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Spring has arrived! The birds are chirping, the flowers are blossoming and fresh fruits and vegetables are growing. It’s time to replace (or supplement) the root vegetables that we consume during the winter months. If you’re not sure what to cook, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here are 30 Spring dinners that will last you throughout the month of April. Your family is sure to enjoy these delicious meals!
Tips for pleasing everyone
I know it can be difficult to satisfy each member of your family with each dinner that you put on the table.
In our household, my son prefers meat and potatoes while my daughter enjoys veggies more. This can make meal planning tricky!
Over the years, I have developed strategies to make dinner time enjoyable for everyone while not giving me a ton of extra work.
- Make it easier to pick through (if someone doesn’t like mushrooms, leave them as large pieces or even whole so that it’s easier to move them aside)
- Or make it easier to hide (opposite to the first tip, you can cut them extremely small so that the mushrooms are no longer visible). I LOVE my ninja shopper for this purpose. It’s small and makes this task super quick.
- Make extra of the well-liked item (make extra green beans so that on the day when you serve a veggie that someone does like, you can replace it with green beans for that person without cooking an entire other meal).
I highly recommend purchasing a vegetable steamer like this one for those nights when you don’t have a spare vegetable on hand. They make it extremely quick and easy to prepare vegetables. In fact, I am even planning to send one with my son to college.
- Give everyone their special night (by cooking at least one meal each week that each member of the family really enjoys, it makes them more likely to accept a meal for which they don’t really care on another night)
- Keep sauces or extra spices aside
- Add the ingredient that a family member dislikes last after you’ve already served that person
For more tips about feeding picky eaters, make sure to read this article.
30 delicious Spring dinners
My favorite part of cooking is finding new and delicious recipes inspired by the produce that are in season at the moment. Spring has some of my favorite vegetables, including asparagus, mushrooms, arugula, broccoli, and tons of fresh herbs such as rosemary and chives.
There are important benefits linked to eating seasonally. I am so passionate about this that I wrote an entire article about the topic.
I recommend finding a farmer’s market to purchase your produce from. This will ensure your fruits and vegetables are harvested at peak freshness and still delicious by the time you purchase and eat them. Many metro areas even have online farmer’s markets by now. Market wagon is my favorite.
Let’s now jump into the top 30 Spring dinners I recommend trying this Spring.
1) Shrimp and asparagus risotto by Iowa girl eats
I have made this delicious risotto many times. Our entire family enjoys this dish. If you have shellfish allergies or simply don’t care for shrimps, you could substitute with salmon, I’ve done it and it is equally yummy!
2) Tuscan Pork Smash Burgers by Giadzy
This unique burger is so good and includes one of my favorite green, arugula. The peppery taste of the arugula is balanced by the creaminess of the cheese. I use brie when I make this burger. If arugula isn’t your favorite, you could also use spinach.
3) One-pan Parmesan Chicken with Turnips and Asparagus by Brooklyn Supper
Who doesn’t like a one-pan meal? Fewer dishes for the win. You could even add small diced potato cubes to the pan if your family likes a little more carbs.
4) Steak Taco Bowls by 40 Aprons
Did you know radishes are Spring vegetables? This recipe offers a wonderful way to incorporate them into your menu. If you aren’t low-carb like us, feel free to use regular rice as your base.
5) Spinach and Artichoke Gnocchi by Salt & Lavender
I love this recipe for April nights that are on the cooler side. I also appreciate the versatility of this recipe. You can easily add extra vegetables such as shredded zucchini or diced tomato or even add diced chicken for added protein.
6) One-pot Sticky Salmon by Taste
This rapid 20-minute recipe is perfect for this transitional month. It combines fresh spring asparagus with sweet winter oranges. We love to pair it with steamed rice or buttered orzo.
7) Pork tenderloin in Creamy Mushroom by Crafty Cooking by Anna
One of my picky eater tips comes in handy when I make a recipe that my son, who dislikes mushrooms, doesn’t enjoy. In such cases, I steam broccoli and serve it as a side dish along with the recipe. This way, my son can skip the mushrooms and still have a vegetable as part of his meal. The rest of us can enjoy the recipe without any issues.
8) Sheet pan Balsamic Basil Chicken Cauliflower Rice bowls by The Whole Cook
Our family loves sheet pan Spring dinners. They are quick for busy nights and we don’t need to make extra side dishes. Once again, you can use regular rice if you prefer but I will admit that the combination of cauliflower and balsamic is delicious!
9) Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli by Whole Kitchen Sink
Who doesn’t like a good old beef and broccoli dinner? This recipe comes together in only 30 minutes thanks to the use of the instant pot. If you don’t have one, I highly encourage you to consider purchasing one. We use our instant pot about every other day in this house. We usually serve this meal with steamed rice which we cook once a week in our Instant Pot!
10) One-Pot Creamy Spinach Pasta by Feedfeed
Here is another plant-based idea for your Spring Dinners list. If your family is picky when it comes to leafy greens like spinach, arugula, or kale, homemade pestos are a fantastic option. Our family needs to work around nuts and peanuts due to allergies. However, we can still make our pesto by substituting the nuts with pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
For more tips about cooking around food allergies, make sure to take a moment to read this article.
11) Salmon Wellington by Simply Homecooked
This recipe is a bit more complex and may not be the ideal choice for quick Spring dinners. However, it will certainly leave a lasting impression on anyone you serve it to. It’s a fantastic way to use spinach and create a distinctive dish that will be enjoyed by all. We typically include steamed broccoli or a salad as a healthy side.
