These Are the Vegetarian Dishes You Need to Make This Easter
Here are some of our favorite meat-free dishes to serve this Easter.
Victor Protasio
For many of us, Easter typically consists of big family gatherings at someone’s house or a favorite restaurant—and there’s usually a honey-glazed ham or leg of lamb. But maybe this is the year to change things up and go meatless, whether you are trying to cut back on meat or hosting friends and family who are vegetarian.
It may seem like a huge roast is a requirement at holiday dinners, but when you come right down to it, a celebratory feast really only requires a central dish large enough to feed everyone. Serve what you’d like, using the preferences of you and your guests as a guide.
We have suggestions below for some great vegetarian dishes substantial enough to anchor an Easter dinner. One of those so-crazy-it-just-might-work options is a quiche. Rich and filling, eggs ensure the meal is protein-packed—and don’t eggs just seem right at Easter anyway?
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A similar idea is asparagus and Teleme tart. Cheesy and substantial, this dish does include the one thing we can’t imagine doing without at this time of year: asparagus.
It’s not a holiday meal without carbs; we’ve got you covered here, too, with a traditional idea, hot cross buns, and something a little more unorthodox: fennel-laced flageolet beans. You’ll be wanting something sweet to end the meal with, too. Provided your guests do all eat eggs and dairy, dessert is probably the easiest part of dinner to vegetize. May we suggest these mini pavlovas? They’re pleasingly soft, crisp, and delicious all at once, and they are a perfect vehicle for toppings ranging from traditional strawberries and kiwi to tiny chocolate eggs. Read on for these recipes—and more!
Favorite Vegetarian Easter Dishes
Baked Goat Cheese with Mixed Greens
Use a larger log of cheese to increase the yield of this recipe—it’s perfect for a cheese plate, too.
Favas and Ricotta on Buttermilk Crackers
The light, sweet flavor of favas is a great way to open a meal that is a rite of spring.
Saffron Deviled Eggs
Saffron aioli turns the yolks a sunset yellow. Use extra aioli as a sauce for chicken, fish, or sandwiches. It will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
Whipped Ricotta, Garlic, and Zesty Herb Oil Tartine
This savory tartine recipe is a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Hot Cross Buns
We love the idea of turning the classic roast-centered Easter dinner on its head. But we also like to include a traditional item on the menu. Case in point: these old-school hot cross buns.
Fresh Pasta with Mint Pesto and Burrata
This verdant dish is enriched with creamy burrata. For pasta shapes, campanelle, cavatelli, and corzetti are recommended, but anything works, really!
Kookoo Sabzi
Meet this herb-laden frittata of sorts, living somewhere between a traditional Persian kookoo sabzi and a Spanish tortilla Española.
Split Pea Porridge with Almonds, Sugar Snap Peas, and Lemon Basil
This vegan main dish is so hearty and comforting. It’s a riff on split pea dal, in which green split peas are cooked down with onions, garlic, ginger, fragrant lime leaves, and almond milk. It’s topped with blistered snap peas, pea tendrils, and lemon basil shoots.
Fava Leaf and Parsley Quiche
How to replace the large roast at the center of the table? With another attention-grabbing, high-protein centerpiece dish. We love this filling quiche, full of spring greens.
French Lentil Salad with Broccolini and Soft-Cooked Eggs
This salad from Alice Waters’ restaurant Lulu highlights farmers market broccolini with a boost of flavor from fresh herbs and carrots that are mixed into quickly cooked lentils.
Campanelle with Mushrooms and Roasted Garlic
Most people associate mushrooms with winter cooking, but for chefs, it’s the prized spring morel that really excites them. Enjoy them with this delicious pasta dish.
Peas and Potatoes with Bay Leaves and Black Pepper
Butter and salt bring out the best in green peas and spuds, and the bay leaf takes traditional side-dish vegetables to another level.
Flageolet Beans with Fresh Fennel
Here’s another dish where a common starchy element becomes something fresh and new with the addition of an herb—fennel, in this case.
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