These Are the 31 Recipes You Should Make This March
March can feel like a strange month for cooking. Even as spring vegetables like peas, asparagus, and rhubarb are arriving at the market, the weather is often the coldest, greyest, and rainiest. It’s a time of transition. Springtime events haven’t quite ramped up and there are plenty of days worth staying in and baking or braising.
March also brings a handful of seasonal celebrations, including Purim (the Jewish calendar’s biggest party festival), St. Patrick’s Day (the only time most of us eat corned beef), and March Madness (our favorite reason for making and eating snacks). Some we’ve included because they’re the best way to celebrate one of the March’s many holidays. The other recipes on this list include seasonal ingredients, to be sure, but more importantly fill every craving we have while winter is busy becoming spring. These are the 31 recipes we think you should for sure make in March.
Vegetable Forward Dinners
March is the unofficial start of spring with many farmers markets around the country reopening for the season. It is also Lent, so meatless dinners and lunches are a must for making it through March. These vegetable-centric meals will brighten even the dreariest March days.
Spring Pastas
Pair almost any fresh vegetables with pasta and you have dinner in minutes. You can call these “bridge pastas” as they comfortably span both winter (comfort food!) and spring (fresh veggies!) in flavor. We highly recommend the gnocchi lasagna for entertaining friends!
Easy Breakfast Greats
Maybe baking spring desserts isn’t your thing, but you do need to reinvigorate your breakfast routine. These recipes are easy, hearty, and full of spring flavor!
Purim
Purim begins at sundown on March 9th. Purim celebrations often include drinking wine and giving gifts of food — most commonly hamantaschen — buttery triangular cookies, filled with jam or poppy seeds.
March Madness
March Madness isn’t really complete until you’ve had your fill of game day foods in the weeks leading up to the Final Four. Think nachos, pizza, wings, and other fan favorites that can do double duty as dinner or weekend fare.
St. Patrick’s Day
While you can get corned beef in most markets year-round, it will be its cheapest right after St. Paddy’s Day and we think that makes as good as an excuse as any to make corned beef and cabbage in your slow cooker in March. Plus, you really want the leftovers to make corned beef hash.
Spring Desserts
March really is a month to celebrate rhubarb on its own merits. Leave the strawberry rhubarb combo for April. Get in on this bright, tart pie while rhubarb is the only colorful stalk in season.