Spring Mediterranean Diet Dinners You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less (& Shopping List)

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On April 12, 2025

What can’t the Mediterranean diet do? This question comes up often in team meetings as we’re reviewing new studies that tout its benefits. The research suggests that the Mediterranean diet can help improve our health in myriad ways—it’s good for your brain, it can lower cholesterol and reduce your risk for heart disease, it can help protect against certain forms of cancer and it can help you live a longer, healthier life, just to name a few. For me, those are all great reasons to fill my plate with more fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats—all foods the Mediterranean diet focuses on. And this week’s dinners make it easy to follow this eating pattern. Give them a try!

Your Weekly Plan

Sunday: Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Monday: Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Green Beans
Tuesday: Creamy Cucumber, Radish & Tomato Chopped Salad
Wednesday: Crispy Salmon Rice Bowl
Thursday: Chickpea, Artichoke & Avocado Salad with Apple-Cider Dressing
Friday: Linguine with Lemon-Alfredo Shrimp

Our column, ThePrep, has everything you’ll need to make dinner planning and grocery shopping as easy as can be. Nutritional needs differ from one individual to another, and we invite you to use these dinner plans as inspiration and adjust them as you see fit. Sign up to get a dinner plan delivered to your inbox every Saturday!

Sunday: Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I love spinach-artichoke dip, and while I typically eat it as an appetizer at parties, this recipe lets me incorporate it into dinner. It uses portobello mushrooms as vessels for the creamy, cheesy spinach-artichoke mixture. Portobello mushrooms have a nice meaty texture; plus, they’re packed with antioxidants, like selenium, which can help prevent cancer. Serve them with a crusty whole-grain baguette.

Monday: Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

This simple dinner comes together in one pan and features a fragrant sauce made with chicken broth, white wine, lemon and garlic. The sauce really elevates the chicken and green beans. Some toasted pine nuts on top add a little crunch. For a boost of fiber, I’ll heat up a couple of packets of precooked brown rice in the microwave while the chicken cooks.

Tuesday: Creamy Cucumber, Radish & Tomato Chopped Salad

When I’m looking for a refreshing dinner, I like to make a big, crunchy salad like this one that features chopped cucumber, tomatoes and radishes in a creamy dressing. I’ll stir in a can of white beans and have some whole-wheat pita on hand to scoop it up to make it a more satisfying meal.

Wednesday: Crispy Salmon Rice Bowl

Ali Redmond

Salmon has so many health benefits. It’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation, and it’s one of the few good food sources of vitamin D, which can help support immunity. Plus, it’s an excellent source of protein. When tossed with a glaze and broiled until crispy, salmon is truly delicious and makes an excellent addition to these rice bowls, along with cucumbers, avocado and edamame.

Thursday: Chickpea, Artichoke & Avocado Salad with Apple-Cider Dressing

EatingWell Test Kitchen

This high-fiber salad is chock-full of chickpeas, artichokes, avocado and leafy salad greens. Chickpeas and chopped hard-boiled eggs contribute protein. Both fiber and protein can help you feel more satisfied after eating. A quick dressing made with cider vinegar, whole-grain mustard, olive oil and shallot ensures that the salad is boldly flavored.

Friday: Linguine with Lemon-Alfredo Shrimp

This version of fettuccine Alfredo has a rich, creamy sauce with lots of lemony-Parmesan flavor, but it’s made with whole-grain brown rice pasta and has lots of protein-rich shrimp and green peas. In addition to protein, shrimp contain other nutrients like selenium and iodine, which help support thyroid health. I like to serve the pasta with baby spinach dressed with whatever vinaigrette I have on hand.

I wish you all a great week, and I hope you enjoy this dinner plan. If you try a recipe, remember to add a review.