12) Easy Ham and Broccoli Quiche by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
It doesn’t get much easier than a quiche. And quiches are super versatile. You can use a base quiche recipe and change up what’s in it for variety if you end up making them often. This particular recipe is delicious and makes for great leftovers. I like to serve it with a side salad with a fresh and creamy dressing.
13) Instant Pot Sesame Chicken by Whole30
Here is another Instant Pot recipe that we find divine. It comes together in about 45 minutes and features yummy Spring broccoli. We prefer to use fresh broccoli rather than frozen. We like to serve it with buttered rice noodles that we sprinkle with fresh herbs (chives is my go-to).
14) Keto Meatloaf – Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Spinach by Wicked Stuffed
This meatloaf dinner idea is best for nights when you have a little more time on your hands. It comes together in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The investment is a little longer, but you won’t regret it. We love pairing it with a mix of turnips and potatoes mashed.
15) Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Patties by Running in a skirt
If you wish to add more vegetarian meals to your menu, I strongly encourage you to incorporate quinoa. It is a whole grain high in protein. In this recipe, it is paired with tons of veggies, eggs and cheese to make it a delicious dinner.
16) Baked Cod with spring Veggies by Minimalist Baker
We love cod, it’s such an easy fish to make. This recipe suggests that you cook it all in the oven and create minimal dirty dishes. It’s quite versatile too if you don’t care for some of the veggies. Great weeknight Spring dinner option.
17) Spring pizza by Chisel & Fork
What a fun dinner idea. This takes the traditional pizza to a whole other level! You can make your own pizza crust or go the store-bought route if you prefer. Make sure to grab a small dish of extra-virgin olive oil to dip your crust in.
For best results with at-home pizza, I strongly encourage you to get a pizza stone like this one. The results will be drastically different.
18) Herb Roasted Chicken with Spring veggies by Olive & Mango
This dish is incredibly flavorful. The chicken is juicy and tender, and the combination of lemon and rosemary really brings out the flavors. It’s also great as leftovers! I usually serve it with mashed potatoes or a mix of mashed potatoes and turnips.
19) Korean Beef Zucchini Noodles by Damn Delicious
Zoodles are an excellent way to increase the vegetable content of any meal. In this delicious recipe, even meat eaters won’t mind the addition of veggies when combined with flavorful beef. Using sesame oil is a must to make this dish one-of-a-kind and delicious.
20) Creamy Asparagus Soup by Feasting At Home
We all have nights when we want something lighter but still delicious. My go-to usually is a soup and a grilled cheese when this happens. This excellent Spring soup packs tons of vegetables and nutrients. I like to make it with this unique brie-grilled cheese sandwich.
I swear by this tiny grilled cheese maker that was gifted to me last year. Making grilled cheese is more convenient than ever. This is not the exact same that I have but is similar.
21) Spring Veggie Crab Cakes by Cooking for Keeps
Our family loves crab cakes. I enjoy searching for new crab cake recipes, and I was thrilled when I found this one to add to our list of spring dinners. It is packed with nutrition, and the lemon yogurt sauce complements the dish perfectly. We usually pair it with seasoned steamed rice.
22) Ham Tetrazzini by Spicy Southern Kitchen
This is a great comfort food spring meal. This dish is creamy and salty and is great as leftovers. I like to add diced zucchini is this casserole instead of peas.
23) Fontina & Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken with Spring Veggies by Eating Well
Another quick weeknight meal for your April dinner menu. This recipe is so good. Everything with prosciutto is delicious in my book and this one does not disappoint. It pairs well with rice or with linguine pasta.
24) Beef and Spinach Lo Mein by Taste of Home
This Asian-inspired dish takes only 30 minutes to prepare and is packed with flavor. We prefer using mushrooms instead of water chestnuts, and since I cannot consume soy, we substitute it with coconut aminos. This is a great option for those who want to reduce their sodium intake as it is much less salty than soy sauce.
25) Peanut Noodles with Roasted Broccoli by How Sweet Eats
The roasted broccoli truly makes this recipe. Do not skip this step. The sauce is quite incredible even though we must modify it due to allergies. Instead of peanut butter, we use sunflower butter and we skip the crushed peanuts. The combination of sweet and salty is divine. A must-try for sure!
26) Fish Florentine by Skinny Taste
This is definitely one of our favorite recipes from this Spring dinners compilation. We actually make it with cod most often and simply adjust the cooking time to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked. I have also adapted it to be dairy-free by using coconut cream and dairy-free cheese. It is delicious!!
27) Caramelized Onion, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza by Port and Fin
Another fantastic Spring pizza option. You cannot go wrong when combining prosciutto and arugula. The balsamic reduction is what truly binds all the flavors of this delicious dish.
28) Loaded Chicken Casserole by Dinners, Dishes & Desserts
This is a super easy dinner to put together. It’s perfect for days when you have other things to do. This dish keeps really well for a few days in the refrigerator and can be enjoyed as leftovers.
29) Balsamic Glazed Steak rolls by Daring Gourmet
I love to make this recipe when we are hosting in the Spring. This recipe always impresses our guests and we all enjoy it as well. We often pair it with roasted potatoes or freshly baked bread. Delicious!
30) Artichoke and Spinach Stuffed Zucchini by Talking Meals
Last but not least is a vegetarian entre that is nothing but boring. I’ve served it with egg-fried rice before to make it more filling but you can serve it as the main meal.
In conclusion
You now have 30 new Spring Dinners to try this April. What a fun way to jump into Spring. I hope you will try all of the recipes.
Let us know which one you liked best.
Bon Appetit!
Cat xx