All you have to do is take a look outside and you’ll see that spring is definitely in the air! And along with this season comes longer days, warmer weather, and of course, the arrival of our favorite spring vegetables. From carrots to artichokes to fava beans to leeks, not only has spring sprung, but so will your tastebuds!
See below for a few of our favorite recipes to make with our favorite springtime veggies!
Read More »1) Lemon Garlic Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a great, versatile addition to just about any main meal, be it meat, fish, chicken, or any other heartier food. And then adding a garlic (three cloves!) and lemon (a quarter cup!) dressing to that? With a reason to fire up your grill? Now you’re talking deliciousness. With a total prep and cook time of only 15 minutes, this recipe is really just a snap!
2) Lemon-Pepper Asparagus
Another easy side dish that makes use of lemons, this one adds in some black pepper and goes over roasted asparagus, leaving you with a scrumptious bitter-sour accompaniment to your meal. Stocking up on ingredients is extremely light; aside from common kitchen staples, the only other ingredients you need are pound of asparagus and one lemon. You can serve up to four people with this side dish, which roasts at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. It’ll probably take you more time to drive to the local market for asparagus than it does for putting the whole meal together!
3) Orecchiette with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce
Okay, let’s put the side dishes aside here for a second and focus on a springtime veggie main! Orecchiette pasta, with its scoop-like shape is perfect to ladle up the delectable carrot sauce. And this recipe even makes use of carrot greens in the gremolata. Along with the carrots, the sauce also contains garlic and even raw cashews. This dish is not only filling, but also satisfying. You may find yourself making it again sooner than you’d think! The sauce is so velvety and so luscious that you might be concerned that it’s not as healthy as the ingredients used might sound. But rest assured, both the pasta and the sauce are under 400 calories per serving, so eat on up!
4) Everything Green Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Crisp and bright salads are another reason that springtime veggies are so sought after! For this one, you’ll get a whole lot of greens between peas, asparagus, cucumber, zucchini, lettuce, green onions, avocado, and dill. And it all gets topped off with some tangy feta cheese and homemade dressing (recipe also included). As the recipe is meant for four, feel free to share your salad or enjoy the lunch leftovers!
5) Spring Vegetable Risotto with Poached Eggs
Rice? Yes, please. Rice cooked with broth and made into risotto? Oh heck yes, please pass that over! This recipe brings risotto up a notch (or a few) by adding fava beans, mushrooms, leeks, fennel, and spinach, along with six poached eggs! And let’s not forget the wonderful creaminess of creme fraiche! This recipe makes six servings, so feel free to cut the recipe down if that is too much for you.
6) Artichokes and Fava Beans
Another side dish with a focus on fava beans, but this one combines their nutty sweetness with a healthy dose of artichokes (eight to be exact). If you’d rather forgo the extra steps of preparing fresh artichokes for use and go with canned, that also works, but be aware that you will need to up some of the ingredients. But if you can, try to go with fresh; the increased flavors are worth the labor! Other veggies for this one include lemons(juice only), garlic, and green and yellow onions. Enjoy a plentiful amount as this recipe serves six-eight.
7) Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Noodle Salad
Trying to avoid pasta or just prefer veggies in general? Then this recipe is for you, as it calls for zucchini “noodles” instead of pasta. If you’ve got a spiralizer, great; if not, you can simply cut your zucchini into spaghetti-length strands (with or without the skin, your choice). And of course, since this is a Mediterranean dish and the prime focus is on them, the vegetables certainly do not stop at zucchini; there are also artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and roasted red peppers. And the recipe also includes a garlic-lemon olive oil-based dressing. Just remember to chill the dish for about 20 minutes after you’ve put it all together so that the flavors can blend!
8) Green Gazpacho with Corn and Radish Salad
The idea of a cold soup in the winter time might not be too appealing. But a nice gazpacho for the spring loaded with nutritious and delicious vegetables and a corn-radish salad for the topping? Now that’s way more appealing! With this recipe, it’s actually the tomatoes that give off the bright-green color, as you will be using unripe ones. Other veggies include fresh corn, radishes, avocado, cucumber, peppers, celery, and chives. And then there are a few other flavors included that you might be surprised to see, such as honeydew melon and honey. The recipe will leave you with four servings, so plenty of extra left over for other meals.
9) Leeks in Vinaigrette with Walnuts and Tarragon
This side dish is heavy on cooked leeks and strong flavors like mustard and tarragon. Once you put the leeks and dressing together, it will need to sit in its flavors for absorption, and then you top everything off with toasted almonds.
The recipe yields an impressive eight servings, so unless you are serving guests or don’t mind having a lot left over, you may need to adjust it a bit.
10) Spring Vegetable Stew
Stews are probably not one of the first types of dishes that you would tend to think of for springtime. But for those of us who can’t get enough of warm, comforting dishes like this and want to utilize the freshness of spring vegetables like peas, leeks, artichokes, mushrooms, and carrots, take a look at this recipe. And garlic lovers, get ready to drool; this recipes calls for a dozen cloves. The recipe serves six, so feel free to share…or not.
Springtime brings new renewal, warmth, and light to the world every year. Celebrate it and the arrival of the bounty of springtime veggies by cooking up one of these lovely dishes, or any of the numerous others you can find online or in cookbooks!
