13 Dinners That Make the Most of Spring Produce

March 01, 2019
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Credit: Jennifer Causey
We use fresh spring veggies, from asparagus to sugar snap peas to bring you easy seasonal dinners, like this vibrant Spring Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese.
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Spring Salad With Herbed Goat Cheese

Credit: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Spring Salad With Herbed Goat Cheese

Make this ahead: Blanch the asparagus and peas, make the herbed goat cheese, and whisk the dressing the day before. Toss with the spinach when you're ready to eat.

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Seared Radicchio and Red Cabbage Pasta With Pickled Raisins

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Seared Radicchio and Red Cabbage Pasta With Pickled Raisins

Gorgeous magenta hues make this dish a beauty. The flavor is a sophisticated blend of slightly bitter radicchio, tart-sweet pickled raisins, and toasty walnuts. We call for chickpea-based pasta, which we love for its mild flavor; you can use another legume-based pasta if you'd like, or noodles made from whole grains. For a lower-carb option, omit the pickled raisins to cut 7g of carbs per serving. When slicing the onion into wedges, try to leave some of the root end intact so the wedges hold together; this will make them easier to turn in the pan.

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Broccoli, Lemon, and Browned Butter Pasta

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Broccoli, Lemon, and Browned Butter Pasta

This quick and easy broccoli-loaded pasta is ideal for busy weeknights. The flavors are straightforward and kid-friendly, with tender broccoli taking on nutty goodness from browned butter and a floral lift from lemon zest. We like the mild flavor of gluten-free corn-and-quinoa pasta, but any whole-grain pasta (such as spelt or brown-rice versions) would be great as well. If you don’t have pecorino Romano cheese on hand, try Parmesan, Asiago, or any other salty grating cheese.

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Spring Carbonara

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Spring Carbonara

Fresh asparagus and green peas lend a bright spring flavor to the classic bacon, egg yolk, and Parmesan carbonara sauce.

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Grilled Chicken Curry Flatbreads

Credit: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Grilled Chicken Curry Flatbreads

Dinner comes together quickly with some smart convenience products. Cooked flatbreads just need a quick turn on the grill pan, a far speedier process than baking pizza dough. And rotisserie chicken is always great to keep on hand for fast, easy meals.

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Mushroom and Asparagus Grain Bowl

Credit: Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Mushroom and Asparagus Grain Bowl

Grain bowls are great for fast weeknight meals—just top precooked or leftover grains with veggies. Serve warm on a cool night, or make it ahead and dish it up cold the next day. For a little extra protein, you can top with shredded chicken.

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Steak and Carrots with Parsley Pesto

Credit: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Steak and Carrots with Parsley Pesto

Grass-fed beef can be tough, so we use an overnight salt-and-sugar rub to tenderize it.

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Mostly Mushroom Pasta

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Mostly Mushroom Pasta

If you’re a mushroom-lover, this is the pasta dish for you. It’s chock-full of three kinds of fresh mushrooms (2 pounds of them) that contribute their own flavors and textures—meaty, hearty portobello; supersavory, tender shiitake; and earthy, chewy cremini. We cook them in stages so the tougher mushrooms cook longer and the more delicate shiitakes cook less so they hold their shape. The touch of crème fraîche in the sauce gives the dish a stroganoff-like flavor; substitute full-fat sour cream if you can’t find it.

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Carrot Orecchiette

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Carrot Orecchiette

Large carrots work best in this staff favorite. Whether you're an herbivore or a meat-lover, everyone will fall in love with this beautiful pasta dish. Break out your mandoline, if you have one, for easier, more even sliced carrots. This one, from OXO is nice).

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Spring Vegetable Pasta Alfredo

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Spring Vegetable Pasta Alfredo

Our seasonal pasta toss is made luscious and rich with a lighter take on Alfredo sauce. Instead of using heavy cream, we employ flour-thickened 2% milk enriched with cream cheese. We also switch from traditional Parmesan to more robust pecorino Romano, which allows us to use less cheese while still achieving the same flavor impact. We love the flavor of Bionaturae brand whole-wheat pasta, which is milder than most other brands we’ve tried and doesn’t overpower the vegetables.

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Garden Greens Pasta

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Garden Greens Pasta

A little bit of pancetta pulls more than its weight in this recipe. Kale and spinach cook in the rendered drippings for rich, salty flavor throughout the dish, and the crisped pork bits make a delicious finishing touch for the pasta.

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Roasted Spring Lamb with Fennel, Rhubarb, and Strawberries

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Roasted Spring Lamb with Fennel, Rhubarb, and Strawberries

"Frenched" racks of lamb are trimmed so that the bones are cleaned of fat and meat; if you can't find pre-frenched lamb racks, ask the butcher to french them for you.

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