These Mediterranean Diet Cookbooks Make It So Easy to Eat Healthy (2024)

To score the top spot on Amazon’s list of best-selling Mediterranean diet cookbooks, you have to be good. This one is packed with 500 (!!) different recipes from all over the Mediterranean—Italy, Greece, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey—that have been tried and tested by the foodie pros at America's Test Kitchen.

Another reason it's a top pick? "It includes suggestions for recipe pairings to make a complete meal, which can help with your weekly meal planning," says nutritionist Alissa Rumsey, RD.

This book "focuses on lean proteins and lots of spice for flavor, and less sodium," says Laura Iu, RD, a nutritionist in New York City.

What's more, a ton of the recipes in this book require just one pot. Yup, that's it! One delicious example: paprika chicken with olives and orzo.

Ottolenghi Simple focuses on easy, simple recipes with 10 ingredients or fewer that can be made in 30 minutes. It's a favorite of both Iu and Eliza Savage, RD, a nutritionist based in New York City, who also love the book's emphasis on herbs and spices to amplify flavor and add nutritional benefits.

"For example, the pan-fried salmon with pine nut salsa is a great Mediterranean dish that combines currants, celery, pine nuts, capers, olives, saffron, parsley, and lemon to create a salsa that pumps up the flavor of omega-3-packed salmon," says Savage.

“If you’re buying one Mediterranean-style cookbook this year, this is the one to get. Cassetty says."It's basically the bible on the Mediterranean way of eating, including everything from veggie-rich pasta dishes to fruit-based desserts. It also won't overwhelm new cooks or those new to eating this way."

After reading through its guide on what Mediterranean-friendly products to stock your pantry with, try the herby ricotta, a one-pan sausage, pepper, and onion bake, and roasted figs with dark chocolate and sea salt. Yum!

Vegans and vegetarians, rejoice! While the Mediterranean diet may look a little different depending on which country's cuisine you're considering, two staples are universal: veggies and olive oil, according to Taylor Wolfram, RDN, a nutritionist based in Chicago.

Ready to give this healthy lifestyle a whirl? Wolfram recommends picking up this entirely plant-based Mediterranean cookbook. Bonus: It's written by a nutritionist.

Similar to the Paleo diet, the Mediterranean diet focuses on real, unprocessed eats. So if you're Paleo and want to start following a more Mediterranean lifestyle (or vice versa), check out Mediterranean Paleo Cooking.

It makes mixing the two eating plans a piece of (dairy-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free) cake by focusing on "high-quality, clean, and inventive protein-based meals," says Savage.

Also great for vegans and vegetarians, this cookbook delivers "a wide variety of Italian dishes using nutrient-rich, plant foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts," says Wolfram.

A vegan herself, Wolfram can attest to the fact that the book's "vegan cheese recipes are lovely" and also loves the mindfulness and healthy lifestyle tips scattered throughout.

So you don't eat meat or poultry? NBD! Seriously, you can still easily follow a Mediterranean diet, especially when you have this cookbook in hand.

"There are a lot of similarities between pescatarian and Mediterranean-style diets," Iu says. "This cookbook emphasizes the benefits of consuming more seafood and ultimately how it's not about creating more rules, but about making food enjoyable, nourishing, and satisfying."

If you think this cookbook's cover is cheery, wait 'til you see what's inside. This great read is not only bursting with nutritious recipes but also includes suggestions on how to live a true Mediterranean lifestyle, making it one of Rumsey's top picks.

"It takes into account the idea that health is not just about what we eat and how much we exercise," she says, "it’s also about managing stress and incorporating more enjoyable foods and activities into our day."

"An oldie but a goodie," this cookbook by Food Network phenom Giada de Laurentiis is a bookshelf must-have. Savage loves that it balances taste and health while still using a "crave-able mix of ingredients."

A good example? "The egg, kale, tomato breakfast wrap, which combines complex-carb rich whole-wheat tortillas with protein-packed eggs, healthy fat from hummus, and lots of fiber from kale and tomato," Savage says.