• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
always use butter
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer Resources
  • Subscribe!
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer Resources
  • Subscribe!
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Air Fryer Resources
    • Subscribe!
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipe Roundups

    21 Mediterranean-Inspired Dishes You'll Want to Try Tonight

    By Emmeline Kemperyd on April 18, 2025, updated April 3, 2025 - Leave a Comment

    The Mediterranean region is known for its vibrant flavors and fresh ingredients, making it a perfect source of inspiration for dinner tonight. From zesty salads to hearty soups, these 21 dishes showcase the rich culinary traditions of countries like Italy, Greece, and Spain. Whether you're in the mood for something light and refreshing or warm and comforting, there's a Mediterranean dish here that will satisfy your cravings.

    Italian Wedding Soup with Escarole

    Italian Wedding Soup with Escarole.
    Photo Credit: All in the Family Recipes.

    Enjoy a comforting bowl of Italian Wedding Soup with Escarole, a classic dish full of rich flavors. With tasty broth, homemade meatballs, and fresh veggies, this soup is sure to please everyone.

    Save This Recipe Form

    Want to save this recipe?

    Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get more great recipes from us each week!

    Get the Recipe

    Greek Lemon Rice Soup

    Greek Lemon Rice Soup.
    Photo Credit: Earth to Veg.

    Kotosoupa Avgolemono is a comforting Greek chicken soup that's thickened with rice or orzo and brightened with fresh dill and lemon. It's a great choice for a chilly winter day.

    Get the Recipe

    Greek Grilled Chicken

    Greek chicken skewers.
    Photo credit: Midwest Foodie.

    This easy and tasty grilled chicken is sure to be your favorite recipe for the grill. Packed with delicious Greek flavors, it's even better than any chicken souvlaki you've tried before.

    Get the recipe

    Tuscan Chickpea Soup

    Chickpea Soup.
    Photo Credit: Narturallie Plant Based.

    Enjoy a comforting bowl of Tuscan Chickpea Soup, perfect for chilly days. This creamy soup blends Mediterranean ingredients like sundried tomatoes and fresh herbs with hearty chickpeas, making it a new favorite.

    Get the Recipe

    Spanish Chicken Stew

    Spanish chicken stew with rice.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This chicken stew is easy to prepare using rotisserie chicken and is full of bright lemon and rosemary flavors. It's a comforting dish that's perfect for a cozy dinner.

    Get the recipe

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    Garlic butter shrimp pasta.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta is a quick and tasty dish that combines juicy shrimp with perfectly cooked pasta in a rich garlic butter sauce. This is a great meal for busy nights when you want something delicious without a lot of work.

    Get the recipe

    Manestra (Greek-Style Orzo with Ground Beef)

    Greek orzo with ground beef.
    Photo credit: Bowl of Delicious.

    Comfort food often includes casseroles or mac and cheese, but this Greek dish called "Manestra" offers a tasty twist. It's a simple yet satisfying meal that brings a bit of Mediterranean flavor to your table.

    Get the recipe

    Instant Pot Bolognese

    A bowl of instant pot bolognese served over pasta.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This Instant Pot bolognese is a quick and easy way to enjoy a classic pasta sauce. With simple ingredients you probably already have, you can whip up a rich and hearty meal in no time.

    Get the recipe

    Crockpot Tuscan Chicken

    Crockpot Tuscan Chicken.
    Photo Credit: Gypsy Plate.

    Crockpot Tuscan Chicken is covered in a rich, creamy sauce filled with wonderful Mediterranean flavors. This is an easy and tasty dinner you can prepare ahead of time for busy weeknights.

    Get the Recipe

    Greek Pasta Salad

    Greek pasta salad.
    Photo credit:

    This Greek pasta salad is full of fresh vegetables and has a delicious dressing that brings everything together. It's a light and refreshing dish that's perfect for a quick meal.

    Get the recipe

    Italian Pasta Salad

    Italian Pasta Salad.
    Photo credit: Rich and Delish.

    This Italian pasta salad is packed with fresh veggies, mozzarella balls, and salami, all tossed together with a tasty homemade Italian dressing. It's a great dish for a quick meal or a side at gatherings.

    Get the recipe

    Arancini

    Air fryer arancini.
    Image credit: Katie Trant

    Fried risotto balls are a delicious and comforting dish that everyone will enjoy. They combine creamy risotto with a crispy outside, making them perfect for any occasion.

    Get the recipe

    Cucumber Greek Salad

    Cucumber Greek Salad
    Photo Credit: Bowls are the New Plates.

    This traditional Greek salad is quick to prepare and packed with fresh flavors. It combines crisp cucumbers and juicy tomatoes with kalamata olives and feta cheese, all tossed in a delicious dressing.

