Our Top 50 Recipes for Spring

August 27, 2019
Celebrate the fresh flavors of spring’s best fruits and vegetables with our top 50 recipes for spring.Download a FREE Spring Recipe Cookbook!Watch Video
Start Slideshow

1 of 50

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Here's a sauce so delicious, it's missing only one thing: a little crunchy bread to dip in it. Make It a Meal: Serve with steamed asparagus or cauliflower, mashed potatoes or orzo pasta, and a glass of Vinho Verde.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 50

Garden Pasta Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This lightly dressed pasta salad gets lots of flavor from Kalamata olives and basil. A colorful mix of diced bell pepper, shredded carrot and tomatoes adds vitamins and minerals. Serve on a crisp bed of greens. Toss in canned chunk light tuna, cooked chicken or flavored baked tofu to add protein and make it more substantial.

3 of 50

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Chicken turns this Greek-inspired salad into a substantial main course. Feel free to substitute other chopped fresh vegetables, such as broccoli or bell peppers, for the tomatoes or cucumber. Use leftover chicken, store-roasted chicken or quickly poach a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts while you prepare the rest of the salad. Serve with pita bread and hummus.

Advertisement

4 of 50

Deviled Eggs with Relish

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Deviled eggs are a perennial potluck favorite. Our recipe replaces some of the egg yolks with nonfat cottage cheese--keeping the filling velvety and rich while reducing some of the fat. No one will know the difference.

5 of 50

Baked Mac & Cheese

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber.

6 of 50

Chicken & Asparagus with Melted Gruyere

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

For this elegant dish, boneless chicken breast and asparagus are smothered in a luxurious white-wine sauce with just the right amount of melted Gruyère cheese. Tarragon and lemon add a delicious light flavor that is perfect with asparagus.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 50

Barbecue Pulled Chicken

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This BBQ pulled chicken recipe is a fanciful reinterpretation of pulled pork that slow-cooks chicken in lots of tangy tomato sauce. Have sliced jalapenos, sliced red onions and some sour cream on hand to top this barbecue pulled chicken, which makes a hearty main course. You can turn it into an unbelievable sandwich or serve it on mashed potatoes or even whole-grain spaghetti. Serve with shredded napa cabbage tossed with low-fat mayonnaise, cider vinegar, celery seed and honey to taste.

8 of 50

Country Potato Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This updated picnic potato salad gets subtle flavor from smoked ham. If you can find them, small, thin-skinned early potatoes are best in this salad.

9 of 50

Vegetarian Taco Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Nobody will miss the meat in this colorful, zesty vegetarian taco salad. The rice and bean mixture can be made ahead and the salad quickly assembled at mealtime. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 50

Chicken Divan

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Originally made in restaurants with a rich Mornay sauce, chicken divan often featured canned cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, sour cream and cheese--tasty, yes, but also loaded with fat and salt. Our revised version has all the flavor of the original with only half the calories and a fraction of the sodium. Use leftover cooked chicken breasts, if you have them on hand, for an even faster dinner.

11 of 50

Garden-Fresh Asparagus Soup

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This lemony asparagus soup is spiced with a touch of curry and gets added richness from “lite” coconut milk and creamy red potatoes. Top it with a dollop of crème fraîche or plain yogurt and serve warm or chilled.

12 of 50

Beer-Battered Fish Tacos with Tomato & Avocado Salsa

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Lovers of fried fish get the taste without all the calories, and the salsa adds a fresh, clean note. To complete the Baja theme, serve with black beans, some diced mango and a bit of light sour cream.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 50

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas & Spring Herbs

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are paired with an elegant but easy light sauce of sugar snap peas and artichoke hearts. This dish can be made without the sprouted beans, but is especially delicious with them--if you have extras, try them on a salad.

14 of 50

Asparagus Salad Topped with Poached Eggs

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This asparagus salad topped with poached eggs is satisfying yet light, making it a nice option for lunch, brunch or even dinner with some crusty bread. Roasting brings out a toasty flavor in the asparagus. We like this salad with medium-set poached eggs so the yolks are still a little runny, but poach your eggs for the full 8 minutes if you prefer hard-set yolks.

15 of 50

Mexican Coleslaw

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Enjoy this crunchy, refreshing alternative to mayonnaise-based coleslaw on a taco or on the side.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 50

Oatmeal-Rhubarb Porridge

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Perk up your morning oatmeal with the addition of tangy rhubarb. Using milk for this oatmeal gives it a calcium boost, but the recipe also works well with water--and you'll save about 60 calories.

