From spring herb and goat cheese linguine to lamb roasted with mint and garlic, these easy and delicious recipes are sure to become your spring go-tos.
Photographer: Iain Bagwell, Food Stylist: Erin Merhar, Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro
Days are longer, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming—spring is finally coming. The spring equinox on March 19 marks the official start of the season, but you might feel like staying in and cooking at home until the April showers pass. If you’re in need of some dinner inspiration, our seasonal, easy, and tasty dinner recipes will do the trick.
We’ve included plenty of savory pastas, salads, and soups for simple meals that are still sure to satisfy. We’ve also featured produce like peas, asparagus, and leeks that are finally back in season. You can incorporate these spring favorites with a quick shrimp and asparagus stir-fry or a savory, green soup with leek, lettuce, and fava. Keep reading for our full list of 15 easy and delicious spring dinner recipes.
Simple Spring Dinner Recipes
1 of 15Annabelle Breakey
Orzo with Sesame and Peas
This colorful, light, and quick dish is infused with Asian flavors. It’s delicious on its own or makes a wonderful partner for fish or chicken.
2 of 15Annabelle Breakey
Shrimp, Snap Pea, and Chervil Salad
This salad is easy to vary depending on what you have on hand; crumbled fresh goat cheese, chicken, or smoked trout can all be subbed in for the shrimp. It’s especially refreshing when the ingredients are cold.
3 of 15Iain Bagwell
Quick Crab Stew in Fennel-Tomato Broth
Not up for dealing with live crab after a day at work? Let the grocery store fish counter or a fish market do the cooking. At dinnertime, just toss in a few ingredients for flavor and serve with a loaf of crusty bread for a hearty, easy meal in minutes.
4 of 15Erin Kunkel
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
This recipe turns a beloved pasta dish—rich, creamy Alfredo—into an easy, one-pot endeavor. If you like it saucier, use the larger amount of cream. Sunset reader Wendy Hollingsworth of Clinton Township, Michigan shared the recipe.
5 of 15Annabelle Breakey
Lamb Keema with Potatoes and Peas
This simple, one-pot recipe is easy and quick enough for a weeknight dinner. Feel free to substitute ground beef for the lamb, and during the springtime, try fresh peas for frozen, cooking them a little less time.
6 of 15Iain Bagwell
Arugula and Farro Salad with Asparagus and Prosciutto
Use a peppery, top-quality olive oil to bring out the best in this spring salad, created by Jeanne Kelly, author of Salad For Dinner. Buy really fresh asparagus and radishes, from a farmers market if possible—that too will make a difference.
7 of 15Thomas J. Story
Spring Greens and Peas with Ricotta and Preserved Lemon
This salad, from San Francisco cookbook author and teacher Michelle McKenzie, benefits from a variety of greens: at least one sweet (pea shoots and flowers, fava greens), one peppery (watercress or peppercress), and one bitter (dandelion greens or amaranth). For the herbs, she likes a mix of mint, dill, parsley, or chervil; fennel fronds work too.
8 of 15Thomas J. Story
Roast King Salmon
“This is a great dish for a big family-style meal,” says Meave McAuliffe of Ojai’sRory’s Place. “The whole side of salmon cooks great and looks beautiful and rustic presented on a large platter in the center of your table. We love serving this salmon with braised leeks or slow-cooked spring onions.”
9 of 15Iain Bagwell
Leek, Lettuce, and Fava Soup
To keep the color in this mild spring soup bright, use a deep green head of lettuce, cooking it only enough to wilt it, and peel favas shortly before using them.
10 of 15Annabelle Breakey
Spring Herb and Goat Cheese Linguine
Now’s the time to use spring herbs with abandon, adding them by the handful to salads, eggs, and pasta. This quick vegetarian main dish combines your choice of herbs with a little cream and some goat cheese, which melts in the heat of the pasta to lightly coat each strand. Crumble more cheese on top.
11 of 15Annabelle Breakey
Chicken Dan-Dan Noodles
Welcome to our easy version of this Sichuan street-food classic, with ground chicken instead of pork, and fresh vegetables rather than preserved ones. A dan-dan is the pole, balanced on the shoulder, that vendors use to tote containers of noodles and sauce.
12 of 15Iain Bagwell
Green Garlic Prosciutto Toasts
Serve these robustly flavored open-face sandwiches as a light dinner with a big salad.
13 of 15Thomas J. Story
Asparagus Shrimp Stir-Fry
“You wouldn’t find fresh asparagus in Saigon when I was a kid,” says chef Eric Banh, co-owner with his sister, Sophie, of Seattle’s Monsoon and Ba Bar restaurants. “But it’s the kind of thing that a fancy restaurant would serve [from cans].” Now that he and Sophie live in the Pacific Northwest, where spring asparagus is sweet, juicy, and abundant, they love to use it in spring dishes—like this savory shrimp stir-fry.
14 of 15Annabelle Breakey
Spring Chicken and Snap Pea Soup
Tender-crisp peas add a bright bite to this comfort food staple. Serve with warm biscuits.
15 of 15Annabelle Breakey
Spring Lamb Roasted with Mint and Garlic
This recipe comes from Chris Cosentino, chef at San Francisco’s Incanto restaurant and author of Beginnings; My Way to Start a Meal. We doubled this appetizer recipe so it could serve as a main course. Lamb loins are amazingly tender and flavorful, but expensive; we found that cheaper lamb shoulder roast (although tougher) works too. Just cook it a little longer—about 10 minutes more.
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