80 Easter Dinner Ideas That Go Beyond Glazed Ham

• Time Commitment: 5 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: high-protein, one pan, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4 to 6

Thanks to a buttermilk brine, this burnished chicken looks and tastes impressive but is foolproof for all skill levels. "Since the back corners of the oven tend to run hotter than the center, position the chicken with the legs in the corner," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen advises. "That way, the breast meat—which has a tendency to dry—will come out perfectly cooked at the same time as the thighs and drumsticks."

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

Proof that fruit salad doesn’t have to mean a bowl of grapes and flavorless melon. The dressing for this is as easy as it can get. "The strawberries are marinated with rice vinegar and honey, releasing their juices to coat the greens," Gillen explains.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, <500 calories
• Serves: 4

Think smashed potatoes, but sub good-for-you Brussels sprouts instead of spuds. (Don’t worry, they’re dusted with plenty of Parmesan cheese.) It's simple: "Boil the sprouts until tender, flatten them with a cup, roast on a sheet pan until golden brown and crisp around the edges," Gillen says.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Scallops should be at the top of your easy-yet-fancy dinner list. They take minutes to sauté and always manage to impress, and the accompanying citrus salad is just gilding the lily. "Pat them well with paper towels before seasoning and cooking, and you’ll be rewarded with a caramelized, flavorful brown crust every time," Gillen asserts.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, one pan
• Serves: 6 to 8

Only the French could turn a vegetable that grows underground into a work of art. This requires little more than butter, salt and spuds once you grasp the technique of layering the potato slices in the pan. "A mandoline will give you uniform thin slices, essential for even cooking," Gillen explains. "A sharp chef’s knife will work in a pinch, but you’ll want to set aside some time for slicing and make sure your slices are as consistent as possible."

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 12 to 16

The cast iron skillet is the key to a golden-brown, toothsome edge—as long as you preheat it before pouring in the batter. "It's sweetened with maple syrup and contains brown butter, meaning you don’t have to grease the skillet," Gillen adds.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, low sugar, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

Spice up your side dish rotation with this Central New York favorite, which stars escarole, prosciutto, breadcrumbs and spicy cherry peppers. "If you can’t find fresh cherry peppers, you can substitute pickled, or use any other hot red pepper," Gillen notes.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

"I love a good ol’ Caesar…or even just a pile of mixed greens with a creamy dressing," Gillen admits, "but when a salad needs to have enough pizazz to cut through a rich meal, I reach for a recipe that's more complex." With biting radicchio and frisée (plus tart apples and pistachios), this dish checks all the right boxes.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, sheet pan recipe
• Serves: 4 to 6

This Easter, I’ve sworn off making overly complicated dishes for company…which leads me to this elegant, four-ingredient side. "If you can’t find rainbow carrots, use the standard orange; they’ll taste just as good," Gillen assures.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 to 6

Behold, an entree that’s both special enough to serve to company and ready in about an hour. The secret? Spatchcocking the chicken, aka removing the backbone. "You can split and flatten the entire thing, which speeds up the cooking time and increases the surface area for more browned, crispy skin," Gillen explains.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

You love to order steak in a restaurant, but you’re too nervous to cook it at home. Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski is coming to the rescue with this foolproof, flavorful NY strip. Oh, and that unexpected side? "Parsley is elevated from a forgettable garnish to the star ingredient of an accompanying salad," Porowski explains.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

Our biggest tip for success with scallops? Make sure they’re super dry before plopping them in a hot skillet. Otherwise, they’ll never get a gorgeous golden brown sear (and that’s kind of the best part). As for the peas and mint, they're just right for Easter dinner (or any spring meal).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes (+ chilling time)
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

Beautiful, versatile and overflowing with carbs and cheese—what more do you need to know? Perhaps that the crust is easily assembled (no pan!) and baked, or that you can replace the potato with apple for a twist?

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

Onions usually take a backseat in most recipes, but when offered the spotlight, they shine. Don’t believe me? Try this tart, which is deeply savory and works as a side dish or main course. "I think the toughest part is inverting it onto a platter, but just take a deep breath and go for it," recipes creator Renée Kohlman urges.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free, <500 calories
• Serves: 4 to 6

Carrots for spring? Groundbreaking. Seriously—when roasted and blitzed together with fennel and miso, you won’t believe the depth of flavor of this soup. And the crunchy pepitas on top? *Chef's kiss.*

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, high-protein
• Serves: 20 to 25

For the sake of tradition, I couldn’t leave this main off the list. This version is a little spicy (leave it to crushed red pepper flakes) to keep things modern. Serve it warm or make it ahead and dish it up cold—it's endlessly versatile.

• Time Commitment: 6 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

When you make a turkey in the slow cooker, the oven is free for a batch of dinner rolls. "No basting, rotating or messing around with tinfoil," recipe developer Erin McDowell states. "Just 30 minutes of prep time and the push of a button to one of the best turkeys you've ever eaten."

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, high-protein, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

If one-and-done is more your speed, this one-pan dish is as pretty to look at as it is tasty. Garlic, green olives, feta and plenty of herbs ensure robust flavor, while the chicken thighs are basically foolproof and impossible to overcook.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

Spring and lamb are like peanut butter and jelly: a no-brainer. This Easter dinner idea comes together in all of 40 minutes’ time. P.S.: You can find pomegranate molasses in the international aisle of most grocery stores.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, special occasion-worthy, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 4

Behold the most buttery, tender pork you’ve ever tasted. The pistachios add a crunchy crust and some festive color to the main. Best of all, it cooks from start to finish on a single baking sheet. How easy is that?

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 4

Cooking a whole fish at home sounds intimidating, but it’s actually so simple. Start with cleaned fish from the supermarket, then just stuff it with citrus and roast until its meat is juicy, flaky and perfectly cooked. Prepare to blow your dinner guests away.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, sheet pan recipe, <500 calories
• Serves: 4

For those who love cooking but hate the post-feast cleanup, this recipe has almost none of the latter, thanks to the parchment paper cooking technique known as “en papillote.” Less time washing dishes means more time for Easter baskets, right?

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: low carb, Paleo, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

If the weather treats you well, fire up the coals. If not, this can easily be cooked on a griddle pan on the stove. "I marinate the steak before it goes onto the grill, then serve it with a fresh herb sauce for an extra boost," McDowell explains. "Just think of that marinating time as a built-in cocktail hour." Serve it with a festive salad and a potato side dish for a complete feast.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Tender, juicy meat? Check. Crispy, golden skin? Double check. Another plus to roasting an entire chicken? If you’re lucky enough to end up with leftovers, use them in salads, soups and pastas all week long. 

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein, gluten free
• Serves: 10

That’s right, the Barefoot Contessa is coming over for dinner. This main looks so impressive, but it’s actually super easy to make. (That’s Ina for you.) "This turkey roulade is actually better if you assemble it in advance," Garten writes, "because the flavors—prosciutto, fennel seeds, garlic, fresh sage and rosemary—all permeate the turkey."

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, low sugar
• Serves: 4

It’s ready in 20 minutes, so you can whip up a side to go with it—perhaps some salt and vinegar potatoes?—and not lose your entire evening to the kitchen. If you already have pantry staples on hand, you’ll need only five more ingredients to make it.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories, high protein
• Serves: 4

This Easter dinner idea goes out to all the vegetarians at the table. (And even if you’re not vegetarian, you’ll want a second helping—trust.) If you’re not a fan of barley, use another grain such as quinoa or farro.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Confit (aka cooking something slowly in fat) is luxurious and elegant, albeit a little time-consuming. The recipe here is streamlined, and can be made with chicken or duck. Most of the cooking time is completely hands-off and done in the oven. 

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 6

Pasta is always a good idea. Dress it up in its spring Sunday best with seasonal greens, and suddenly it’s an ideal Easter dinner. (Personally, I’d pair this one with a hearty salad and a crisp white wine.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, high protein
• Serves: 4

Prepare for everyone to ooh and ahh when this comes out of the oven—just don’t tell them how easy it was to put together. "If you’ve got a crowd coming, double the recipe and use two pans," recipe creator Dorie Greenspan writes.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, one pan, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8

Yep, it’s plant-based, but still tastes super indulgent, thanks to a homemade cashew cream sauce. To make this gluten-free, omit the breadcrumbs in the topping topping and garnish the casserole with simply toasted pine nuts.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Minimal prep, modest cooking time and almost no cleanup after? That's my idea of an Easter dinner. Even the couscous is cooked on the same pan. Plate it with plenty of almonds and Greek yogurt (or labne, if you're feeling fancy).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

This risotto is basically an edible spring bounty. Take a trip to the farmers market and buy whatever produce looks good—voilà, you’re already halfway done. It’ll taste delicious no matter what you choose, thanks to all that butter, white wine and Parm.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Bacon-wrapped anything gets my seal of approval. A bed of sautéed spinach keeps the dish light, but you could trade it out in favor of any of the salads on this list, if you'd prefer. (However, it is in season at this time of year.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, <500 calories
• Serves: 6

It’s unconventional and dramatic, or in other words, the perfect thing to serve at a holiday meal. You’ll get bonus points for pleasing the vegetarians at the table, because yeah, they’re sick of eating just bread and sides.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, sheet pan recipe
• Serves: 6

Easter side dishes have the potential to be a snooze-fest, but not these carrots. They’re smothered in a spicy-sweet harissa and honey mixture that’s irresistible at first bite. Recipe creator Chef Eden Grinshpan smears a giant circle of yogurt on a serving platter, then tops it with the veggies. This trick adds a ton of creamy richness and makes the plate appear so much fancier.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

They’re an Easter classic for a reason: cheese, cream and crispy bits. This one can be assembled ahead for ease, too. I’ve opted for nutty Gruyère to balance out the creaminess of this classic French dish, you can—and should—experiment with different cheeses (cheddar would work well).

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, gluten free
• Serves: 6

If you’re more of a crispy-potato person, these salty spuds are sure to impress. They taste like a potato chip in the best way possible. Use new potatoes, which will get shatteringly crisp on the outside but maintain their creamy interiors.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <500 calories, beginner-friendly, gluten free, vegetarian
• Serves: 4 to 6

Never served onions as a side dish? Tonight’s the night. They become tender and sweet after a long roast in the oven, and thanks to your muffin tin, look like little rosettes. "Most onions too big to fit snugly in the muffin tin at the start, but they shrunk significantly in the oven," PureWow food editor Taryn Pire says.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, one pan, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Radishes lose some of their peppery bite when roasted in the oven, so all you’ll be left with is tender, buttery goodness. "I love them alongside roast chicken or slow-cooked salmon...or sliced on bread smeared with salted butter," McDowell admits.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <500 calories, low carb, gluten free
• Serves: 6 to 8

Is there anything Parmesan cheese can’t improve? (That’s a rhetorical question.) This five-ingredient side dish will please even the biggest green vegetable haters—picky kids beware.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

I never thought I'd have a crush on a vegetable, but here I am. You can make these in a cast iron pan over high heat if grilling isn’t an option. A grating of lemon zest transforms the flavor, so don’t skip that step.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
• Serves: 4

The key to keeping broccoli interesting here is the crispy breadcrumb topping. It’s also an excellent way to use up the stale loaf of bread you can’t bring yourself to toss. Simply tear up a loaf, blitz it in the food processor and use as needed to instantly upgrade a dish.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Glazed carrots? Yawn. Give the veggie a modern update with onions, cumin, red wine vinegar and lots of fresh lemon zest. (Make sure you choose vegetables that are about the same size so they roast up evenly.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

"These are potatoes stacked like dominoes and baked in clarified butter with bay leaves and sea salt," recipe creator Alex Jackson writes. TBH, they might be the most gorgeous potatoes I've ever seen. Use a mandoline or extra-sharp chef’s knife for the neatest slices.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <500 calories, low carb, sheet pan recipe
• Serves: 4 to 6