17 of 50

Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Based on a popular Chinese dish, these fun wraps also make appealing appetizers for entertaining. Make it a meal: Serve with chile-garlic sauce and rice vinegar for extra zip; toss diced mango and strawberries with lime juice for a quick dessert.

18 of 50

Bacon, Egg & Asparagus Pizza

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This pizza, topped with bacon, eggs and asparagus, was inspired by a wood-fired-oven pizza served at the Montpelier, Vermont, farmers' market. Serve with: Mixed green salad.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 50

Spring Chicken & Blue Cheese Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This main-dish chicken salad has bright flavors of tarragon in a creamy blue cheese dressing with just a touch of sweetness from honey.

20 of 50

Spring Turnip Frittata

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Broccoli rabe and turnips are a fantastic pair in this frittata. If you're shy about the broccoli rabe's strong flavor, try this frittata with milder broccolini instead.

21 of 50

Roasted Rhubarb Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Rhubarb roasted for just a few minutes is a tart topping for a mixed green salad with raisins, walnuts and goat cheese.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 50

Ham & Cheese Breakfast Casserole

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

23 of 50

Loaded Spinach Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Like many spinach salads, this one features lots of chopped-up hard-boiled egg. But since most of the calories in an egg are in the yolk, this recipe uses just two whole eggs, plus the whites from six additional eggs, for a satisfying spinach salad that keeps the calories in check.

24 of 50

Spring Pizza

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Asparagus, chives and fontina cheese top this easy pizza recipe. Serve with baby greens tossed with vinaigrette and pecans.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 50

Spring Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

A bold, layered salad that showcases sardines and asparagus, this beautiful dish adds variety to your weekday dining. If you prefer tuna to sardines or have fish from the night before, go ahead and use that instead.

26 of 50

Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Kids and adults alike will love these quick, zippy burgers. The beans make the burgers a little fragile, so be careful when taking them off the broiler pan. Make it a meal: serve a green salad and frozen mango slices for dessert.

27 of 50

Seven-Layer Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This makeover of a Midwestern classic tops layers of lettuce, peas, bell pepper and tomatoes with a creamy, tangy dressing. The salad stays fresh underneath until it's served and gets even better when held overnight.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 50

Chicken & White Bean Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Zucchini and celery give this chicken-and-bean salad a nice crunch. We like serving it over a bed of slightly bitter escarole and radicchio, but any type of salad greens will work. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

29 of 50

Grilled Fish Tacos

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Instead of deep-frying the fish for these fish tacos, we coat the fish with a flavor-packed chile rub and grill it instead. Make sure the fillets are no more than 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick so they cook quickly. Sometimes flipping fish on the grill can be tricky since the fish can stick to the grill or fall apart. The solution is to invest in a grill basket that easily holds 4 to 6 fish fillets and secures the fish in the basket for easy flipping. If you don't have a grilling basket, make sure the grill is hot and well oiled before adding the fish.

30 of 50

Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Stuffed Artichokes

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Flavorful sun-dried tomatoes and tangy feta add depth to the stuffing for these artichokes.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

31 of 50

Oven-Fried Chicken

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Great news--crunchy, flavorful fried chicken can be healthy with this oven-fried chicken recipe. We marinate skinless chicken in buttermilk to keep it juicy. A light coating of flour, sesame seeds and spices, misted with olive oil, forms an appealing crust during baking. And with only 7 grams of fat per serving in this oven-fried chicken recipe--rather than the 20 in typical fried chicken--that is good news.

32 of 50

Tortellini Primavera

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This creamy tortellini and vegetable pasta is a real crowd pleaser. To make it even quicker, use frozen chopped vegetables instead of fresh. Serve with: A green salad and whole-grain baguette.

33 of 50

Broccoli Slaw

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

We've lightened this popular potluck classic with a dressing of reduced-fat mayo and yogurt. To speed preparation, use shredded broccoli slaw from the produce aisle.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

34 of 50

Asparagus-Goat Cheese Soufflés

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Puffy and warm, these asparagus-goat cheese soufflés are the essence of spring. Serve them alongside a big salad with a tangy vinaigrette for a light supper or a special brunch. Though these are wonderful either way, the addition of truffle oil is spectacular and decadent-tasting.

35 of 50