the 2025 easy-but-fancy spring menu

maple dijon baked ham, spring pea pasta, strawberry torte, and more!

We asked Maille if they’d be up for sponsoring this menu, and they were! Thank you, Maille, for your support of What to Cook. I’m a longtime fan of the brand and honored to have you here.

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Spring has sprung and it’s time to celebrate with another easy-but-fancy feast! Today’s spread is perfect for any springtime special occasion, from Easter lunch to Mother's Day brunch to an alfresco dinner party with friends.

You can make the whole thing using the detailed plan of attack you’ll find below, or you could pick and choose individual recipes to cook for potluck gatherings this season and beyond.

This menu serves six people. Double or add another side or lose a side as needed to fit your crowd. If you’re just looking for a weeknight dinner recipe, keep reading! There’s a note below with a bunch of ways to trim this feast down into a springy weeknight meal.

Here’s our line up!

I’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating. When a recipe — or, in this case, a few recipes — rely heavily on a certain ingredient, the quality of that ingredient really makes a difference. Dijon mustard makes an appearance three (!) times in today’s menu, and my all-time favorite Dijon (and whole grain mustard!) is by Maille, a French company that has been making delicious mustards for *centuries* (they were established in 1747!). Maille mustards’ flavor profile is more balanced than others — it's smooth and sharp, but not in your face. If you’re a longtime What To Cooker, you know we cook with Dijon a lot here — it’s the perfect binder for dressings (like today’s poppy seed vinaigrette) and marinades, and it adds delicious tang to springy sauces and glazes, scrambled eggs (try it!!), and picnic staples like potato salad. It’s a pantry staple that I’m never without.

Another place to aim for quality when you are grocery shopping for this feast is the snack board. As you’ll see, it’s a super simple “recipe” that relies on just a few superb-tasting ingredients.

And finally, we’re making things easy and delicious by using a pre-cooked spiral-sliced bone-in ham. Here’s an example of the type of ham you’re shopping for. If your pre-cooked ham comes with glaze (it likely will!), ditch it — we’re going to make our own. Not into ham, or want a vegetarian main? See the notes beneath the recipes for ideas.

If you’re not planning a party, there are a few perfect weeknight meal options housed within this menu.

1. Maple dijon baked ham + roasted carrots, fennel, and red onion with pistachio OR strawberry poppy seed crunch salad + poppy seed rolls. You’ll have leftover ham — you can either freeze it, or see the “love your leftovers” note below the recipe for ideas to use it.

2. Spring pea pasta. Double it! And/or add grilled chicken! Or add a pound of peeled and deveined shrimp during the last minute of cooking, along with the vegetables.

3. Roasted carrots, fennel, and red onion with chicken. Cook the roasted veg the exact same way, just toss 2 pounds of skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs in with everything (you might need a little more oil, and will definitely need more salt) and roast it all together.

4. Strawberry poppy seed crunch salad with prosciutto. My ideal spring dinner, tbh. If you’re feeling wild, crisp the prosciutto up on a baking sheet in the oven — 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

here’s how you’ll achieve this gorgeous plate of food!!!

Like for our other easy-but-fancy menus (valentine’s day 2025, holiday 2024, summer 2024, spring 2024, and holiday 2023), along with this menu I’ve written out a step-by-step game plan for how to cook this whole meal with zero stress! Here’s what you’ll do:

The day before:

• Bake the cake and, once cool, wrap it tightly (keep it in the skillet!) with plastic wrap or foil. Store it in the refrigerator.

• Make the sweet cream directly in a pretty little serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

• Make the salad dressing in a jar and refrigerate it.

• Make your spring pea pasta (but don’t garnish it yet). Once it has cooled, cover and store it in the fridge (you can store it in the pot you cooked it in if there’s room in your fridge). Save what’s left of the pasta water you reserved in the fridge.

• Arrange your flowers — I was particularly proud of my carrot top + daffodil arrangement!

• Set the table. Go ahead and pull out all the serving dishes you’re going to plate the food on and serving utensils to go with them.

