Create a delicious spring feast for brunch or dinner.
What’s in season will depend on where you are, but we’ve gathered some of our springtime favorites so you can make a seasonably delicious Easter meal.
Easter Appetizers & Starters
If you’re willing to do some last-minute frying and you’re willing to completely delight your guests, this spring vegetable fritto misto is a total treat. For something much easier and perfectly suited to making ahead, try this beet yogurt dip with crackers and/or an assortment of spring vegetables for dipping.
If you want to offer a seasonal drink, we’re equal fans of this strawberry rosé sangria and this homemade shrub made with the fruit of your choice.
Easter Sides & Salads
If you’re lucky enough to forage or find a market selling fiddlehead ferns, they are a lovely springy green element to the Easter table. Try them steamed with butter. Many more people will find asparagus is available—if so, a platter of roasted asparagus is easy and crowd-pleasing. This roasted asparagus recipe includes plenty of ideas for variations to make it your own.
If you’re looking to add some raw crunch to the table, chop up this radish snap pea salad—the buttermilk dressing has a spring-like refreshing element as well. For something more substantial, consider the charms of a sweet pea pearl couscous salad, which has a sweet edge and lots of roundness. Somehow the orbs of the pearl couscous and the orbs of the peas combine in a most pleasing way.
Easter Main Dishes
Families tend to fall into two camps when it comes to Easter feasts: ham or lamb. Both are delicious, so there’s no real reason to choose sides, which is why we have you covered for both. A big roasted leg of lamb is lovely, of course, but if the weather is good and the budget allows, these lamb chops rubbed with a green garlic paste are a lovely treat. A pre-baked and pre-sliced ham makes things terribly easy, but if you want to make an effort and have access to a fresh ham to bake up, try this ham with rosemary to feed a crowd.
To round out a brunch menu, try a tortilla loaded with spring herbs or a lemon berry strata (use chopped strawberries in place of the raspberries).
Easter Desserts & Baked Goods
If you’re feeling ambitious, consider baking up this festive Easter bread, embedded with colored eggs. Need the colored eggs and want to dye them naturally? See this guide to see how to dye eggs with food waste.
We’re also fans of this sweet coconut pudding—a Cuban, flan-like creation that pairs beautifully with whatever spring fruits may be at hand, be it kumquats or early strawberries or frozen berries or peaches from last summer. A rhubarb tart is a perfectly spring-centric sweet offering, especially with a dollop or two of sweetened whipped cream.
