Greek Dinner Ideas: A No-Cook Mezedes Dinner for One

These Greek dinner ideas start with a rule: nobody cooks. A good mezedes dinner is a table of small plates – cheese, olives, salad, beans, a dip and bread – and for one person in a campervan it is the best sort of supper. I put this one together at the free área de autocaravanas in Carcabuey, in the Parque Natural de las Sierras Subbéticas, with the hob switched off and nothing to wash up but a few small bowls.

I had moved on that day from Priego de Córdoba, where I had cooked my campervan mushroom soup. Carcabuey is a small stop provided by the town hall, with all the facilities except an electric hook-up. That suited this dinner perfectly, because a Greek meze platter needs a fridge and a knife, not a stove.

What Is a Greek Mezedes Dinner?

Mezedes (the Greek plural of meze) are small dishes eaten together, a few at a time, with no fixed order and no main course. In a taverna they arrive at the table one after another. At home, or in a van, you can put them all out at once and graze. It is a relaxed way to eat, and it turns a handful of ordinary ingredients into a proper dinner.

My No-Cook Greek Meze Platter for One

Nothing on this plate is fancy, and some of it came from the supermarket. That is the point. Here is what went on it.

• Feta: a block of Lidl feta, cut into a thick slab and dressed with a little oregano and a drizzle of oil.
• Olives: a gift from my neighbour Antonio Pavo, whose olive grove backs onto Casa Adora.
• Greek salad: tomatoes, cucumber and red onion, with oregano and a drizzle of my aceite verde. My full version is the Horiatiki Salad.
• Gigantes: the quick gigantes plaki from a batch I made at Casa Adora, with a jar kept in the fridge for exactly this sort of supper.
• Tzatziki: my easy tzatziki recipe, made with pepino and dill seeds, rested in the fridge for an hour.
• Bread: buckwheat sourdough, sliced, in place of pita.

How the Plate Comes Together

There is no method as such, only an order of work. The tzatziki goes first, because it wants an hour to chill. The beans come out of the fridge and into a bowl. The salad is chopped last so it stays crisp, then dressed with oregano and the green oil. The feta is cut into a slab and sits beside the olives, and the sourdough is sliced just before eating. Everything goes on the table together, and you eat in whatever order you like.

Why These Greek Dinner Ideas Work for One

Cooking for one is usually where good dinners go wrong, because the recipe makes four portions and you eat the same thing for three days. A meze platter fixes that. Each dish is small, each keeps in the fridge, and nothing has to be finished the same night. The leftover tzatziki makes a good sauce for a wrap the next day, and the beans are even better after another day in their sauce.

It also suits a van, because there is no pan to scrub and no gas to use up. A few jars and tubs from the fridge, a board and a knife are all you need.

Ideas for Your Own Greek Mezedes

You can build your own Greek meze platter from whatever is in the fridge. Keep to one salty thing (feta or olives), one creamy thing (tzatziki or hummus), one pulse or vegetable dish, something fresh and something to scoop with. Swap in my homemade hummus for the tzatziki, or add a tin of sardines if you want more protein. For a hot meal in the same style, my Greek recipes collection has plenty to choose from.

FAQ

What do you serve on a Greek meze platter?
Typically feta, olives, a salad, a dip such as tzatziki, beans or other vegetable dishes, and bread. Mine had feta, olives, Greek salad, gigantes, tzatziki and buckwheat sourdough.

Can you make a Greek mezedes dinner without cooking?
Yes. Every dish on my plate was either made ahead (the gigantes and the tzatziki) or needed only chopping and dressing.

What can I use instead of pita?
Any bread you like. I used sliced buckwheat sourdough, which is sturdy enough to scoop up tzatziki and beans.

Is a mezedes dinner vegetarian?
This one is, because of the feta and the yoghurt. Skip both and use a plant-based yoghurt and a vegan cheese to make it vegan.

If these Greek dinner ideas saved you from cooking tonight, you can buy me a coffee ☕ – it helps keep the site going.

Footnote

These Greek dinner ideas are part of my Greek Recipes, Campervan Cooking and Veggie & Vegan Recipes collections.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef