85 Easter Dinner Recipes We Swear By Every Year (2024)

Make this Easter dinner the most memorable yet.

By Camille Lowder
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There’s no better way to celebrate spring, fresh seasonal veggies, and Lent finally being over than with the perfect Easter dinner. From classic ham and lamb centerpieces to easy one-pot pasta dishes, these recipes will appeal to everyone at your table. Whether it’s your first time making holiday dinner or you’re an old pro, our list of 85 Easter dinner mains is sure to inspire.

An Easter ham is a classic, and we’ve got 5+ solid recipes for you to try (including one in made easy on a sheet pan). If you’re looking to branch out, check out our recipes for other meaty holiday showstoppers, like braised lamb shank, pork loin roast, and beef wellington. Not a big red meat fan? Don’t fret, we’ve got chicken and fish dishes that’ll be just as impressive on your dinner table, like our tomato butter roast chicken, our , and our chicken saltimbocca.

Vegetarians, we’ve got you covered too. Dishes like moussaka (with lentils instead of beef!), our seitan piccata, or our are just as special as their meat counterparts. Paired with our veggie-forward Easter sides, no one will even miss the meat.

Going solo this holiday and want something more low-key? Stick with the traditional, but aim at meals you can reheat throughout the week. Perhaps something like our Greek avgolemono soup that’s a lemony play on comfort chicken noodle, our whipped ricotta pasta, or our Italian pizza rustica (great served great warm or cold).

To be honest, all our Easter dinners make great leftovers—check out our top things to do with leftover ham and lamb if you’re lucky enough to have extra. To fully round out your holiday meal, get inspired by our Easter appetizers, side dishes, and desserts too.

1

Lamb Marinade

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Few types of meat scream “special occasion” like lamb. So whether it's a dainty and delicious rib chop, a slow-cooked shank, or a centerpiece-worthy leg of lamb, this marinade will make it even more special. To get the most irresistible flavor possible, we blended tangy Greek yogurt, olive oil, earthy herbs and spices, and a few cloves of grated garlic for a spicy punch.

Get the Lamb Marinade recipe.

2

Pizza Rustica

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This is an Italian Easter pie that, despite its name, doesn't have anything to with pizza! Think of it as better, more decadent version of quiche Lorraine.

Get the Pizza Rustica recipe.

3

Copycat Honey Baked Ham

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Honey Baked ham is grand, deliciously smoky, and has a signature caramelized crust all over. Sadly, it’s something you have to plan to order in advance and can be a little on the pricey side. If you didn't have time to order a ham, want to save some money, or just try a homemade version of this classic centerpiece, this copycat recipe is for you.

Get the Copycat Honey Baked Ham recipe.

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4

Shepherd's Pie

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In this comfort food staple, ground beef is cooked with aromatics and red wine before being combined with corn and peas, all covered with a blanket of velvety, rich mashed potatoes and topped with Parmesan before being broiled until golden brown. It’s the perfect choice for a chilly Easter dinner.

Get the Shepherd's Pie recipe.

5

Roast Chicken

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The perfect centerpiece to any holiday dinner, the steps to make this chicken are simple: You season the bird (just salt & pepper!), then roast it at high heat until the skin is bronzed and crisp and the flesh juicy.

Get the Roast Chicken recipe.

6

Creamy Chicken Spanakopita Bake

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This easy casserole is a fun take on the classic spanakopita. In it, we take the classic Greek dish and turn it into a family-friendly dinner featuring shatteringly crisp phyllo layers that envelop a creamy chicken filling with a lot of spinach and feta.

Get the Creamy Chicken Spanakopita Bake recipe.

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7

Greek Salmon

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Need a simple, refreshing Easter meal that comes together fast? You've gotta make this Greek salmon. Topped with all the ingredients from a beloved Greek salad (you can toss it all together while the salmon cooks), this is an under-an-hour dinner that’s worthy to be served at your brunch or dinner party.

Get the Greek Salmon recipe.

8

Pastit*io

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Derived from the Italian word pasticcio, which means “mix” or “hodgepodge,” pastit*io is a classic Greek casserole best described as a cross between lasagna and moussaka. Rich and hearty, creamy and comforting, it’s well worth the extra effort it takes to put together.

Get the Pastit*io recipe.

9

One-Pot Creamy Tortellini & Greens

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Picture perfectly cooked, cheese-filled tortellini delicately simmering in a lusciously velvety cream sauce, generously infused with vibrant fresh greens. But here's the best part: With this one-pot wonder and a handful of ingredients, you can have it all—in just 20 minutes.

Get the .

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10

Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham

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This zingy retro classic glazed ham is a stunner set in the center of a table, and just a few easy sides short of a fantastic feast. Beyond the eye-popping pineapple rings and bright maraschino cherries, the glaze lends a shine and texture to the ham’s caramelized crust too.

Get the Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham recipe.

11

Sheet-Pan Easter Dinner

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Think you don’t have enough time or space to cook Easter dinner? Think again. Featuring cheesy potatoes au gratin, maple-glazed ham, garlicky asparagus, and paprika-spiced carrots, our streamlined version of this notoriously complicated meal is as simple as 2 sheet pans and 30 minutes in the oven.

Get the Sheet-Pan Easter Dinner recipe.

12

Sheet-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon & Asparagus

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In this simple sheet-pan supper, salmon teams up with asparagus and onions. Giving the veggies a head start before adding the salmon makes sure that everything is cooked to perfection. The asparagus will be crisp-tender, the red onion wedges will melt down and get a little sweet, and the salmon will be a little browned on the edges, but still tender in the middle.

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13

Quiche

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Quiche is a favorite in the canon of classic dishes, and this version is no exception. Soft, creamy filling studded with ham, chives, and Gruyère rests inside a crunchy, buttery pie crust to create the Easter dinner of your dreams.

Get the Quiche recipe.

14

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

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If you're tired of old standbys like a whole chicken or ham for your holiday meal, look no further than pork tenderloin. It’s quick-cooking, takes extremely well to countless flavors, and is easy enough for a chill family meal but remarkable enough for a special Easter dinner too.

Get the Roasted Pork Tenderloin recipe.

15

Cheesy Pierogi & Kielbasa Skillet

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This one-skillet meal combines two of our favorite Polish foods—pierogi and kielbasa—into a warm, hearty dinner. Cream cheese thickens up the sauce, but we couldn't resist adding on dollops of sour cream to each plate too. You're welcome!

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16

Rack Of Lamb

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A roasted rack of lamb is the perfect showstopper, especially when it comes to Easter dinner. If working with lamb isn't something you do often, it can seem intimidating, but trust us—it's quite simple.

Get the Rack Of Lamb recipe.

17

Avgolomeno Soup

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This Greek lemon chicken soup is an Easter staple! If you don't have leftover chicken, you can easily boil chicken breasts and shred them yourself (check out our tips for how to shred chicken if you need).

Get the Avgolomeno Soup recipe.

18

Greek Lemon-Butter Chicken & Smashed Potatoes

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Smashed potatoes and an herby feta and olive topping lend an exciting spin to beloved lemon-butter chicken. In this recipe, an extra-crispy texture on the potatoes and a briny herbal finish (thanks olives!) amplifies all the classic flavors without taking away from the goodness of the original recipe.

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19

Homemade Mac & Cheese

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A comfort food classic, mac and cheese can mean something different to everyone. In our book, the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe has to nail three things: be extra creamy, plenty cheesy, and paired with a golden, crunchy topping. This tried-and-true recipe aces all of these requirements (and more!) with flying colors.

Get the .

20

Braised Lamb Shank

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Lamb shanks can tend to be a tougher cut of meat so to get tender, fall off the bone lamb, it works best to cook them low and slow. They'll braise in a savory tomato sauce that gives the meat so much flavor, and the sauce becomes extra silky after the wine and butter gets stirred in.

