As the weather starts to warm, you might be looking for some lighter food, like fresh seafood or fruit salsas. I like to keep my eye on the fresh meat and fish counters for some springtime favorites. Color is the biggest thing for me, and I’m always on the lookout for the freshest ingredients and ways to give them a boost. Farmer’s markets will be bursting with fantastic options right about now, so set that alarm and see what you can find. This list of 32 sensational spring recipes is a great place to start!
1. Easy Apricot Chicken (only 5 ingredients)
If you’re a lover of sweet and sour, this chicken is a must-try. The sweet apricot acts as the perfect glaze for your chicken, and its sweet flavors are balanced with onion soup mix, mustard, and tangy salad dressing. Not only is it beautifully colored, but the sweet and sour flavor is perfect. I like to use the slow cooker method to shred the chicken and have it with rice and broccoli.
2. Roasted Spring Vegetables
There’s nothing like picking those first few spring vegetables from your garden and tasting all your hard work. For those without a veggie patch, the farmer’s market is brimming with colorful vegetables, just dying to come home with you. My personal favorite has to be carrots, in all shapes and sizes. When roasted, these veggies will begin to release their sweet flavors and become wonderfully tender.
3. Perfect Roasted Asparagus
Roasting asparagus is not only easy, but the best way to get the most out of the little green stalks. They’ll begin to crisp around the edges, and though they’ll still have a slight crunch, the middle will soften and melt in your mouth.
4. Cracker Barrel Baby Carrots
I first made this dish as a last-minute side because I had a surprise dinner guest, and carrots were the only thing I had in the fridge. Let me tell you, baby carrots are not only ridiculously fast, but also super delicious. Why spend your time peeling and chopping when you can just open and bag and go? Of course, the brown sugar glaze would work just as well on sliced carrots.
5. Mediterranean Roasted Artichoke Recipe
Artichokes are one of those vegetables that people shy away from. For a while, I wasn’t really sure what to do with a whole one and just stuck to canned artichoke hearts for my spinach dip. But this recipe is such a joy, and it’s not as hard as you might think. Once you have them prepped and roasted, the buttery artichoke is pretty great as is. But the feta, garlic, and capers give it an authentic flavor boost.
6. Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup
We might not be making hearty soups anymore, but there’s still a chill in the air. What’s better than a bowl of soup on a cool springtime day? Carrot soup is one of my favorites. It has a lovely mild sweetness that is just so concentrated after roasting. Plus, this makes a fantastic base for several different options, such as coconut and curry or carrot and ginger.
7. Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
I don’t know of a better way of eating spinach. This dip is warm, savory, ultra-cheesy, and impossible to resist. The bacon in here adds such a lovely note to the dip, and the salty bites mixed in give it something special. But you can leave it out if you want this to be vegetarian-friendly.
8. Italian Pasta With Peas
Garden peas are such an overlooked vegetable. When you’ve picked them fresh, they are sweet, crisp, and a great way to add a little color to your food. This simple pasta dish needs just six ingredients and 15 minutes of your time. The flavors are light and make for an excellent mid-week meal.
9. Artichoke Soup
Artichokes have a buttery texture and a mild nutty flavor that is similar to Brussels sprouts or asparagus. When I found a bag of frozen artichoke hearts, I just knew I had to make this soup! The soup itself is a simple mix of potatoes, celery, artichokes, and some seasoning, which gets boiled until everything is tender. One key thing to note for this recipe is that it’s best served smooth. Be sure to blend your soup completely for the best finish.
10. Chipotle Guacamole Recipe
I think I miss fresh avocados the most during the winter months. They’re available in some stores, but often not quite right. Now spring is here, and they’re back on the shelves; I’ll be making this guacamole at least twice a week. This recipe is fresh, zesty, just a little spicy, and perfect for everything from fish tacos to your morning avocado toast.
11. Pea, Asparagus, and Fava Bean Salad
Fava beans go well with so much more than just liver and a nice chianti, you know. Also known as broad beans, they have a rich nutty flavor and lovely creamy texture. This green veggie salad is the epitome of spring, bringing a vibrancy to the table along with all that fantastic natural flavor.
12. Morel Mushroom Pasta in Parmesan Cream Sauce
Morel mushrooms are meaty, full of earthy flavor, hard to find, and a touch on the expensive side. But if you can find them, you just have to give this pasta dish a try. The sauce is based on the mushrooms, letting them cook in plenty of butter with some garlic before adding is a dash of cream. If you’re a mushroom lover, this will knock your socks off.
13. Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
If you live on the west coast, you’re probably blessed with countless options for your taco cravings. For those of us in the colder parts of the world, we have to pick our ingredients with the seasons. This recipe combines the amazing meaty flavors of shrimp along with a light and spicy mango salsa that you’ll want to eat with everything. Just be ready with your camera because Instagram just has to see these beauties!
14. Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
In my humble opinion, the potato is the king of all vegetables. Just think of what you can do with them! Mashed, roasted, diced, fried, dried, chipped… the list goes on, and each dish is better than the last. But if I had to eat just one for the rest of my life, it would probably be this one. Creamy and tender potatoes loaded with mature cheddar and bacon? They’re pretty much perfect.
15. Asiago, Garlic & Rosemary Potato Galette
Ok, so I know what I said, but this might be the potato dish I’d eat forever. I mean, how am I supposed to resist that golden crunch? Between the roasted garlic, rosemary, and asiago, I’m relatively certain I could eat this entire thing alone.
