22 Easy Three-Step Mediterranean Diet Breakfast Recipes
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Due to its flexibility and health benefits, the Mediterranean diet has been touted as one of the best eating patterns to follow. This collection of breakfasts is packed with Mediterranean diet-friendly foods like fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, whole grains, eggs and yogurt, and each dish comes together in no more than three steps. That way, you can easily enjoy recipes like our Spinach, Feta & Artichoke Tater Tot Casserole on a cozy weekend morning. Or, rely on our meal-prep-friendly Almond Joy-Inspired Overnight Oats to satisfy you through the weekdays.
Spinach, Feta & Artichoke Tater Tot Casserole
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This egg-based dinner casserole is assembled and baked in a single baking dish, making prep (and cleanup!) a breeze. Potato tots nestled on top add a crispy, golden crust. Be sure to squeeze as much moisture as you can from the frozen artichoke hearts and spinach to prevent the casserole from becoming soggy. If you can’t find frozen artichoke hearts, you can use canned—just make sure to rinse them well to remove any excess salty brine.
Chia Smoothie
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
This fiber-rich chia smoothie is sweet and tangy, with a velvety texture thanks to nutritious chia seeds that expand as they combine with liquid.
Crustless Caprese Quiche
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This light and fluffy crustless quiche is dotted with tomatoes, little bites of melty mozzarella and savory pesto. And the best part—it’s mixed, assembled and baked in a pie plate for easy cleanup. Enjoy as an easy breakfast or brunch option or serve for lunch or dinner with a mixed green salad on the side.
Almond Joy-Inspired Overnight Oats
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle, Food Stylist: Renu Dhar
These meal-prep-friendly overnight oats have all the flavors of an Almond Joy candy bar. Coconut is highlighted in each bite, from the canned milk and extract in the oat mixture to the flaked coconut on top. Coconut cream and shredded coconut can be substituted for the milk and flaked coconut, respectively. The chocolate-covered almonds and chocolate shell re-create the iconic look and taste of the candy bar.
Avocado Toast
This is the easiest—and the last—avocado toast recipe you'll ever need to know. Memorize the recipe, then use it as a jumping off point for your favorite avocado toast riffs. Put an egg on it, top it with tuna salad or crown it with fluffy alfalfa sprouts for a healthy and satisfying meal. You can mix up the toppings too—we love Japanese furikake or everything bagel seasoning.
10-Minute Spinach Omelet
This delicious spinach omelet recipe is ready in just 10 minutes for a nutritious breakfast. Eggs and cheese help pack it with protein, while fresh dill boosts its flavor.
Sweet Potato, Corn & Black Bean Hash
Quick and easy hashes are fabulous one-pot meals for those nights when getting dinner on the table fast is a priority.
Chia Seed Pudding
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Learn how to make chia seed pudding with this easy breakfast recipe. We top our chia pudding with sliced strawberries and almonds, but you can change up the toppings depending on what you have on hand. Coconut milk, cashew milk or cow’s milk would all work well in this recipe, too.
Spinach-Artichoke Egg in a Bagel Hole
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
This riff on egg-in-a-hole, where a hole is cut into a slice of bread to hold and cook an egg, uses a bagel instead—so the hole’s already built in. The spinach-and-artichoke dip underneath the egg helps hold it in place and adds a creamy element to this easy breakfast (or breakfast for dinner!).
Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Feta & Pita
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
This quick all-in-one breakfast is fluffy, light and easy to pull together. The pita softens in the veggie mix, blending in with the rest of the ingredients while still holding onto some texture. Letting the eggs set for a few seconds before stirring them into the pita ensures it doesn’t immediately soak up the eggs and become soggy.
Triple-Berry Blended Oats
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Oats blend seamlessly with berries and offer a good dose of fiber in this easy breakfast. For blending, old-fashioned rolled oats are best because of how they soften and soak up the liquid, giving the dish a creamy, luxurious texture. If you are using frozen berries, give them a head start by breaking them up in the blender first before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Apple-Cinnamon Muesli
Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Muesli, a Swiss breakfast cereal, is soaked in liquid overnight, softening the oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. This version is chock-full of apples from the applesauce, apple juice and fresh apple topping, with a little cinnamon to warm the flavor. We use a combination of yogurt and almond milk for the base, but any dairy or nondairy milk or yogurt will work well.
