Yahoo Lifestyle 30 Spring Dinners to Make Every Night in April
Spring has officially sprung—and it’s about damn time. Although we’re still waiting for the weather to warm up to our liking, we’re psyched for sunnier meals ahead that put seasonal produce in the spotlight. Think asparagus, peas, radishes, spinach and mushrooms, but don’t limit yourself to those. To get you in the spirit, here are 30 dinners to whip up every night in April, from goat cheese pasta with spinach and artichokes to lemon butter veggies and sausage.
70 Spring Dinner Ideas to Celebrate the Season
April 1: Double Pea, Prosciutto and Burrata Platter
Matt Armendariz/Eat What You Want
Sure, it's basically a spring-themed charcuterie board. But with that much green (and prosciutto) on the plate, it crosses over into dinner territory in our book.
April 2: Sheet Pan Lemon Butter Veggies and Sausage
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Maximum flavor, minimal effort, one dirty dish to clean—need we say more? It's loaded with radishes, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini and more fresh produce.
April 3: Orecchiette with Spring Greens
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Can you believe this stunner only requires 15 minutes of your time? That's because the garlic, spinach and peas cook while the pasta boils.
April 4: Chicken and Snap Pea Stir Fry
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
This 20-minute main never gets old. (Especially because it takes less time to prepare than if you ordered delivery from your favorite takeout spot.) Have steamed white rice at the ready.
April 5: Miso Matzo Ball Soup
CHANIE APFELBAUM/TOTALLY KOSHER
Squeeze this umami-laced soul-soother in before soup season ends. (Passover runs from April 5 to 13, so there's really no better time to prepare a batch.)
April 6: French Onion Sheet Pan Chicken
BRITTANY CONERLY/EVERYDAY GRAND
Your picky kids' favorite soup meets their go-to protein. The recipe calls specifically for Vidalia onions, so the French onion topping is guaranteed to turn out extra jammy and sweet.
April 7: Instant Pot Spaghetti with Goat Cheese, Mint and Peas
Connie Miller/Milk Street: Fast and Slow
Cooking pasta in the pressure cooker is a game-changer. Drop the dry noodles in with the aromatics for flavor, then quick-release the pressure once they’re cooked, so they stay al dente.
April 8: Spinach with Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells
Tieghan Gerard/Half Baked Harvest Super Simple
Want to use frozen spinach? No problem. Just thaw and drain it, stir it into the ricotta stuffing and top it all off with Gouda and peppery tomato sauce.
April 9: Lamb Loin Chops over Minty Pistachio Butter
SUECH AND BECK/A GENEROUS MEAL
Hosting Easter this year? This Insta-worthy dish will blow your annual ham away (no offense). Save some of the pistachio butter to smear on flatbread, fish or grilled veggies (if there's any left over, that is).
April 10: Spring Panzanella Salad
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Yup, bread salad is a thing. An ingenious, delicious thing. Here, wild mushrooms, asparagus, peas, scallions and watercress meet half a loaf of sourdough, because balance.
April 11: Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
A no-cook meal that comes together in 15 minutes flat? Sign us up. Did we mention the recipe is super riffable and teeming with plant-based protein?
April 12: Shrimp with Cauliflower “Grits” and Arugula
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
You've had cauliflower rice, but did you know that it can be turned into low-carb grits with the help of milk, butter and goat cheese? Take that, keto.
April 13: Cold Lemon Zoodles
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Spiralized zucchini + pink radishes + pantry staples = the prettiest, most refreshing 20-minute meal of all time. Best of all, you won't need to boil water—or cook at all—to pull it off.
April 14: Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza
Katherine Gillen
This simple dish is begging to be enjoyed alfresco. It starts with store-bought pizza dough, so the pies only take 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish.
April 15: Salmon Noodle Bowls with Chili-Yuzu Relish and Pickled Radishes
Nassima Rothacker/California: Living + Eating
Pro tip: Make the three-ingredient pickled radishes, soy-ginger dressing and relish in advance, so all you have to do at meal time is assemble and serve. You can thank us later.