Pick and choose everyone’s favorite vegetables and toss them all on a sheet pan. It doesn’t get simpler, and the heat of the oven will intensify the flavors of whatever you choose. "Roasting naturally sweet tomatoes and bell peppers makes them taste even more intense, while the eggplant turns soft, creamy and luscious," recipe creator Karen Tedesco explains.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, high-protein
• Serves: 6

Two of your go-to cruciferous veggies, united in cheesy harmony. Even the kids table will be singing your praises (really), thanks to the creamy two-cheese sauce that the produce is swimming in.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, gluten free
• Serves: 8

It’s the pistachio-chili pesto that will have everyone coming back for more, but the spuds themselves are impressive on their own, too. This Easter dinner idea is spicy, tangy and salty, plus it adds a bit of texture to those roasted spuds.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, low carb, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

A side dish featuring burrata is already a treat, but this one happens to be ready in ten minutes and is surprisingly low in carbs. "Broccoli rabe is a wonderful bitter green that becomes less bitter the longer it cooks," recipe developer Jeanine Donofrio explains, "which is why I blanch it, then sauté it with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes."

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, low carb
• Serves: 4

Orange and thyme are a welcome change to the typically too-sweet pairings for carrots you’re familiar with. Most importantly, everything gets cooked in its own parchment parcel, so there’s almost no cleanup.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: one pan, <500 calories, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6 to 8

It’s part side, part work of art. The combination of golden and red beets and Yukon Gold potatoes is just the right balance of savory and slightly sweet. They'd pair beautifully with a honey mustard dressing or herby yogurt dip.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Covered with Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and herbs, these potatoes are an indulgence that no one will mind seeing on your holiday table. It’s like serving French fries at Easter dinner, only a little fancier.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

To be honest, I can’t think of a bad way to serve cauliflower. But this definitely ranks up at the top. Cheese and black pepper are magical like that. "Just like cauliflower mac and cheese, it’s creamy and cheesy—minus the extra carbs," McDowell adds.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <500 calories
• Serves: 6

Give the Easter feast a little kick with sriracha and lime. (Just warn everyone about the spice level before digging in.) Want to up the ante? Add a simple lemon-yogurt sauce for dipping.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Here’s definitive proof that anything can be holiday-ready when topped with breadcrumbs. The good news? It can be prepped in advance, either in individual portions or in one big family-size baking dish.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
• Serves: 6

Instead of a boring mixed greens salad, whip up a medley of spring’s finest produce. Asparagus, watercress and peas make a lively trio. With bread and a tangy dressing, it'll fill you up without leaving you overstuffed.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Bowls are fine, but boards are better. Why? Because you can put all the delicious toppings on display, like a salad collage. (Plus, none of the good stuff will be trapped at the bottom of all the greens.)

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, <30 minutes, gluten free
• Serves: 4

After a long, cold winter, this fresh salad is a sight for sore eyes. The tangy-sweet-spicy dressing, while homemade, is impossible to mess up. (After all, it comes together entirely in a blender for max convenience.)

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, gluten free, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

The cashew cream is completely dairy free, but no one would know just by tasting it. Here, combined with bitter radicchio, lentils and apples, it serves as the ultimate foil to a crunchy, crispy salad.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, dairy free
• Serves: 8

This slaw is surprisingly versatile: You can use pretty much any winter greens or cabbage as long as you shred them thinly. The cheese can be left out or swapped for whatever you have (any blue or hard cheese) and you can use any soft herbs in your fridge, too.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes (+ marinating time)
• Why I Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, make ahead
• Serves: 4

This side tastes best when you make it ahead of time, which is music to my ears. "The longer it sits, the more flavor it—and the oil—picks up," recipe creator Charlotte Druckman asserts. "The feta provides salt, while its marinade becomes a dressing, which is quite convenient and makes the raw zucchini sing."

