Yahoo Lifestyle 15 Best Recipes for Mediterranean Diet Soups and Stews, According to Registered Dietitians
When you think of a Mediterranean getaway, your mind might drift to airy resorts, sun-drenched patios and glistening waters. In other words, it's a postcard-perfect summer getaway. However, the Mediterranean Diet is a four-season meal plan—and we're not talking about the hotel and resort. Piping-hot Mediterranean diet soups and stews? They're totally on the table.
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That's good news for soup fans trying to stick to the Mediterranean diet.
Experts consistently laud the meal plan prioritizing lean and plant-based proteins, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats as one of the best around. Recently, it topped US News & World Report's list of top diets for the eighth year in a row.
However, starting and sticking to a diet can be a challenge. To help, registered dietitians shared thoughts on recipes for Mediterranean soups previously published by Parade. Some of the ideas got a quick stamp of approval.
For others, RDs provided tweaks to turn the recipes into Mediterranean soups that better align with the diet. These Mediterranean soup recipes will warm you up to the nutritious meal plan.
Related: It’s Soup Season! Here Are 21 of the Best High-Fiber Soup Recipes To Make for Dinner
15 Mediterranean Diet Soup Recipes
1. Slow-cooker black bean soup
This recipe requires only 10 minutes of meal prep and cooks in 10 minutes. Once it's ready, you'll set the table for a nutrient-packed meal.
"This slow cooker black bean soup incorporates extra virgin olive oil as a healthy fat and with black beans as the star of this recipe," says René Ficek, RDN, the owner and operator of Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating and a registered dietitian and nutritionist. "It fulfills the basics of being high in fiber and healthy plant-based protein while being low in sodium."
Get the recipe for slow-cooker black bean soup.
2. Slow-cooker Italian white bean soup
Another ready-in-10-minute soup idea, you can also let this one simmer all day. Ficek has warm feelings toward the Mediterranean soup recipe.
"This soup incorporates fresh vegetables, herbs and seasoning, beans for high fiber and some citrus as well for acidity—making it the perfect combination of ingredients for a healthy Mediterranean soup," Ficek says.
Get the recipe for slow-cooker Italian white bean soup
3. Jon Ashton's homemade chicken noodle soup
Ficek loves that this recipe from beloved chef John Ashton and uses seasonal vegetables, lean protein, healthy fat and fresh herbs. However, homemade is a bit of a misnomer because it calls for store-bought stock. "Making your own chicken stock could really add some depth to the overall flavor of the soup," Ficek says. "When making broth, adding mushrooms to the stock can really add some umami flavor while increasing the overall nutritional profile."
Get the recipe for Jon Ashton's homemade chicken noodle soup.
4. Crock pot chicken and rice soup
Ficek enjoys this soup recipe's seasonal vegetables, healthy fats, dried herbs, and lean protein. However, she warns that Rotisserie chicken or bouillon cubes can make the dish high in sodium. Instead, she suggests making homemade broth.
Get the recipe for crock pot chicken and rice soup.
5. Carrot soup with turkey meatballs and spinach
Marjorie Nolan Cohn, MS, RD, the clinical director of Berry Street, calls out Mediterranean-inspired ingredients like oregano, parsley, thyme or garlic. She's also a fan of the lean proteins, olive oil and vegetables like carrots and spinach.
"Add a bit of lemon juice for brightness or a sprinkle of feta cheese for even more Mediterranean flair," Cohn suggests.
Get the recipe for carrot soup with turkey meatballs and spinach
6. Leftover turkey noodle soup
This recipe is an excellent way to cut down on post-Thanksgiving food waste by using up your leftovers. However, Cohn says you'll want to make a few tweaks to put it in the "Mediterranean soup" territory recipe if you're following the diet. "Mediterranean herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves or a dash of cumin or paprika can also add some Mediterranean depth," she says. "Whole grain or durum pasta are both more common in Mediterranean dishes and top with a sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese."