Spinach & Egg Scramble with Raspberries
This quick egg scramble with hearty bread is one of the best breakfasts for weight loss. It combines protein-packed eggs and superfood raspberries with filling whole-grain toast and nutrient-rich spinach. The protein and fiber help fill you up and keep you going through the morning.
Anti-Inflammatory Cherry, Beet & Kale Smoothie
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Kale, cherries and beets team up in this powerful anti-inflammatory smoothie. All three of these fruits and veggies contain unique anti-inflammatory compounds that may help stave off diseases associated with chronic inflammation, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Using packaged steamed beets is a great shortcut here. If you have cooked beets on hand, use those! The cherries help sweeten the smoothie and add a fruity flavor. If you opt for tart cherries, you can balance the tanginess with a small drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
Banana Cream Pie-Inspired Overnight Oats
Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Start your day with a breakfast that feels like a treat—these layered overnight oats offer a delightful blend of banana, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla to elevate the taste. Right before enjoying, a finishing touch of crumbled graham crackers adds a pie-like charm to this easy breakfast. For the best results, use ripe bananas: their skin should be brown in spots and they should feel a little soft when you squeeze them.
Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Egg Bites
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
These sun-dried tomato and feta egg bites are the ideal grab-and-go breakfast, with each bite filled with tangy sun-dried tomatoes and briny feta cheese encased in a creamy egg custard. Elevate them to dinner status by adding a little grated garlic and finely chopped fresh herbs for an extra savory twist. After baking, stash these flavorful bites in your fridge or freezer for future meals.
Banana-Oat Pancakes
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
These light and fluffy banana-oat pancakes taste just like banana bread, with their subtle sweetness coming from slightly overripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the pancakes will be! The perfect bananas will be soft to the touch with some dark spots on the skin. Top this easy breakfast with cinnamon, sliced bananas, maple syrup and chopped walnuts.
High-Fiber Dragon Fruit & Pineapple Smoothie Bowl
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Prop stylist: Holly Dreesman, Food stylist: Gabriel Greco
This vibrant high-fiber smoothie bowl is as delicious as it is beautiful. Dragon fruit adds plenty of color, but doesn’t have a strong flavor, so the other ingredients can shine through. Pineapple is quite striking when paired with pepitas and bee pollen. Fizzy kombucha makes the texture of this easy smoothie bowl unique.
Anti-Inflammatory Lemon-Blueberry Smoothie
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf
The kale, hemp seeds and green tea in this bright, lemony smoothie all contain antioxidants that can help fight inflammation. If you can’t find baby kale, baby spinach will work well in its place. Banana adds natural sweetness. If you want it a little sweeter, just a touch of honey will do the trick.
Peach Baked Oatmeal
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
There's nothing like this peach baked oatmeal to fill you up in the morning! This brunch-ready version includes brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, a hint of nutmeg and orange juice and zest. You can swap out the peaches for another fruit if you prefer.
Spinach & Fried Egg Grain Bowls
Wheat berries, a nutty-tasting whole grain with a pleasantly chewy texture, are the base of this hearty breakfast bowl recipe. The fiber-rich grain freezes very well, so cook up a batch to stash away for salads, bowls and more. Topped with spinach, peanuts and an egg, these bowls make for a satisfying breakfast. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper for extra heat.
Anti-Inflammatory Beet Smoothie
Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This vibrant beet smoothie combines sweet and earthy beets with berries, banana and orange juice for a well-balanced flavor. Look for packaged cooked beets where the prepared fruits and vegetables are sold. Beets are high in belatins, an antioxidant that may help decrease inflammation in the body. Other nutrient-packed ingredients add even more anti-inflammatory power, like the anthocyanins in blueberries and the gingerol found in ginger.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