    Get the recipe

    Mediterranean Lasagna

    Mediterranean Lasagna.
    Photo Credit: Midwest Foodie.

    This Mediterranean Lasagna is packed with creamy feta cheese sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella, along with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, and herbs. It's a delicious and satisfying dish that's perfect for any meal.

    Get the recipe

    Slow Cooker Greek Chicken

    Slow Cooker Greek Chicken.
    Photo Credit: The Lazy Slow Cooker.

    Slow Cooker Greek Chicken is a simple and tasty dinner option for busy weeknights. With tender chicken, baby potatoes, and a light lemon sauce, plus kalamata olives and feta cheese, this dish packs a lot of flavor without much work.

    Get the Recipe

    Caprese Salad

    Caprese Salad.
    Photo credit: FODMAP Everyday.

    This Italian salad, known as Insalata Caprese, comes from the island of Capri. It's incredibly simple to prepare, making it a great choice for a quick and fresh dish.

    Get the recipe

    Mediterranean Barley and Vegetable Soup

    Mediterranean Barley and Vegetable Soup.
    Photo Credit: it's Not Complicated Recipes.

    This soup combines pearled barley with a mix of vegetables and classic Mediterranean herbs, creating a healthy and satisfying dish. It's also easy on the wallet, making it a great choice for any meal.

    Get the Recipe

    White Bean Panzanella

    White Bean Panzanella
    Photo credit: J Cooking Odyssey.

    In this Italian-style recipe, ripe juicy tomatoes are combined with white beans, toasted bread and tossed in an aromatic tomato and white bean dressing.

    Get the recipe

    Shakshuka

    Dip being dipped in shakshuka.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This dish combines the flavors of classic Shakshuka with the Turkish Menemen. Instead of just frying the eggs on top of the tomato sauce, they are mixed in after melting some mozzarella cheese for extra creaminess.

    Get the recipe

    Greek Orzo Salad

    Greek orzo salad with feta.
    Photo Credit: Midwest Foodie.

    This dish features orzo pasta cooked just right, mixed with crunchy cucumbers, soft artichoke hearts, filling chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. It's all brought together with a homemade balsamic dressing and finished off with crumbled feta cheese.

    Get the recipe

    Spicy Vodka Pasta

    spicy vodka pasta.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    This Vodka Pasta is rich, creamy, and packed with flavor, perfect for a satisfying meal. You can even whip it up completely without any vodka if you prefer.

    Get the recipe

    More Recipe Roundups

    • Coq au vin.
      28 Delicious Crockpot Summer Meals That Simmer While You Play
    • Dipping chicken in ketchup.
      22 Stress-Free Chicken Recipes for the Exhausted Cook
    • Cauliflower potato bake,
      26 Vegetable Loaded Casseroles That Will Change Your Dinner Game
    • Lasagna.
      22 Dump-and-Bake Dinners That Will Revolutionize Your Weeknight Meals

    About Emmeline Kemperyd

    Emmeline Kemperyd is a writer, food blogger, recipe creator and food photographer and the founder of alwaysusebutter.com. She has more than 20 years of experience creating and simplifying recipes so they taste good, and are quick, easy, and approachable. She is a regular contributor to MSN  and her work has been featured by The Guardian, Well+Good, Vulture, SheKnows, Good Men Project, Daily Kos, The Grio, The Asian Parent, and The Feed Feed, among others.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Emmeline! I love tasty food, but I'm always in a hurry. And I have the quick and easy recipes to prove it!

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Sliced air fryer roast beef.
      Air Fryer Roast Beef
    • top down view of a tortellini casserole
      Cheesy Tortellini Casserole with Spinach
    • Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake [Dump and bake!]
    • sliced rib eye steak topped with salt
      How to Cook a Rib Eye Steak Without a Cast Iron Skillet (3 Methods)

    Popular Articles

    • A veggie casserole.
      21 Vegetarian Casseroles That Will Change Your Dinner Game
    • Instant Pot French Onion Soup.
      18 Elegant Lunch Ideas to Impress Mom This Mother’s Day
    • Cheesburger sliders.
      18 Cheap Ground Beef Recipes That Are Perfect for Spring
    • Tortilla soup.
      21 Easy Crockpot Chicken Dinners for Busy Nights

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    All affiliate links are always marked with "*" or "affiliate".

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    A collage of sites where always use butter content has been featured.

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclaimer
    • Disclosures
    • Editorial Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • info@alwaysusebutter.com
    • Pink Giraffe Ventures AB, Runstens Byväg 51, 147 91 Grödinge, Sweden
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2018-2025 Pink Giraffe Ventures AB