A vibrant collection of healthy spring dinner recipes to get you inspired to cook from the garden! Each meal includes fresh vegetables and fruits that are in season. You will find a variety of quick meals, one pan dishes, crockpot dinners, and hearty soups to make during the weekday or for entertaining!
Are you ready to brighten up your meals with healthy spring dinners? I’m sharing my go-to to reference for spring produce so you can choose seasonal ingredients to maximize taste during this short time. Let’s start by checking out the essential spring list for fruits, vegetables, and herbs so you can keep an eye out when you are at the market.
Spring Produce Guide
- Fruits: Avocado, black currants, blood oranges, blueberries, grapefruits, kiwifruits, kumquats, lemons, limes, mangoes, Meyer lemons, navel oranges, papayas, pears, pineapples, prunes, raisins, red currants, and strawberries.
- Vegetables: Asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, broccoli rabe, butter lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chanterelle mushrooms, endive, English peas, fava beans, fennel, fingerling potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, haricot verts, jicama, leeks, mache, morel mushrooms, new potatoes, pea shoots, purslane, radishes, rhubarbs, shallots, shiitake mushrooms, snow peas, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, sugar snap peas, Swiss chard and watercress.
- Herbs: borage, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, ginger, lemon thyme, parsley, tarragon, thyme.
- Are you growing any of these ingredients in your garden? If so, will you share with me? Now that you know what’s in season this spring, it’s time to get some healthy dinner ideas!
Healthy Spring Dinners
#1) Pork Stir-Fry with Sugar Snap Peas
Crisp and sweet sugar snaps peas are ready to pick so toss them in this easy pork stir-fry. This delicious and quick Asian-inspired meal combines lean protein, vegetables in a soy-honey sauce.
#2) One Pan Chicken with MapleMustard Sauce
Nothing is easier than one pan chicken spring meal for a crowd! The crispy chicken thighs are oven-roasted with fresh green beans, sweet potatoes, and garden herbs. The maple mustard sauce adds just the right balance of sweet and tangy to the chicken dish.
#3) Slow Cooker Cauliflower Corn Chowder
If you are a cauliflower fan, you will love this slow cooker corn chowder! The cauliflower adds a natural creaminess when pureed into the soup. Smoky bacon, tender chicken, red potatoes, and corn make this a complete meal or great starter.
#4) Chicken Broccoli Stuffed Baked Potato
A hot baked potato stuffed with spiced chicken and fresh broccoli makes for a healthy meal all in one delicious bowl! To take the baked potato to the next level, you can make the yummy homemade cheese sauce to drizzle on top.
#5) Hearty Garden Vegetable Farro Soup
If you have a garden or enjoy picking up vegetables from your local farmers market, make sure to add in all of the beautiful produce into this hearty garden vegetable soup. It’s an easy, healthy recipe that is high in fiber from the farro, beans, and vegetable medley!
#6) Seared Ahi Tuna with Crispy Green Beans
This is a low carb, light and healthy meal packed with springtime ingredients. Seared ahi tuna is served with a creamy carrot ginger puree and crispy haricot verts. An Asian twist to create a gourmet meal right at home!
#7) Chinese Lettuce Wraps with Turkey
Each lettuce wrap uses tender butter leaf, which is exploding in the garden during the spring! Stir-fried turkey is tossed in crunchy carrots, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and savory hoisin sauce.
#8) Stuffed Peppers with Mexican Spiced Quinoa
Bell peppers are exceptionally flavorful during the spring, so make sure to eat them as much as you can! These bright red, green and yellow peppers are stuffed with a protein and fiber mix of quinoa, black beans and corn with Mexican spices.
#9) Blackened Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
How about a spring-inspired taco dinner night? These blackened chicken tacos are loaded with flavor! The pineapple salsa is made with seasonal fruits, red onions, spicy jalapeno peppers, lime, and cilantro. A fiesta for your taste buds!
#10) Cauliflower Risotto with Mushrooms and Peas
The ultimate low carb spring meal! This cauliflower risotto is a healthier spin on classic risotto made with arborio rice. Instead, cauliflower rice is created with a cheese grater or food processor, then slowly simmered with mushrooms, peas, and zucchini for a creamy vegetable-packed meal.
#11) Healthy Blood Orange and Fennel Salad
With blood oranges making a short appearance during the spring, make sure to add it to your salad and dressings. The licorice notes from the fennel add even more flavor to the salad. Add salmon or chicken for a light entree to eat on those beautiful spring evenings.
Bonus!) Sparkling Blood Orange Mocktail with Turmeric
A great meal should always be accompanied by a tasty beverage to match! This refreshing blood orange mocktail has health benefits such as vitamin C from the juice and anti-inflammatory benefits from the turmeric. Best of all, you can add some spirits to the base if you do want to get the partying hopping!
Now that you know what ingredients are in season for the spring, it’s time to grab some fruit, vegetables, and herbs to make some fresh meals! I hope this healthy spring dinner recipe roundup has given you some inspiration to get cooking in the kitchen or outdoors. I can’t wait to hear what you make, let me know what springtime cooking experiences you have!
Leave a Comment