45 Spring Recipes That Call for a Trip to the Farmers Market
One day you’re huddled on your couch with a mug of chicken noodle; the next, it’s pushing 50 degrees and the trees are getting ready to bloom. Ahh, spring. We can’t decide what we love more: your thawing temps or your farmers market selection of tender greens, asparagus and strawberries (to name a few). From fresh pea soup with mint and spring vegetable risotto to mini rhubarb tarts and strawberry shortcake cupcakes, these 45 spring recipes highlight the best of the season’s bounty. See ya next fall, soup.
RELATED: 30 Spring Soups You Can Make in 30 Minutes
1. Spring Pea Soup with Mint
The only thing tastier than popping fresh peas from the market in your mouth right then and there is this aromatic soup. Grab some leeks, celery and garlic while you’re there, and you’re 40 minutes away from a great meal.
2. Whole Roasted Radishes
Raw radishes have a delightfully peppery bite that’s a welcome addition to salads and crudité. Pop them in the oven, though, and they become surprisingly sweet.
3. Cheater’s Mini Rhubarb Galettes
They’re called “cheater’s” because while they look totally profesh, they actually take less than an hour to make (and with just five ingredients, at that). Don’t forget to snap a pic of the results before you dig in.
4. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
To enjoy these jewel-like berries at their peak, look for them starting in April. This dessert is basically a two-fer, with a biscuit-like cake conveniently made in a muffin tin, and an airy whipped cream frosting.
5. Shaved Spring Vegetable and Apple Salad with Ginger-Dijon Dressing
If you have a mandoline, use it to shave the raw vegetables very thin. It’ll make for a gorgeous salad with lots of color and texture. (And if you don’t have one, just use a chef’s knife.)
6. Mackerel Asparagus Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette
Not a fan of tinned fish? We urge you to give it a second chance. Mackerel is slightly richer and milder than canned tuna, so it’s an ideal starting point for newbies.
7. Double Pea, Prosciutto and Burrata Platter
When peas hit the market, we’ll put them on anything—including this no-cook, ten-minute appetizer. Serve it with crostini, crackers or just a spoon.
8. Seared Scallops with Green Peas, Mint and Shallots
Hot tip: Before you plop those scallops in the hot skillet, make sure they’re super dry. Voilà, delicious golden brown sear.
9. Spring Vegetable Risotto
Which vegetables, you say? Well, that depends on your mood (and what’s available). This version calls for radishes, peas and spinach, but you could easily swap in asparagus, arugula and mushrooms.
10. Spring Panzanella Salad
Panzanella is an Italian salad made with bread (aka our dream). We traded the usual tomato medley for spring vegetables for a fresh, seasonal touch.
11. Orecchiette with Spring Greens
This 15-minute pasta is as adaptable as it is easy to make. Our advice? If you can find ramps, use them in place of the spinach and garlic.
12. Spring Crudités with Romesco Sauce
Pro tip: Make an extra batch of the sauce and keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to five days to spread on sandwiches, serve with seafood and use as a dip for any veggie you love.
13. Asparagus, Pea and Ricotta Tarts
You can make plenty of wonderful things with puff pastry, including these cute tartlets. They start with store-bought dough and end with you enjoying every bite.
14. Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Strawberries
Strawberries in a savory salad? Trust us, it works. (And once you taste the miso dressing, you’ll never look back.)
15. Potato and Burrata Pizza
The recipe calls for one medium spud, but if you can find new potatoes (the baby kind), use a bunch of those instead.
16. Spinach Artichoke Squares
You’ll see artichokes start popping up at the grocery store and farmers market around March, and they’ll stay in season through May. Translation: There’s no better time to make these cheesy bites.
17. Goat Cheese Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes
This creamy dish comes together in 25 minutes, thanks to a secret trick. The goat cheese melts immediately on contact with the pasta, creating its own sauce.
18. Spiced Lamb Meatball and Escarole Soup
You can find escarole, a bitter green, year-round in the grocery store. But it’s at its peak beginning in the spring (and it’s the perfect thing to brighten up this soup).
19. Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and Bacon
Wild mushrooms can be tricky to find, so if you spot them at the farmers market, snatch them up. Once you’re home, they’ll make an earthy, meaty addition to a creamy bowl of polenta.
20. Johnnycakes with Rhubarb and Sour Cherries
A johnnycake is a Southern-style flapjack with a toothsome texture that comes from the cornmeal in the batter. And what would you know, these pair deliciously with a fresh, fruity sauce.
21. Crispy Roasted Artichokes
They’re crunchy and satisfying as if they were fried, but only the chef (that’s you!) will know that they were roasted in the oven. Talk about an easy—yet impressive—appetizer.
