Easter Menu Planning: Our Fave Seasonal Recipes

Posted by Olivia on Wed, April 04, 2012

Easter Sunday is right ahead of us, and as usual, we’re so excited to have the weekend to spend with family and loved ones.

With most holiday celebrations, food is always a top priority for us, as we often cook and dine with those closest to us on these special days. This year for Easter, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite seasonal recipes for you to include in your menu planning. Whether you have entrees, side dishes, or desserts in mind, check out our featured recipes below for some inspiration. May you all have a relaxing and festive Easter!

(And this is a great time to remind everyone about our Spring Fling Recipe contest, which runs through April. Enter and win $100, plus a spot in our first cookbook!)

Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb

Sometimes, Easter just isn’t Easter without a main dish of lamb at the dining table. If you’re looking for a new way to serve this luscious, robust meat, try this recipe—it won’t disappoint. A savory herb and nutty pistachio crust, mixed with a tangy mustard rub, gives rack of lamb just a marvelously flavored crust. Cook these just a minute or two less than you think you should; they’ll continue cooking once removed from the oven, and you don’t want to overcook lamb.

Get the recipe here.

Herb-Crusted Easter Pork over Lemon-Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

Pork tenderloin makes for a fantastic Easter dinner choice because it’s easy to prepare and very economical. Herbs and spices and an easy pan sauce make this a hearty, comforting Easter dinner. The herb-crusted loin is complemented with our recipe for olive oil-mashed potatoes, made with our award-winning Limonato Olive Oil.

Get the recipe here.

Marinated Garden Salad with Fresh Mint

We like to think of Easter in terms of colors: light pink, green, and yellow, spotted with pastels and bursting with freshness. This Easter-ready salad recipe embodies all these things, from presentation to flavor. Garden-fresh radishes, cucumbers, and yellow squash are sliced very thinly and tossed with a bright citrus vinaigrette. You’re going to love this refreshing side dish, which really helps to lighten a meat-heavy Easter spread.

Get the recipe here.

Spring Tea Sandwiches with Salmon Spread

We couldn’t decide which food is more Easter-friendly—salmon, or mini-tea sandwiches, so we combined them both in this lovely small-plate recipe! The filling in these mini sandwiches is our version of a “pate,” but light and healthy--it’s made with fully cooked canned salmon (we used wild-caught because it’s sustainable!).

Get the recipe here.

Lavender-Strawberry Scones with Lemon Olive Oil

We’ve known Easter Sundays with the family to start early in the morning and sometimes extend into the evening. That’s why bunch is so commonly served during Easter; it has a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so you can nosh throughout the day. No brunch menu would be complete without scones, and these scones are just delightful for Spring!

Get the recipe here.

Pretty in Pink Easter Cheesecake

If you’re planning to have a nice, solid dessert to round out your Easter menus, this frozen no-bake pie is where it’s at. We call it a “cheesecake,” but really it’s a frozen cream pie, ripe with fresh berries yogurt, and our very own Limonato Olive Oil, all nestled inside a graham cracker crust. This is a really special dessert—we recommend you keep it in mind for Mother’s Day to honor the lovely ladies in your life. It’s just that good!

Get the recipe here.