Get the recipe for leftover turkey noodle soup
7. Hearty vegetable bean soup
This fluid, busy-person-proof recipe calls for canned diced tomatoes, frozen veggies and canned beans (cook's choice). Cohn loves the regional ingredients like olive oil, spinach, tomatoes, beans, onion and garlic. "This soup easily fits into a Mediterranean-style diet as is," Cohn says.
Get the recipe for hearty vegetable bean soup.
8. Slow-cooker vegetable bean soup
The diet is big on plant-based proteins, hence another bean Mediterranean soup recipe. "This recipe is already fairly close to the Mediterranean," Cohn says. She suggests giving it a boost with canned or fresh tomatoes, leafy greens like spinach or kale and extra beans such as chickpeas or lentils. "These small changes would infuse the recipe with Mediterranean flavors while still keeping it a hearty, nutritious vegetable and bean soup," Cohn says.
Get the recipe for slow-cooker vegetable bean soup.
9. North African chickpea soup
One of the great things about the Mediterranean diet is that it leaves room for cuisines from all cultures, including this bold recipe from Evi Aki's cookbook, Flavors of Africa. "This plant-based soup is in alignment with a Mediterranean diet; however, I would throw in some extra veggies here if able," says Lena Bakovic, MS, RDN, CNSC of Top Nutrition Coaching. "Leafy greens, in particular, taste great in soups and are rich in antioxidants, micronutrients and dietary fiber."
Get the recipe for North African chickpea soup
10. 15-Bean Soup
Bakovic recommends nixing the pound of sausage from this soup.
"Processed meats, when consumed in excess and regularly, have been correlated with the incidence/prevalence of colorectal cancers, as well as increased risk for cardiovascular disease," she says. "With this one, sticking with just beans for a protein source...adding in a leafy green, such as spinach or kale, would provide additional beneficial micronutrients and dietary fiber, helping cut down chronic disease risk."
11. Kale and white bean soup
Bakovic loves that this recipe from cookbook author Ginny McMeans aligns with the Mediterranean diet's principles of consuming mostly plant-based foods. "What’s great about this one is the variety of vegetables included—kale, tomatoes, onions and carrots—providing excellent sources of antioxidants," she says. Antioxidants work to scavenge free radicals from our bodies, which can, when present in abundance, progress inflammation and are correlated with chronic disease risk."
Get the recipe for kale and white bean soup
12. Murghi shorba (Indian spiced chicken soup)
Chicken, chiles, garlic, ginger and rice combine to make this soup fragrant and flavorful. As for nutrition? "What sticks out with this soup is the incorporation of a great lean protein source, skinned chicken," Bakovic says. "Chicken can most definitely be included as part of the Mediterranean way of eating and will help with feeling satiated."
Get the recipe for murghi Shorba Indian spiced chicken soup.
13. Japanese-style clear onion and mushroom soup
Bakovic flags the high sodium content in this one because of the beef and chicken bouillon granules. She suggests using a lower-sodium broth to cut down on sodium, which can boost your risk for high blood pressure if consumed excessively and often.
Get the recipe for Japanese-style clear onion and mushroom soup.
14. Vegetable soup
TL;DR: Bakovic is a fan.
"This particular soup is a perfect example of the incorporation of a wide variety of vegetables, providing different nutrients to support bodily functions," she says. "It calls for low-sodium broth, which is also great in helping prevent overall excessive sodium intake. This soup is wonderfully aligned with a Mediterranean dietary pattern."
Get the recipe for vegetable soup.
15. Instant Pot cream red lentil soup
This soup can get a Mediterranean-style glow up by ditching the heavy cream and adding a plant-based milk source, which Bakovic says will lower the saturated fat content.
Get the recipe for Instant Pot cream red lentil soup.
Up Next:
Related: It’s Soup Season! Here Are 21 of the Best High-Protein Soup Recipes
Sources:
U.S. News Releases the 2025 Edition of Best Diets. US News & World Report.
René Ficek, RDN, the owner and operator of Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating and a registered dietitian and nutritionist
Marjorie Nolan Cohn, MS, RD, the clinical director of Berry Street
Lena Bakovic, MS, RDN, CNSC of Top Nutrition Coaching