Morning of:

• Assemble the salad — minus the avocado and dressing — in the serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until it’s time to eat.

• Finely chop the entire bunch of dill and chives. Keep them in separate little bowls for easy adding to several different recipes.

• Stir together the ham glaze. You can keep it out on the countertop until it’s time to use it.

• Prep and roast the vegetables for your roasted carrots, fennel, and red onion dish. Arrange them on the serving plate (but don’t top them with the rest of the ingredients yet), cover, and refrigerate.

• Assemble your snack plate, cover, and refrigerate.

One hour before guests arrive:

• Add the honey butter glaze to the rolls but don’t bake them yet. You can keep them out on the counter.

• Add micro greens and pistachios to the veggies and let the dish come to room temp. You can serve the veggies either warm or at room temp — don’t reheat them once you’ve added the micro greens though, so if you’re going to rewarm them, do that first!

• Set out the bar, if applicable.

• Go put on your outfit!!!

30 minutes before guests arrive:

• Seriously, go put on your outfit.

• Set out the cake so it can come to room temp.

• Pull out the ham and brush on the first half of the glaze. The ham can stay on the countertop for now.

• Set out the snack plate.

• Rewarm the spring pea pasta on the stovetop over low heat. If it has thickened, add more of the reserved pasta cooking water a little at a time until it’s perfectly creamy. Keep over low heat, stirring occasionally.

When guests start arriving:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.

20 minutes BEFORE EATING (so, once guests have arrived and hung out for a bit!):

• Put the ham in the oven.

10 minutes before eating:

• Add the second half of the glaze and return the ham to the oven.

• When you return the ham to the oven, add the rolls too.

• Transfer your pasta to a serving bowl and garnish it with herbs.

When it’s time to eat:

• Add avocado and toss the salad with the dressing.

• Garnish your dishes with chives and dill until they’re all used up.

After the meal:

• Bring the sweet cream out of the fridge, and slice and serve your strawberry cake!

In the following printer-friendly PDF/Google doc you’ll find:

• A grocery list organized by section of the store

• The kitchen tools you’ll need to cook this menu

• The serving dishes you’ll need

• The recipes

• The plan of attack

• Notes and subs

If you need to modify the PDF/grocery list in any way, copy and paste it into a new Google doc or note and edit away.

2025 easy but fancy spring menu

1.74MB ∙ PDF file

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link to printer version

OK, now onto the recipes!

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Via Carota, Il Mulino — all the chic Italian spots in New York are serving these uber-simple snack plates that focus on high-quality ingredients and let them speak for themselves.

• 1 (roughly 10-ounce) jar of really great green olives (I love Castelvetrano)

• 1 (roughly 10-ounce) jar of marinated artichoke hearts

• 1 (2-ounce) pack of sliced prosciutto

• 1 (roughly 8-ounce) block of the best aged Parmigiano-Reggiano you can find, broken up into bite-sized pieces with your hands

• Optional: Balsamic glaze

On a serving plate/board, add the ingredients in little piles! If you have some, drizzle it all with balsamic glaze.

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch spring carrots, tops trimmed off, scrubbed clean, halved vertically

• 1 large head of fennel, green stalks trimmed off and discarded, 1/2-inch sliced

• 1 large red onion, 1/2-inch sliced

• 4 tablespoons honey

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 6 thyme sprigs, leaves removed

• Handful of micro greens (or any chopped fresh green herb)

• Handful of roasted, salted pistachios (or any nut), finely chopped

• Pinch of minced chives

• Pinch of flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Prep your vegetables, adding them to the sheet pan as you work. Trim the tops off of 1 bunch spring carrots. Scrub them clean and halve them vertically. Trim off (and discard) the green stalks of 1 large head of fennel and cut the bulb into 1/2-inch slices. Cut 1 large red onion into 1/2-inch slices. Add 4 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, and the leaves from 6 sprigs of thyme to the sheet pan. Use your hands to toss so everything is combined and well coated.