April 16: Spinach Artichoke Squares
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Eight ingredients—including our favorite time-saver, store-bought puff pastry dough—stand between you and this fancy-yet-simple dinner. Spring for fresh artichokes (and serve with a side salad, to round things out) if you're feeling ambitious.
April 17: Family Falafel with Tahini Yogurt
CLARE WINFIELD/THE SHORTCUT COOK ALL IN ONE
You love falafel, but rolling it into a million tiny balls and deep frying them all? Not so much. This spin on the vegetarian staple is baked in a single layer instead for easy serving.
April 18: Shaved Spring Vegetable and Apple Salad with Ginger-Dijon Dressing
Kirsten Buck/Buck Naked Kitchen
We can see it now: You setting this gorgeous centerpiece down on the picnic table and your guests singing out in a chorus of oohs and aahs. Crown the salad with burrata or crumbled bacon to make it more filling.
April 19: Salami, Artichoke and Ricotta Pasta Salad
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Bookmark this savory number for your first barbecue of the season. (P.S.: Canned artichokes will save you time, but you can use in-season fresh artichokes if you can find them at your local farmers market.)
April 20: Herb-Crusted Pork Cutlets
Erin McDowell
Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, just how we like 'em. Serve the cutlets with a side salad, pasta or, our favorite, shoestring fries.
April 21: Spicy Sichuan Pork Noodles
ROB PALMER/RECIPETIN EATS DINNER
You can never have too many 18-minute meals up your sleeve, especially those that come together in a single skillet. Feel free to swap the ground pork for beef, chicken or turkey, or to use instant ramen instead of dried lo mein.
April 22: Carrot Pasta
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
You can substitute frozen carrots in place of fresh to make these little pillows of heaven. Don't forget to drizzle them generously with garlic-sage butter sauce before digging in.
April 23: Wild Alaska Salmon and Smashed Cucumber Grain Bowls
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Caroline Lange
Quinoa? We don't know her. This healthy bowl stars toothsome farro, along with vinegary cucumbers, flaky salmon and lemon-mustard dressing.
April 24: Cauliflower Sweet Potato Burgers
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Forget the hockey puck-like veggie burgers you've had in the past. These are perfectly moist and just right for every warm-weather soirée you'll host this year.
April 25: Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
File this one under Easiest Ways to Upgrade Store-Bought Pasta. (In case you haven't heard, broccoli rabe deserves your full attention come spring.) Pass the Parm, please.
April 26: Chickpea Vegetable Coconut Curry
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Frozen peas and a can of beans are the base for this spicy one-pot curry. Serve it over tender basmati rice or scoop it up with toasted naan.
April 27: Honey-Lime Chicken and Veggies in Foil
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
This is your sign from the universe to take your barbecue out of storage. The moment it's warm enough to grill outdoors, we trade our baking sheets and skillets for trusty aluminum foil. See ya, dirty dishes.
April 28: Creamy Louisiana Cajun Shrimp Alfredo
BRITTANY CONERLY/EVERYDAY GRAND
This 30-minute pasta is the definition of comfort food. It starts with a homemade Cajun seasoning blend, which is equal parts smoky, spicy, garlicky and herbaceous.
April 29: Grain-Free Mushroom, Spinach and Leek Pasta
Photo: Michael Marquand/Styling: Jodi Moreno
Pine nuts provide crunch while meaty, ghee-kissed mushrooms add substance to the plant-based, gluten-free pasta. It gets its cheesy flavor from nutritional yeast instead of dairy to boot.
April 30: Spring Crudités with Romesco Sauce
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Sarah Copeland
A snack platter this photogenic deserves to be the main event, not an appetizer. Zhuzh it up with bread, crackers and cheese, so all that's missing is a bottle of white.
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Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
