What’s fresh for spring? Think asparagus, peas, greens, radishes, strawberries, and rhubarb! Here are the top spring vegetarian recipes to make this season.
Spring is here, and we’ve been looking through our archives for recipes that work for spring gatherings, including Mother’s Day recipes. What’s fresh in the spring? Think asparagus, peas, leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard), radishes, strawberries, and rhubarb.
Now that the season is here, here 10 spring vegetarian recipes that we love featuring the best of the season’s produce! Let us know if you give any a try in the comments below.
And now…our top spring vegetarian recipes!
First up in our spring vegetarian recipes: pasta primavera! Pasta primavera is all about fresh, green spring veggies and a delicate, light flavor. It’s everything that a heavy mac and cheese or lasagna are not. Here’s our spin on the classic: chock full of spring veggies like asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, and green peas.
Creamy, savory, crunchy, and zingy: this asparagus risotto is truly sublime. It's the best way to usher in spring! Roast up some asparagus with lemon at the same time that you’re stirring up a creamy risotto on the stove. Then throw the tender bright green asparagus into the risotto, right along with the lemon. You’ll wish the pot would never end (we certainly did!).
Looking for a unique easy side dish recipe? May we present…roasted radishes! OK, we know what you’re thinking. Aren’t radishes best raw on a veggie tray with ranch dip? Or maybe on a sandwich or in a salad? Yes, yes, and yes. But here’s a way to eat them that most people haven’t thought of: roasted in a hot oven! They’re unlike anything you’ve tasted before: tender, mild, and almost sweet.
Asparagus is everything spring! It's the best when it's made up as a simple side dish! Combine it with lemon and it's fresh and simple. Try one of these methods for how to cook asparagus: Roasted Asparagus, Sauteed Asparagus, Easy Steamed Asparagus, and Baked Asparagus with Parmesan.
This healthy take on the egg salad sandwich is the perfect spring vegetarian recipe! Using Greek yogurt is a light alternative to mayonnaise, and adding sliced radishes brings in a crisp, peppery crunch. Here it's layered on bread with micro greens to make a gooey, satisfyingly messy egg salad sandwich. It’s a fresh way to enjoy spring ingredients.
Next up in our spring vegetarian recipes: strawberry rhubarb crisp! This crisp is tangy sweet, with just a tinge of healthy. Most of all, it tastes really, really good. The crisp topping is oats and oat flour. And there’s no refined sugar: it’s all maple syrup! Some strawberry rhubarb crisp recipes call for boat-loads of sugar: for this one, we’ve used just enough. It results in a sweet tart crisp that’s seriously nostalgic.
This recipe for fluffy scrambled eggs is pretty incredible and ultra simple. The eggs are cooked over low heat and gently shaping them into soft folds. And for an elevated, tangy element: creamy goat cheese pockets. What results is a creamy, gooey mess. Serve with lemony sauteed asparagus for a fresh spring vegetarian recipe!
Pasta carbonara is an Italian invention (Roman to be exact): it’s a savory pasta recipe made using long pasta noodles, egg, Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, and bacon. The raw egg is mixed into the warm pasta and used to make a creamy, delicious yellow sauce. Here it is made into a spring vegetarian recipe! It features gooey smoked gouda cheese, spring peas and spinach.
The refreshing bite of radishes is perfect against pungent blue cheese. Here they're combined into a delicious spring chopped salad recipe that’s a must try! The blue cheese is the star: it’s used as a topping on the salad and is also the star of this insanely good homemade blue cheese dressing.
In Italian, orecchiette means “small ears”; it’s a small cup-shaped pasta. Here it's featured in a fantastic spring vegetarian recipe: a lemon asparagus pasta with feta cheese and olive oil! A few flavors elegantly combined can taste better than something that has taken all day to prepare. This orecchiette recipe takes just 7 ingredients and about 20 minutes to make. It’s so quick and simple it works for a weeknight meatless dinner, but it’s also special enough to serve for guests..
This strawberry cornbread cake is terrifically tasty as either a breakfast or brunch recipe. Even better, top it with whipped cream as a dessert! Sweetened with maple and naturally gluten-free, it’s moist and hearty. The cake is made of cornmeal, oat flour and almond meal, with fresh orange juice to give it a zing.
Here's another fresh vegetarian spring pasta recipe! Ready in less than 30 minutes, this farfalle pasta with peas and feta is the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. It's tossed with a tangy olive oil and vinegar dressing, then garnished with the herby punch of fresh dill.
And last up in our spring vegetarian recipes: spinach quiche! Throwing handfuls of leafy greens into quiches a great way to eat up those spring leafy greens. This spinach quiche features a naturally-gluten free almond crust that’s packed with flavor. This recipe gets rave reviews from everyone who’s tried it out: it’s perfect for a springy brunch or cozy dinner.
Pasta Primavera
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegetarian pasta primavera is so full of flavor! It features spaghetti with spring vegetables like asparagus, peas, spinach, and zesty lemon.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 portabella mushrooms
- 1/2 pound (1/2 bunch) asparagus
- 1 bunch broccolini (or 2 cups broccoli florets, with stems kept as long as possible)
- 3 cups spinach leaves, roughly chopped (or 3 ounces baby spinach)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 cups frozen peas (10 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus lemon zest to garnish
Or, mix it up: Try it with our Vegan Alfredo Sauce instead (nix the final 4 ingredients).
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside). Then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
- Chop the vegetables: Meanwhile, thinly slice the portobello mushroom caps (remove the stems). Chop off the tough end of the asparagus. Slice in half lengthwise so that each stalk forms 2 long thin stalks (doesn’t have to be perfect). Then slice them in half crosswise. Slice off the thick ends of the broccolini and keep the large florets (if using broccoli, cut the broccoli into medium small florets, keeping the stem as long as possible). Wash and roughly chop the spinach, removing any long stems (skip this if using packaged baby spinach). Mince the garlic.
- Cook the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the broccolini and asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until wilted. Add the frozen peas and saute for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. (You could also consider adding a pinch of red pepper flakes at this point!)
- Add olive oil to pasta: Once the pasta is cooked and drained, drizzle it with olive oil.
- Add final flavorings and serve: In a small bowl stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onion powder, dried oregano, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. After the vegetables are done, stir in the pasta and toss so the vegetables are evenly distributed, then pour the olive oil and spice mixture on the pasta and stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt if necessary (or serve with salt). Serve immediately garnished with lemon zest.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Spring
Keywords: Vegetarian Spring Recipes, Spring Recipes
More spring recipes
If you need more inspiration, here are a few more tasty springtime recipes you might enjoy:
- Radish Toasts
- Radishes with Butter and Salt
- Roasted Tomato & Asparagus Frittata
- Scrambled Egg & Asparagus Tacos
- Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
Last Updated: March 2020
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
2 Comments
Alexis deZayas
May 5, 2017 at 11:07 amLove the combos of eggs and asparagus! I need to try that!
Sonya Doncheva
May 18, 2017 at 11:42 amI’ve made soft scrambled eggs with goat cheese and asparagus. The taste is great! Unfortunately, I can’t share a picture because mine doesn’t look as great as yours :)