Spring is a time when you want to shake off winter and enjoy the long-awaited abundance of daylight.
If the warmer weather inspires you to revitalize your life, start with your dinner menu. Maybe it’s time for the comfort foods you cherished throughout the winter to make way for something brighter and more exciting. Get ready to embrace the colors, variety and unique flavors of the season with creative spring dinner ideas.
This gorgeous main dish is perfect for early spring, when winter is just starting to release its chilly grip. It’s got hearty potato gnocchi and features the greens of the season.
Full of flavor thanks to simmered vegetables, Pacific Foods Organic Vegetable Broth stars as the base. It’s a significant part of what makes this recipe like no other. It’s full of flavor from simmered vegetables.
Along with gnocchi, this dish features morel mushrooms for an earthy flavor, and a combination of asparagus and broccolini lend a vibrant green. These three distinct vegetables intermingle for a taste you’ll want to savor.
Finish it off with a sprinkle of parmesan, and our Spring Gnocchi with Morels and Asparagus recipe is ready to present to friends and family. WARNING: If you bring this to a potluck, you’ll be asked for the recipe at least half a dozen times, so have the link ready to text.
See the full recipe: Spring Gnocchi with Morels and Asparagus
If you like carrots or pesto, you’ll love this dish. With your first bite, you’ll see the marriage of fresh roasted carrots to the basil-garlic-pine nut-parmesan combo that is pesto is clearly a match made in heaven.
This recipe is also easy enough for beginners seeking to build a repertoire of spring dinner ideas. It starts with a base of the same Pacific vegetable broth as the gnocchi, so we’ve done the hardest part for you.
Simply roast your carrots for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven to stir, and roast them in the broth for 10 to 15 minutes more until the carrots are tender. Then, mix the remaining nine ingredients in a food processor.
It’s a breeze to make this recipe vegan. The only ingredient you’ll want to eliminate is the parmesan, and there are lots of great non-dairy parmesan substitutes available.
See the full recipe: Whole Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto
This delectable main dish is quite easy to make. Plus, it’s packed with flavor without being particularly spicy. Instead, the combination of tofu and spring vegetables, along with hints of lime, garlic, sesame, miso, maple syrup and mint, just quietly dazzles.
This dish also serves up a stunning variety of textures. The tofu, rice and kale in a base topped with dressing made using Pacific Foods Organic Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup is somehow crispy and creamy at the same time.
See the full recipe: Tofu Buddha Bowl with Carrot Ginger Dressing
When you hear “Alfredo sauce,” you might not think “spring,” but fret not: this creamy dish does not feature your nana’s Alfredo sauce. Its unique flavors and ingredients make it feel much more like spring than the traditional sauce you’re used to.
With a base of Pacific Foods Organic Almond Original Beverage, our Carrot Ginger Cashew Alfredo Sauce is creamy and flavorful.
This is a pretty simple recipe, too, as it has only a handful of ingredients. A lot of its flavor comes from Pacific Foods Organic Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup. It takes only five minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook. This is a great dish to serve at a party because it looks (and tastes) like you worked much harder than you did.
See the full recipe: Carrot Ginger Cashew Alfredo Sauce for Zoodles
This crowd-pleasing side dish looks and tastes like springtime. With a base of Pacific Foods Organic Unsalted Chicken Stock, it also includes two eggs, adding to its Asian-inspired flavor and texture.
Though it sounds complex, this dish is simple to make. Pulse your cauliflower in a food processor until it looks something like rice. Then add your veggies, garlic, and stock and let simmer until the cauliflower absorbs the liquid. Top with green onions, soy sauce, and sesame seeds and enjoy!
See the full recipe: Cauliflower Fried Rice
Here’s your new favorite vegan springtime side dish! It’s sunny and hearty, too.
This recipe takes 15 minutes to prep and an hour to cook, so plan accordingly. If you ask us, the payoff is more than worth it.
First, Pacific Foods Organic Unsweetened Almond Original Beverage creates an earthy base for the cauliflower. The dish is enhanced by the addition of garlic, onion, Dijon mustard and nutmeg. Spice it up if that’s more your style, or just dig in as is.
See the full recipe: Vegan Cauliflower Gratin
If you already know that bulgogi means “fire meat,” you’re not going to be surprised to find ingredients like chili powder, gochugaru flakes and red pepper flakes in this recipe.
This dish also features a marinade using Pacific Foods Organic Beef Bone Broth as a base. Add pear, soy sauce, chili powder, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and cloves, and marinate thinly sliced beef for at least two hours.
Serve this hearty beef dish with traditional Korean glass noodles. And note that, to make this dish, you’ll need a large wok or a skillet with thick walls.
If you’re looking for a dish that’s sure to impress, this is it. Think it through, though. If you make this recipe once, you’ll find everyone clamoring for it over and over again.
See the full recipe: Korean Bulgogi
There’s no better time than spring to add more flavor and texture to your life. If your overall aim this spring is to expand your horizons, start with your meal planning! Choose one of the recipes above or find spring dinner ideas in one of the hundreds of recipes from Pacific Foods.
We offer a wide variety of organic products with intentionally selected ingredients that improve every recipe. You can find our products in grocery stores across the U.S. Find a store near you today!