ricotta-toast/, which doesn’t mention beans anywhere. Did you make a change to the recipe?
Here’s an archived version! https://web.archive.org/web/20160324185141/http://www.acouplecooks.com/2014/02/simple-lunch-ricotta-radish-white-bean-havarti-tartines/
Love your info. Just now started visiting, and really want to restart Mediterranean diet, which I really enjoy. I like a guide, with meal plans, and grocery lists. That starts the new habit of staying disciplined, lol. Thanks. I downloaded the app, and signed up for newsletter. Any other guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much!
Overall, ingredients are good. I’m not a big fan of chickpeas but hummus is good. It’s hard to cook 2 meals for 2. My hubs won’t do the Mediterranean diet because he dislikes most of the foods. However, I must do better … maybe 3 out of 7 days?
Looking forward to trying this! Recipes sound great. I try to follow the anti-inflammatory diet but struggle planning ahead 🙃. I downloaded your spreadsheet and look forward to trying it out! Thanks!
Let us know what you enjoy!
hi, downloaded the spreadsheet to start the Meditteranean meal plan, but when I copy the link from the meal plan’s page into the spreadsheet, it takes up like 6 columns in a huge font. Where are you suggesting we copy the link to the individual meals from?
I’m sorry! This doesn’t occur in our version of Excel — it must be a setting in your program.
Hi, I’m having trouble copying and pasting into your Excel spreadsheet. I really want to try this. Thank you!
I’m sorry it’s not working! What sort of issue are you having?
all set, thanks
so far, I love what I have read am just subscribed to your weekly recipes. Looking forward to starting the 28 day meal plan-thank you!