In the spring, your gardening dreams can come to life. New seedlings pop up, pollinators come back and your trusty fence protects your vegetables from rabbits and other curious critters. Soon enough, it’ll be time to harvest fresh food that you’ve grown yourself.
If you like to sample veggies, you’ll know that garden-grown food tastes delicious all by itself. However, you don’t have to eat all your spring vegetables plain. Here are ten veggie-filled recipes you can use to serve your garden bounty in style.
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1. Rice and Veggie Skillet Meal
You can make this meal in less than 30 minutes by combining sausage, rice and the veggies of your choice. The original recipe calls for courgette, peas, peppers, scallions and garlic. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower would also work well.
To make this meal, chop the veggies and cook the meat separately. Then, you can combine veggies and rice with water in a large saucepan. After the rice is cooked, stir in delicate veggies like courgettes and peas.
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2. Kale and Quinoa Dish
This 15-minute dish mixes chicken and quinoa with kale, rocket, garlic, courgette, tomato, aubergine and olives. You can easily switch out these veggies for those you’ve grown and incorporate as many fresh flavours from your garden as possible.
Kale is one of the best things for beginner gardeners to grow, as long as you keep an eye on pest control. It’s packed full of nutrients like potassium and manganese and vitamins A, K, B6 and C. Kale picked from nutrient-rich soil tastes amazing.
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3. Spinach Pomegranate Salad
This delicious salad is a marvellous way to use fresh greens like spinach, lettuce and rocket. You can also layer sprouts, spring onions and herbs onto this salad. The original recipe calls for chopped onion, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and feta crumbles.
Pair this salad with a crisp balsamic vinaigrette or use a herb-infused vinegar dressing. You can make your own from fresh spring herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme. Cilantro would give this dish a spicy spin.
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4. Cabbage Coconut Curry
Cabbage is another popular spring veggie. People have a love/hate relationship with this vegetable – either it’s their very favourite or they complain that it’s slimy and bland. You can please everyone by putting cabbage into this spicy coconut curry.
Like other green, leafy vegetables, cabbage is chock full of nutrients. It can reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure and improve your digestion. Cabbage is especially high in vitamin K, an important nutrient for your body.
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5. Lobster and Cauliflower Casserole
If your garden has casserole, you should make this delicious casserole. It captures the comfort and taste of a pasta dish without all the carbs. The recipe calls for Old Bay seasoning, fresh thyme, garlic and parsley.
To begin, roast the cauliflower. Next, create a cream sauce and fold in the veggies and cooked lobster. This dish is best served warm and goes nicely with wholegrain bread or a side of roasted asparagus.
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6. Ginger Turmeric Carrot Soup
If your spring garden is full of carrots, this recipe is perfect for you. This dish is built with yoghurt, water, carrots and delicious spices, including ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic and coriander.
Serve with bread or a side dish of roasted Brussel sprouts. This meal will warm your belly while working magic for your health – these spices all support a healthy immune system. If you can cut them fresh from your garden, even better.
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7. Peas, Chicken and Rice
Peas are another spring delicacy that’s particularly high in protein. After you taste them in the garden, the store-bought variety will never quite measure up again. Celebrate your pea production this year with this delicious chicken and rice dish.
You can easily mix in other spring vegetables for more flavour. Examples include broccoli, spring onions, cabbage and garlic. Try sprinkling in homegrown spices and season the chicken to match. This dish may become a spring favourite.
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8. Polish Sorrel Soup
Sorrel is a spring plant used both as a herb and a vegetable. This traditional Polish soup pairs its zesty flavour with carrots, potatoes, parsley and hard-boiled eggs. You sauté the sorrel in butter before adding it to the soup.
This meal is often eaten for Passover in Russia and Ukraine. It’s creamy, loaded with rich spices and very filling. You can pair this dish with warm bread or add kielbasa sausage for more protein. The eggs add a delicious creaminess to the finished meal.
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9. Spring Veggie Stir-Fry with Morels
Morels start to pop up during the spring in the eastern part of the United States. You can forage for these tasty mushrooms to add an earthy flavour to spring dishes. If foraging doesn’t sound fun, you can also buy them at the store.
This tasty dish combines a slew of spring vegetables with the elusive morel. Add peas, asparagus and broad beans for a protein-rich dish that tastes amazing. This meal is seasoned with a mix of fresh, spicy herbs and salty sauces.
Eat Fresh This Spring
This year, enjoy your spring garden by cooking more vegetables in your kitchen than ever before. Many of these recipes feature popular spring vegetables and can be adapted to suit what you have on hand. They also include a hearty mixing of spices that can bring the freshness of spring right to your table.
Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find her in a yoga class, advocating for body positivity, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or gardening.
Header image Photo by James Kern on Unsplash