16. Mango Curry Chickpeas
This dish has become a staple in my household on meat-free Mondays. It’s filling, tasty, and super simple to throw together. I know many recipes like this look intimidating when you see the ingredient list, but once you buy the spices once, I promise you’ll be making all kinds of curries for months!
17. Herby Chickpea Salad Sandwich
For people that worry vegetarian or vegan food isn’t filling enough, just show them a picture of this insanely huge sandwich! Smashed chickpeas give you great flavor and texture, but they’re mild enough to pair with an incredible dressing and plenty of greens. If dill isn’t your thing, swap it out for tarragon, parsley, or ground fennel seeds.
18. Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach
This lightened-up salmon dish is similar to a Tuscan salmon. The key difference being the lack of cream, but it doesn’t lack in flavor! In fact, without the cream, the flavors are so much more pronounced. Each bite will give you a mix of tangy sundried tomatoes, salty artichoke and capers, and perfectly flaky salmon.
19. Vegan Pot Pie with Spring Veggies
These are the cutest little pot pies, and I’ll bet nobody will even know they’re vegan! You can find frozen vegan puff pastry in larger grocery stores, or why not try making your own? As for the filling, between the potato, leeks, carrot, parsnip, celery, fennel, mushrooms, and pearl onions, nobody will miss a few chunks of meat. However, you could add some chicken for the meat-eaters with ease. Just be sure to mark those, so you don’t get anything mixed up.
20. German Potato Salad
Most potato salads you see in the states are loaded with mayo. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’ll happily eat a bowl of creamy, dreamy potato salad with my BBQ, thank you. But this German recipe is such a nice change from the norm, and it’s packed with bacon to boot! Rather than a creamy coating, this dish has an indulgent tangy dressing made with bacon fat, mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
21. Ramp Pesto
Ramps are wild leeks that are packed with garlic flavor. They can be roasted or sauteed, and when used in pesto, they add so much incredible natural flavor. If you have the time, always blanch your leaves beforehand to prevent the pesto from turning brown. Just be sure to cool and dry them thoroughly before continuing with the recipe, which is a typical pesto mix of pine nuts and pecorino cheese.
22. Caramelized Onion Galette with Parmigiano Cream
Be honest, you read that title and immediately went to check the kitchen for the ingredients, right? Me too! I’m not sure what I love the most about this: the caramelized onions or the Parmigiano cream. Both are to die for and would be welcome on my plate at all times! But together, they elevate this simple little dish to the moon.
23. Spring Minestrone Soup
Went a little crazy at the farmer’s market and suddenly have an abundance of fresh veggies? This soup is such a great way to use up leftovers or even off-cuts. It’s warm and filling for those days that are still kind of cold but not too robust like a stew might be. It’s just the perfect balance and not to mention, gorgeous.
24. The Best Mini-Pea Pancakes
Who doesn’t love pancakes? Especially when they’re this vibrant! I absolutely love this recipe because it’s full of goodness, but the kids will devour them without a second thought. It’s such a fun way to serve up some veggies and protein, and they pair well with everything from chicken fingers to pork chops.
25. Roasted Beet Hummus
Even if you don’t like beets, you can’t deny how sensational this hummus looks. I mean, it’s everything you want in a spring dish and then some! And the best part is, it’s all-natural. This recipe still uses chickpeas for flavor and texture, and the earthy beet flavor is calmed a little by the lemon and garlic. Feel free to add in some extra tahini if it’s too much, but I think this is just right.
26. Rhubarb Ginger Yogurt
I used to hate rhubarb (I know! Crazy!), because the tart flavor was just too much for me. But once I started to use it with other ingredients, I saw the light. And how could I not? It’s a beautiful pink color, and that tartness is often just what’s missing from many overly sweet treats. This yogurt is particularly delicious, with the warmth of the ginger and creaminess of the yogurt.
27. Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Retro is coming back, and it’s coming back strong! This used to be a big hit back in the 70s, and I don’t get why it ever went out of style! This recipe is especially good, using a pineapple cake mix to leave no question about the flavors. Although, a good coconut cake would be an excellent alternative, too.
28. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Apple has had a whole season: it’s time for something new! As soon as they come into season, you’ll just have to try this strawberry and rhubarb pie. Let’s just forget about the fact it’s stunning and focus on the flavor. Juicy sweet strawberries and titillating tart rhubarb are a match made in heaven!
29. Pineapple Angel Food Cake
Light, fruity, and super moist, this is the cake of the season. Adding crushed pineapple to the cake mix is a genius way to not only infuse it with flavor but ensure it will be tender.
30. Strawberry Lemonade
For those of us who find lemonade a tad too tart, this recipe will be a game-changer. Forget those sugary packets of lemonade, and make this incredible drink using all-natural ingredients. You won’t be sorry.
31. Do Nothing Cake
This cake is similar to the angel food cake in that it uses crushed pineapple right in the cake batter. It’s moist and totally tropical! But it gets better! The topping is a rich, creamy mix of pecans, coconut, and evaporated milk that gets poured right over the top. The sweet glaze will infuse right into the cake as they cool together, making every bite a beachy dream.
32. Ambrosia Salad
This dreamy salad is not your average leafy affair. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! Full of mini-marshmallows, juicy pineapple, mandarin oranges, cherries, and toasted coconut, it’s the kind of salad that will have the kids coming back for more.
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