3 beginner-friendly Mediterranean diet dinner recipes that only have 5 ingredients, from a celebrity chef

• The Mediterranean diet is considered the gold-standard of healthy eating.
• British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook features Mediterranean diet recipes.

The Mediterranean diet is well-established as one of the healthiest ways to eat, and following it doesn't need to be complicated or time-consuming.

This is the message that British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has traveled around the Mediterranean throughout his life, stands firmly behind.

Oliver's latest cookbook, "5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food," is exactly what it says on the tin: Mediterranean diet recipes that require no more than five ingredients plus pantry staples such as olive oil and salt. It's perfect for beginner cooks, he wrote.

Oliver described the Mediterranean diet as "one of the most loved and respected diets in the world, where simplicity, love, passion, care and dedication to taste and big flavor are at its heart."

The Mediterranean diet prioritizes vegetables, fruit, legumes, fish, whole grains, olive oil, and wine in moderation, while red meat, fried and processed foods, refined grains, saturated fat, and sugar are kept to a minimum.

It's considered the "gold standard" of healthy eating and has been linked with a reduced risk of conditions including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. The Mediterranean diet is also associated with longevity, better mental health, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Oliver shared three recipes — designed to be "simple, easy and delicious but without copious amounts of ingredients, long shopping lists or a whole load of washing-up" — from his new book with Insider.

Tunisian prawn spaghetti

With fragrant rose harissa, zingy lemon and fresh parsley

Oliver said: "Tunisians are one of the biggest pasta eaters on the planet and they have a whole load of their own pasta shapes and techniques. Harissa really amplifies the sweetness of the prawns here — delicious!"

Serves 2

22 minutes total

Ingredients

• 150 grams (¾ cup) dried spaghetti

• 8 large raw shell-on king prawns

• 2 teaspoons rose harissa

• ½ a bunch of flat leaf parsley (15 grams)

• 1 lemon

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, peel the prawns, removing and reserving the heads and leaving the tails on. I like to run a small sharp knife down the back of each, discarding the vein, so they butterfly when they cook.

2. Toss the prawns with the harissa and leave to briefly marinate. Place the prawn heads in a large frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry until golden all over, stirring regularly and gently squashing to extract amazing flavor.

3. Roughly chop and reserve the top leafy half of the parsley, then finely slice the stalks and add them to the pan with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Fry for one minute, then add the marinated prawns and cook for one minute on each side.

4. Using tongs, drag the pasta into the pan, squeeze in half the lemon juice, throw in the parsley leaves, then toss together, loosening with a splash of starchy cooking water, if needed.

5. To serve, pick out and discard the crispy prawn heads and cut the remaining lemon half into wedges for squeezing over.

Nutrition per portion:

• 373 calories

• 9.3 grams fat

• 19.2 grams protein

• 56.3 grams carbs

• 3.2 grams sugars

• 2.8 grams fiber

Rogue ratatouille risotto

With grilled Mediterranean vegetables, fragrant basil, and tangy goat's cheese

Oliver said: "I love this quick and simple one-pan dish with a passion — it's a crowd-please, bringing Italy and Provence together. Purists would judge the frozen veg base hack, but I guarantee they're missing out."

Serves 4

35 minutes total

Ingredients

• 700 grams (3 ½ cups) frozen chargrilled Mediterranean vegetables

• 300 grams (1 ¼ cups) risotto rice

• 1.2 liters chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 bunch of basil (30 grams)

• 100 grams (½ cup) goat's cheese

Method

1. Tip the frozen veg into a large, deep pan on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring regularly, then remove half to a bowl.

2. Add the rice to the pan and stir for two minutes. Add a good splash of hot stock and wait until it's been fully absorbed before adding another, stirring constantly for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the rice is perfectly cooked, adding extra splashes of water, if needed.

3. Pick and finely slice most of the basil leaves and stir into the pan with the reserved veg, most of the goat's cheese, and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and season to perfection.

4. Adjust the consistency so it's nice and oozy with a splash of boiling kettle water, if needed. Divide between plates, then scatter over the remaining basil leaves and goat's cheese, to finish.

Nutrition per portion:

• 610 calories

• 17.3 grams fat

• 21 grams protein

• 92.5 grams carbs

• 17.6 grams sugars

• 8.6 grams fiber

Garlic chicken

With creamy chickpeas, spinach, and sumac

Oliver said: "Inspired by some of the wonderful flavors of Lebanon, this quick dish is perfect for an easy meal. Hunting out nice fat jarred chickpeas is game-changing when it comes to both flavor and texture."

Serves 2

18 minutes total

Ingredients

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 2 x 150 gram (5 ounce) skinless chicken breasts

• ½ x 700 gram jar (2 cups) of chickpeas

• 250 grams (8 cups) baby spinach

• 1 heaped teaspoon sumac

Method

1. Peel the garlic cloves and slice lengthways, then place in a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring regularly.

2. Slice each chicken breast length-ways into 3 strips, then toss with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

3. Once the garlic is nicely golden, quickly remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the flavored oil behind. Go in with the chicken and cook for five minutes, or until golden and cooked through, turning regularly.

4. Remove the chicken from the pan and tip in the chickpeas (juices and all). Add the spinach, along with most of the garlic and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, then toss over the heat until the spinach has wilted and the chickpeas are hot through.

5. Season to perfection with salt and pepper, then return the chicken to the pan and finish with the reserved garlic and a generous dusting of sumac.

Nutrition per portion:

• 406 calories

• 13.3 grams fat

• 48.8 grams protein

• 23.3 grams carbs

• 3.1 grams sugars

• 1.1 grams fiber