Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Holidays
  • Cooking 101
  • Healthy Living
  • Shop
  • News
  • Good.Food.Fast
  • CL Diet

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Register/Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Logout
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More Next
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More Next
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More Next
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    • New Year, New You
    • Super Bowl
    • Valentines
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • Shop
  • News
  • Good.Food.Fast
  • CL Diet

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Register/Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

CookingLight diet CookingLight diet
  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Recipes Chevron Right
  3. 13 Dinners That Make the Most of Spring Produce

13 Dinners That Make the Most of Spring Produce

March 01, 2019
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
Pin
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.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

2 of 12

3 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

4 of 12

5 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

5 of 12

6 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

7 of 12

8 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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 crĆØme fraĆ®che in the sauce gives the dish a stroganoff-like flavor; substitute full-fat sour cream if you can’t find it.

8 of 12

9 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.Ā This one, from OXOĀ is nice).

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

10 of 12

11 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

11 of 12

12 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 12 Spring Salad With Herbed Goat Cheese
2 of 12 Seared Radicchio and Red Cabbage Pasta With Pickled Raisins
3 of 12 Broccoli, Lemon, and Browned Butter Pasta
4 of 12 Spring Carbonara
5 of 12 Grilled Chicken Curry Flatbreads
6 of 12 Mushroom and Asparagus Grain Bowl
7 of 12 Steak and Carrots with Parsley Pesto
8 of 12 Mostly Mushroom Pasta
9 of 12 Carrot Orecchiette
10 of 12 Spring Vegetable Pasta Alfredo
11 of 12 Garden Greens Pasta
12 of 12 Roasted Spring Lamb with Fennel, Rhubarb, and Strawberries

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Cooking Light

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Cooking Light Diet this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Cooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Statementthis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

View image

13 Dinners That Make the Most of Spring Produce
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.