When the weather outside is frightful, eat healthy with these Mediterranean diet winter recipes, they’re so delightful!

Sinatra would be so proud of us.

We always hear the Mediterranean diet is the fountain of youth and fitness. We do, we also hear how we need to eat with the seasons. Well, maybe it’s just us, but it’s pretty hard to know what season it is when the supermarket grows the same fruits and vegetables all year round. Berries are always in season, spinach and tomatoes are always there for you too.

Well, it took us a while, actually a year of gardening to understand that you can’t grow spinach in summer and peppers in spring. We even had to learn that we can’t have sheep’s yogurt after summer, because sheep don’t make milk when it starts getting cold. And chickens won’t lay eggs when they’re cold either. And we're not an idiot. In fact, we had spent plenty of time during our childhood with our grandma who made everything herself. Our grandparents grew their own food, made everything from scratch and used to milk the goats every evening. But we guess we spent most of our time there during summer.

Our point is, we don’t know what’s in season and are told to eat with the seasons. Like, thank you for the tip. Of course, it depends where you live, but for those of us who live where there are seasons, we need to learn a bit more about the world around us. And not just eat chopped tomatoes grown in cotton under a lamp during winter and call it a Mediterranean salad.

There are many Mediterranean dishes suitable for cold weather, although the winter is usually mild in that region.

In general, to follow the Mediterranean diet during winter you want to stick to

cold weather crops like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radishes, carrots, spinach
or produce that can last a long time like potatoes, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, onions, garlic…
fermented or preserved non-perishable foods (like spices, tomato paste, sauerkraut, dried beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds)
You can also have whatever protein you wish!

Now to give you some ideas and inspiration, here are some tasty cold-weather Mediterranean diet winter recipes that you can try! The collection includes healthy winter salads and bowls, stews, soups and some breakfast recipes!

1. Simple Meatball Soup

Make this bowl of comfort for dinner using ground beef, noodles of choice, carrots, potatoes and onion.

2. Mediterranean Salmon Bowl

The combination for this Mediterranean bowl may sound weird, but trust the process! It’s one of our favorite recipes on the blog and it’s a reader favorite as well!

3. Simple Moussaka Skillet With Sweet Potatoes

This healthy and simple weeknight dinner will become your favorite Mediterranean diet recipe for winter! It calls for sweet potatoes, potatoes, ground meat, spices, garlic, onion and tomato paste. Don’t forget to serve with some garlic yogurt sauce as suggested in the recipe – the pairing is notable!

4. 20-Minute Chickpea Soup

You need canned chickpeas, a tomato (you can also use canned), spinach and herbs to make this fast hearty soup!

5. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad With Beets

This is the winter version of a Mediterranean chickpea salad! It’s packed with flavor, fiber, protein and vitamins!

6. Simple Apple Cake

We’re using oats, yogurt, eggs and apples to make this satisfying healthier apple cake! It’s a great coffee or tea cake, but if you’re busy – you can have it as a snack or breakfast on the go!

7. Spicy Ground Turkey Cauliflower Rice

We know, it’s not a traditional Mediterranean recipe, but it’s SO good and fits the Mediterranean diet pattern! The flavors are there and the recipe is simple to make for dinner!

8. Avocado Chicken Lunch Bowls

Packed with vegetables, protein and fiber from the beans these bowls are simple to make for lunch or dinner!

9. Simple Spicy Vegetable Bean Soup

Make this simple nourishing soup using pre-cooked or canned beans, canned tomatoes, spices and seasonal vegetables like spinach and carrots.

10. Sauerkraut With Chicken and Bulgur

Even if you’re not a huge fan of sauekraut, if you’ve got some – try this recipe, it’s one of our favorite dinners when it’s cold!

11. Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

This notable recipe for meatballs is customizable for any season – winter or summer alike! For winter use canned tomato sauce and cabbage.

12. Simple High-Fiber Salad

Packed with vitamins, fiber and flavor! You need some cabbage, lettuce, beans and corn to make this nutrient-packed salad!

13. Spinach and Rice

Another one to pair with yogurt garlic sauce! This Mediterranean diet recipe is comforting and solid when the weather gets colder.

14. Home-cooked Potato Chicken Stew

Probably one of our favorite recipes to survive the harsh winter season! This stew is simple, but SO incredibly satisfying!

15. Cauliflower Ground Beef Soup

The tomatoes, garlic and basil make this soup! It’s low in carbohydrates, but full of flavor and good for you healthy foods!

16. Bulgur and Lentils

Onions, butternut squash, garlic, mint and tomato sauce become best friends with bulgur and lentils and it’s SO satisfying. Another Mediterranean recipe to enjoy with yogurt garlic sauce!