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, low carb, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

’Tis the season for peas—why not turn them into a crisp, fresh salad? Goat cheese is whirled into an irresistibly tangy dressing and crumbled on top for double the flavor and decadence.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, low carb, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

I'm super excited for the in-season asparagus, sure...but don’t tell anyone I'm looking forward to the croutons even more. Either way, I'm happy to kick romaine to the curb for this Easter dinner idea.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

This salad is simple, and sometimes that’s exactly what your menu needs. The homemade dressing has Dijon, garlic, lemon and anchovies for a savory je ne sais quoi that's reminiscent of Caesar dressing.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, make ahead
• Serves: 4 to 6

You can use any mix of fresh citrus you'd like, such as grapefruit, tangerines and blood oranges. Just make sure you have a ripe avocado at the ready, so it's soft and verdant in time for serving.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 12

Skip the freezer-section rolls in favor of these fluffy cuties, which are way easier to make than they seem. Most of the cooking time is spent proofing the dough, so you can tend to other dishes while the rolls rise.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 2 loaves

This bread comes together with just six ingredients and you don’t even have to knead it. Ingenious? I think so. You’ll use instant yeast instead of active dry, which doesn’t need to be activated in liquid and gives a fast rise to the dough.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 9

The cornbread gets brushed with honey before it’s baked in the oven, but you should definitely serve it with extra on the side. Don’t want to make the whole pan spicy? Easy: Just leave the pepper slices off half.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 9

These biscuits have a secret. "These biscuits are buttery, feathery and so fragrant while they're baking that people can’t wait for them to come out of the oven," recipe developer Dora Charles writes. "It's the Sprite (or 7-Up) that makes them light."

• Time Commitment: 12 hours and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

It’s part cheese plate, part carb-y side. Needless to say, I'm smitten. Focaccia is a perfect homemade bread for beginners, since it requires zero shaping and no kneading. (It's easy on the eyes to boot.)

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <500 calories
• Serves: 24

Fact: An Easter dinner wouldn’t be complete without a little cheese. If you can’t find the tart and lightly sweet peppadew peppers for the filling, you can substitute jarred roasted red peppers in a pinch.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <500 calories
• Serves: 12

It’s almost too pretty to serve—almost. (Psst: It’s also super simper to put together. The dough is a lot like making pizza crust or focaccia, and it only needs an hour to rise.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 6

A tarte tatin is a French pastry, traditionally made with apples, that involves flipping a flaky slab of puffy pastry out of a skillet to reveal the buttery, caramelized topping. That makes this savory version sounds much more finicky than it actually is—you’ve got this, trust.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: one 12-inch loaf

This one’s like monkey bread, but savory and fancy for Easter. It’s time-consuming but worth the effort. "It's fantastic for weekends, game days or dinner parties—and it's best served warm," McDowell adds. Roger that.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4 to 6

These chops are seasoned with vinegar and garnished with a creamy, nutty sauce. If you’re not familiar with loin chops, they’re a lot like rib chops but without the long bone (and with a slightly richer flavor).

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, high protein
• Serves: 4

If minty pistachio butter isn’t your thing (to each her own), try this twist on lamb. The seven-ingredient spring dinner sounds super fancy (and tastes like it, too), but easily comes together in a single pan. Even if your strawberries aren’t perfectly ripe, they’ll sweeten up as they cook.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 8

Are you a professional baker or something? You'll have all your guests fooled at first bite. This recipe calls for a baking soda solution instead of lye, but the end result is every bit as browned and pillowy. (Hot tip: Make some small, dinner roll-size and a few larger ones for leftover ham sandwiches.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, gluten free, high protein
• Serves: 4

While I’ll admit this dish requires some watchful stirring, I promise the resulting creamy, dreamy rice is well worth the labor. You’ll be rewarded with an elegant meal that’s ideal for serving a smaller group.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: low carb, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 2 to 4

This underrated veggie is finally getting the glow-up it deserves, thanks to a spicy-sweet mixture of harissa and brown sugar, brown butter and a dilly sour cream dip for serving. Make it as an Easter side dish and blow your guests away.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <15 minutes, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 6

As much as I want to serve a bounty of tender greens and fresh vegetables, Easter is often early in the spring season, when the farmers market can be kind of bare. This salad is bright, crisp and make-ahead friendly, plus it features seasonal ingredients you’ll actually be able to find.