5 Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes To Make Tonight

Adding some fish to your and veggies to your dinner will make your med diet heart healthy.

Image Credit: Foxys_forest_manufacture/iStock/GettyImages If you’re following a Mediterranean diet, your meals are probably high in healthy fats, whole grains and lean protein — and that’s a solid (and tasty!) formula for promoting heart health.

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 Cutting back on red meat and sodium while increasing your unsaturated fat intake is a great way to give any Med diet dinner a heart-healthy boost. For easy and delicious suppers that fit the bill, try these Mediterranean diet dinner recipes to keep your ticker in tip-top shape.

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Want more healthy recipes? Download the MyPlate app and get simple, tasty meals and snacks tailored to your nutrition goals.

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 1. Salmon and Broccolette Superfood Salad
 
Healthy unsaturated fats are crucial for boosting heart health.

Image Credit: Claudia Totir/Adobe Stock High in healthy, unsaturated fat and low in both cholesterol and sodium. While saturated fat is a no-go for heart health, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help reduce cholesterol levels and reduce the risk for heart disease, according to the American College of Cardiology.

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 These healthy fats can be found in nuts or seeds, avocado and fish — and this recipe includes all three! Opt for cooking your salmon with olive oil, another heart-healthy fat.

Get the Salmon and Brocolette Superfood Salad recipe and nutrition info here. 2. Beet and Fennel Salad

Beets are high in potassium, a key heart healthy nutrient.

Image Credit: Susan Marque/LIVESTRONG.com This 20-minute recipe is simple in ingredients and quick to prepare — and it makes for a great side salad to pair with a piece of fish.

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 If you're looking out for your heart health, beets are a great veggie to incorporate. Beets are high in potassium, providing about 11 percent of your daily value per cup, cooked. Potassium is a prime nutrient for managing high blood pressure, as it works to lessen the effects of sodium, according to the American Heart Association. So, the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you excrete, which helps keep your heart healthy.

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  Get the Beet and Fennel Salad recipe and nutrition info here.

Grilled Tilapia Tacos With Red Cabbage Slaw
Swap your beef for tilapia in these tacos. Image Credit: Jackie Newgent/LIVESTRONG.COM These tilapia fish tacos are low in saturated fat and high in protein, making for a perfect dinner dish. You’ll get added satiating fats from the avocado, too. The mascot of healthy fat is made up of mostly unsaturated fats and is a source of beta-sitosterol, a plant chemical that helps reduce cholesterol absorption, per an April 2001 report in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Advertisement Get the Grilled Tilapia Tacos With Red Cabbage Slaw recipe and nutrition info here.
Grilled Sweet-n-Spice Salmon With Rice
Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Image Credit: latinist/Adobe Stock Fish is a staple protein in the Mediterranean diet, which was named the Best Diet of 2021 for the fourth year in a row by the U.S. News & World Report. You should be eating fatty fish like salmon, mackerel or herring about twice per week, according to the American Heart Association.
Advertisement Salmon, specifically, is known for packing omega-3s, an unsaturated fat that supports heart health. And while this fatty acid is heart-healthy, omega-3 supplements have not been shown to help protect against heart disease, per the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. So, in order to get all the fish oil benefits, incorporate salmon into your dinner. Get the Grilled Sweet-n-Spice Salmon With Rice recipe and nutrition info here.

Grilled Vegetable ‘Burgers’

Prioritize fiber in your diet for heart health. Image Credit: snyfer/Adobe Stock Burgers can be a part of a healthy heart-healthy diet — especially when they’re veggie-based. These grilled vegetable burgers are vegan and Med diet-friendly, low in calories and only take 22 minutes to make.

Advertisement Eggplant, the main component of this recipe, is high in fiber, a nutrient that most Americans don’t eat enough of. Fiber helps keep digestion regular, promotes satiety and may even help minimize your risk of heart disease, according to Harvard Health Publishing. You can pair this dish with a whole grain like quinoa or farro to add even more fiber to your dinner. Get the Grilled Vegetable ‘Burgers’ recipe and nutrition info here.

references

  American College of Cardiology: "Swap Saturated Fats with Unsaturated Fats for a Healthy Heart"

  MyFoodData: "Nutrition Facts for Cooked Beets"

  American Heart Association: "How Potassium Can Help Control High Blood Pressure"

  American Heart Association: "Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids"

  National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: "7 Things To Know About Omega-3 Fatty Acids"

  Harvard Health Publishing: "Eat More Fiber-rich Foods to Foster Heart Health"

  Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Avocado Fruit is a Rich Source of Beta-Sitosterol"

references

  American College of Cardiology: "Swap Saturated Fats with Unsaturated Fats for a Healthy Heart"

  MyFoodData: "Nutrition Facts for Cooked Beets"

  American Heart Association: "How Potassium Can Help Control High Blood Pressure"

  American Heart Association: "Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids"

  National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: "7 Things To Know About Omega-3 Fatty Acids"

  Harvard Health Publishing: "Eat More Fiber-rich Foods to Foster Heart Health"

  Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Avocado Fruit is a Rich Source of Beta-Sitosterol"

Adding some fish to your and veggies to your dinner will make your med diet heart healthy. Image Credit: Foxys_forest_manufacture/iStock/GettyImages

Image Credit: Foxys_forest_manufacture/iStock/GettyImages

Want more healthy recipes? Download the MyPlate app and get simple, tasty meals and snacks tailored to your nutrition goals.

Healthy unsaturated fats are crucial for boosting heart health.

Image Credit: Claudia Totir/Adobe Stock

Get the Salmon and Brocolette Superfood Salad recipe and nutrition info here.

Beets are high in potassium, a key heart healthy nutrient.

Image Credit: Susan Marque/LIVESTRONG.com

Get the Beet and Fennel Salad recipe and nutrition info here.

Swap your beef for tilapia in these tacos.

Image Credit: Jackie Newgent/LIVESTRONG.COM

Get the Grilled Tilapia Tacos With Red Cabbage Slaw recipe and nutrition info here.

Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Image Credit: latinist/Adobe Stock

Get the Grilled Sweet-n-Spice Salmon With Rice recipe and nutrition info here.

Prioritize fiber in your diet for heart health.

Image Credit: snyfer/Adobe Stock

Get the Grilled Vegetable ‘Burgers’ recipe and nutrition info here.

      American College of Cardiology: "Swap Saturated Fats with Unsaturated Fats for a Healthy Heart"
    
      MyFoodData: "Nutrition Facts for Cooked Beets"
    
      American Heart Association: "How Potassium Can Help Control High Blood Pressure"
    
      American Heart Association: "Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids"
    
      National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: "7 Things To Know About Omega-3 Fatty Acids"
    
      Harvard Health Publishing: "Eat More Fiber-rich Foods to Foster Heart Health"
    
      Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Avocado Fruit is a Rich Source of Beta-Sitosterol"