Get the Braised Lamb Shank recipe.

85 Easter Dinner Recipes We Swear By Every Year (2024)

FAQs

What is the traditional food for Easter dinner? ›

Easter Dinner Mains. Ham and lamb are classic, but there are so many other great options, as well. Pork tenderloin, stuffed chicken breast, and burrata topped pasta are all worthy of the holiday table, and ideal for feeding a small crowd.

What is a traditional Catholic Easter dinner? ›

Traditionally, the baskets are filled with: decorated hardboiled eggs (representing Christ's Resurrection); lamb-shaped butter or sugar (representing Christ as the “Lamb of God”); bread (reminding us that Jesus is the “Bread of Life”); meats, such as ham (symbolic of great joy and abundance), sausage (symbolic of God's ...

What is a traditional Italian Easter dinner? ›

From deep-fried artichokes to hearty lasagne, roast lamb and traditional pies, and baked desserts, there's something to appeal to all generations seated around the table at this symbolic time of year. Here's a taste of traditional Easter dishes in Italy that you can try making at home this holiday season.

What is the evening meal for Easter? ›

An Easter ham is a classic, and we've got 5+ solid recipes for you to try (including one in made easy on a sheet pan). If you're looking to branch out, check out our recipes for other meaty holiday showstoppers, like braised lamb shank, pork loin roast, and beef wellington.

What is the most eaten food on Easter? ›

Lamb is a popular main dish on Easter in the U.S. and throughout Europe, such as the roast lamb common in the U.K. and Greece, or the French gigot d'agneau pascal, a rich, slow-cooked lamb stew often served with spring vegetables.

What not to eat on Easter Sunday? ›

According to the Catholic religion, fasting and abstinence from red meat consumption are a form of sacrifice, however, this practice is not entirely closed since the faithful can choose how they approach this tradition.

What is an Irish Easter dinner? ›

Gemma Stafford: Easter is a big deal in Ireland, being a religious holiday. Every year, the meal would consist of lamb served with roast vegetables, gravy, and all the trimmings. Dessert in our house was usually something chocolate.

What do Germans eat for Easter? ›

A traditional Easter meal consists of lamb, which represents innocence and humility, accompanied by fresh vegetables and potatoes. Festive cakes are, of course, also a staple ingredient for a Easter Sunday afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen.

What do Sicilians eat at Easter? ›

Lamb, with Sicilian Easter bread, is on most Sicilians' Easter Sunday lunch menu, often served with potatoes and vegetables and preceded by a pasta dish such as lasagne or baked anelletti. Lamb can also make an appearance in 'mpanata (lamb pie).

What is traditional Easter dinner in Spain? ›

Roast lamb seasoned with garlic, rosemary, and other herbs is a classic Easter dish. Bacalao (salt cod) is also commonly served, prepared in various ways such as fried or cooked in a tomato sauce.

What do Jamaicans eat for Easter dinner? ›

Steamed Snapper with yellow yam okra an pumpkin

The Best Dressed Fish well-steamed down with okra, carrots and crackers. As it should be!

What food do you eat on Easter Friday? ›

On Good Friday, it's tradition to eat fish rather than meat. According to Christians, Jesus sacrificed his flesh on what is now known as Good Friday. This is why traditionally, people abstain from meaty flesh on Good Friday. Fish is viewed as a different kind of flesh, and so is favoured over meat on Good Friday.

Why is ham a traditional Easter dinner? ›

Ham was a practical alternative to lamb because it was more affordable and could be purchased in a larger serving size. Not only were hogs cheaper to raise than sheep, but the farmers could slaughter the hogs in the fall and let the meat cure throughout the cold winter months.

What is a traditional Good Friday meal? ›

A traditional Good Friday Meal is all about fish, lobsters, shrimps and other such seafood delicacies. People have lavish lunches and dinners with all types of food choices with their family and friends.

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