Mediterranean Dishes

OBBM Network Editorial Staff

August 10, 2026

Mediterranean cooking often features olive oil, whether in marinades, roasted vegetables, or vinaigrettes. These 17 dishes showcase a variety of Mediterranean flavors, including chicken, seafood, pasta, salads, and vegetables, all highlighting the importance of olive oil in the cuisine.

Mediterranean Chicken Bake

This dish brings together chicken breasts, grape tomatoes, shallot, garlic, feta, thyme, and olive oil for a flavorful and easy weeknight dinner. The recipe takes 40 minutes and serves four.

Salmon Gnocchi Bake with Gremolata

This creamy and hearty dish pairs salmon with gnocchi in a sauce made with cream cheese, vegetable broth, and basil pesto, finished with a fresh gremolata. It takes 30 minutes and serves four.

Skillet Chicken with Artichokes, Lemon, and Feta

This 45-minute dinner features chicken cooked with olive oil, shallots, garlic, artichoke hearts, oregano, lemon, capers, and crumbled feta in a savory pan sauce. Serve with pasta, rice, or crusty bread to catch every bit of the sauce.

Pastitsio

This Greek casserole stacks pasta, seasoned ground beef, Parmesan, and a rich béchamel into a substantial dish that serves eight. The full recipe takes 1 hour 15 minutes, with cinnamon adding a warm note to the beef mixture.

Crab Spanakopita

Flaky phyllo pastry folds around crab, spinach, shallot, red bell pepper, ricotta, mozzarella, feta, dill, and parsley, making 24 pieces in 45 minutes. Lemon juice keeps the cheese-and-crab filling bright.

Italian Broccoli Salad

Briefly blanched broccoli meets toasted almonds, peperoncini, bell pepper, olives, provolone, and sliced shallot in a simple dressing of olive oil and red wine vinegar. The salad rests for at least 10 minutes after tossing and serves six.

Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken

Four chicken breasts marinate in extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and thyme before grilling for about 15 minutes. The recipe serves four and can be sliced over salad or served with potatoes and vegetables.

Greek Cauliflower Salad

Lightly blanched cauliflower gets a generous lemon-and-olive-oil dressing, then is mixed with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, feta, and fresh herbs. It takes 55 minutes, including chilling, and makes six servings.

Greek Green Beans

Green beans, potato, grated tomatoes, onion, garlic, and parsley simmer with a quarter cup of olive oil until the vegetables are tender and the tomato juices reduce. The recipe takes 45 minutes and serves four.

Mediterranean Grilled Shrimp

Two pounds of shrimp are tossed with olive oil, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and oregano before grilling. The full recipe takes 30 minutes and serves four, with only about 10 minutes spent cooking.

Mediterranean Cod

Cod fillets are surrounded by cherry tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, olives, garlic, and herbs in a skillet. A tablespoon of olive oil starts the cooking, and some of the artichoke marinade helps carry the vegetables around the fish. The recipe takes 30 minutes and serves four.

Smoked Beef Kabobs

Beef, zucchini, red onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper go onto skewers after the meat marinates in soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, and garlic. The recipe serves four, with 45 minutes of cooking plus an hour of marinating.

Shirazi Salad

Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, mint, parsley, and dill are combined with fresh lime juice and olive oil. The recipe takes just 10 minutes and makes eight servings, perfect for a hot day or as a side to richer dishes.

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Yukon Gold potatoes roast with fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, oregano, and chicken broth. The recipe takes 50 minutes and serves six, with the potatoes soaking up the pan juices.