22. Pineapple and Ginger Upside-Down Cake
It seems like a summery fruit, but pineapple comes into season in spring. Use it to sweeten up this gently spiced cake, which looks fancy but practically decorates itself.
23. Coconut Rice Pudding with Rhubarb Compote
If you’ve only tried rhubarb in pie, it’s time to expand your horizons. And if you’re feeling ambitious, double the compote recipe and spread the leftovers on your morning toast.
24. Salmon and Fennel Dinner Salad
The salmon offers richness and the creamy, yogurt-dressed vegetables feel indulgent but aren’t in the least. As a surprise, there are even strawberries tucked underneath.
25. Mini Strawberry Ice Cream Pies
Even if your strawbs aren’t *perfect,* a quick roast in the oven will bring out their juicy flavor and concentrate their sweetness. (Smart, right?)
26. Roasted Radishes with Butter
This dish takes the classic French combination of radishes and butter and updates it by roasting the veg and adding arugula at the end to take it from snack to full-blown side, or lunch or dinner for one. (Psst: It takes 25 minutes and just five ingredients, too.)
27. Radish Barbecue Bowls with Tangy Honey-Mustard Dressing
Skip the boring chicken breast this time and replace it with lightly charred radishes. We can’t think of a better way to kick off grilling season.
28. Strawberries and Crème
Effortless and absolutely delicious are our two favorite ways to describe this très Français dessert.
29. Strawberry Galette with Whipped Cream
This freeform pie has a surprise inside: The berries are flavored with a bit of balsamic vinegar for a hint of tang.
30. Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple ‘Flowers’
A bouquet of flowers is a thoughtful gift, but you know what’s even better? A batch of these cupcakes, which are impossibly moist and packed with plenty of banana, pineapple and pecans. Don’t get us started on that cream cheese frosting, either.
31. Sausage and Fennel Pasta
The Italian sausage does most of the heavy lifting in this 25-minute recipe, but it’s bolstered by fresh fennel, an early spring staple.
32. Skillet Roast Chicken with Shmaltzy Potatoes
Tiny new potatoes are just the thing to layer in the bottom of the skillet here. They’ll crisp up in the oven as the chicken cooks (and soak up lots of pan drippings along the way). Your chicken stays juicy—without getting soggy on the bottom—and you’ve got an instant side.
33. Carrot Cake Doughnuts with Cream Cheese Glaze
Carrots for spring? Not so groundbreaking. Carrot cake doughnuts, on the other hand…
34. Botanical Shortbread Cookies
If your farmers market doesn’t have any edible flowers, no worries. You can easily order them online.
35. Strawberry Pie with Strawberry Crust
No food dye here—the pie crust is colored (and flavored) with a powder made from freeze-dried strawberries.
36. Weeknight Salmon with Baby New Potatoes and Dill
Dill season is our favorite season, and we’ll put it on everything we can. This one-pan wonder is made on a single sheet pan, so there’s minimal cleanup.
37. Strawberry, Cardamom and Pistachio Pavlova Bites
Instead of baking a full-size pavlova and wondering what to do with it all, make these minis that you can pop in your mouth like candy. They look impressive, but there’s just 25 minutes of prep.
38. Potato-Chip Crusted Chicken with Arugula Pesto
Did you know that peppery arugula is in season in the spring? OK, well did you know that it makes a fantastic pesto? We’ll see you in a few months, basil.
39. Greens Mac and Cheese
Since we always strive for balance, we’re adding heaps of market-fresh spinach to our usual bubbling, carb-licious pan of mac and cheese.
40. Spicy Pineapple Prosciutto Tarts
Think of these cuties as a fancy-ish riff on Hawaiian pizza. Serve them alongside a salad as a meal or as an appetizer at your next cocktail fête.
41. Yotam Ottolenghi’s Braised Eggs with Leek and Za’atar
When the weather is *just* warming up but there’s still a chill in the air, this saucy, cheesy skillet is just the meal to warm you back up.
42. Easy Skillet Linguine with Trumpet Mushroom ‘Scallops’
You’ll only need seven ingredients for this vegetarian main, including meaty trumpet mushrooms.
43. Pan-Fried Cod with Orange and Swiss Chard
This pan-fried fish goes from the fridge to the table in 30 minutes, and you can use any farmers market greens you choose if Swiss chard isn’t your fave.
44. Asparagus and Fontina Quiche
Sure, quiche is a classic brunch option…but we wouldn’t say no to this for dinner, paired with a fresh green salad and a glass of white wine.
45. Instant Pot Spaghetti with Goat Cheese, Mint and Peas
The key to al dente pasta in a pressure cooker? Add the noodles in dry with the aromatics so they absorb as much flavor as possible, then quick-release the pressure once they’re cooked. So easy, it’s almost like magic.
RELATED: 12 Spring Fruits and Veggies to Eat This Season, from Asparagus to Strawberries