Roast for 30 minutes, until golden-brown and fork-tender. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with a handful of micro greens, a handful of finely chopped roasted, salted pistachios (or any nut), a pinch of minced chives, and a pinch of flaky sea salt.

If you want to double this salad, combine 1 package spring greens and 1 package baby arugula and double the other ingredients.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (5-ounce) package spring greens

• 8 ounces strawberries (half of a standard clamshell container), de-stemmed and quartered, or cut into sixths if large

• 1 large ripe avocado, cubed

• 1/2 cup plain-ish (like no chocolate or dried fruit) granola

• 4 ounces plain or honey goat cheese, crumbled

• Handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

Poppy seed vinaigrette:

• 2/3 cup avocado oil

• 1/3 cup champagne vinegar + more to taste

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon minced chives

• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (preferably Maille)

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Make the poppy seed dressing: Add all the ingredients (2/3 cup avocado oil, 1/3 cup champagne vinegar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon minced chives, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (preferably Maille), and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt) to a Mason jar, put the lid on tight, and shake until emulsified. If you don’t have a Mason jar, you can whisk them together in a bowl.

Taste. Want it less sweet/more vinegary? Add another 2 or 3 tablespoons of champagne vinegar.

Assemble the salad in a serving bowl with 1 (5-ounce) package spring greens on bottom and the other ingredients — 8 ounces de-stemmed and quartered strawberries, 1 large cubed avocado, 1/2 cup plain-ish granola, 4 ounces crumbled plain or honey goat cheese, and a handful of roughly chopped fresh mint in piles on top. Toss with desired amount of dressing (not all of it — you’ll likely have leftover!!). If you’re prepping ahead, wait to add the chopped avocado and dressing until you’re ready to serve.

Inspired by the classic Pasta e Piselli (aka pasta and peas). This recipe is easy to double if needed!

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt

• 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed off and discarded, finely chopped

• 8 ounces dried Ditalini (1/2 a box)

• 1 cup frozen English peas

• 1 (5.2-ounce) package Boursin Herbs & Garlic Cheese

• 1 lemon (preferably organic), zested and juiced (if you love lemony flavor, grab 2!)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tablespoons minced dill

• 2 tablespoons minced chives

• Grated Parm, to taste

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (add 2 big 4-finger pinches of kosher salt!) to a boil over high heat.

While the water is coming to a boil, trim off (and discard) the bottom 1 1/2 inches of 1 bunch asparagus, then finely chop the stalks.

Once your water is boiling, drop in 8 ounces of dried Ditalini and set a timer for the amount of time the box of pasta says to cook it until al dente MINUS 1 minute. (For example, my ditalini box said to cook the noodles for 11 minutes to reach al dente, so I set a timer for 10 minutes). When your timer goes off, add the finely chopped asparagus and 1 cup frozen English peas (that’s half the bag of frozen peas, if you don’t want to measure!) to the pot and set a timer for 1 more minute.

SCOOP OUT AND SAVE 2 CUPS OF PASTA COOKING WATER (!!! this is important!) then drain the noodles and vegetables in a colander.

Return them to the pot (off heat) and add 1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water, 1 (5.2-ounce) package Boursin Herbs & Garlic Cheese, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Stir until everything is creamy and well combined.

Too thick? Add more pasta water — that’s why we scooped out a lot! Too watery at the bottom of the pot? Keep tossing. If your Boursin isn’t melting easily or you want to warm everything up more, turn the heat on to low as you stir.

Taste. If needed, add more kosher salt, lemon juice, and black pepper a little at a time until it's absolutely delicious.

Top with 3 tablespoons minced dill, 2 tablespoons minced chives, more lemon zest (optional), and grated Parm (however much you want — I added a lot!).

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-cooked 6- to 8-pound, spiral-sliced, bone-in ham

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (preferably Maille)*

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 1 cooked 6- to 8-pound, spiral-sliced, bone-in ham in a baking dish with high sides.

Meanwhile, whisk all glaze ingredients — 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard (or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard), and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon — together in a small pot. Bring glaze to a boil over medium-high then reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.

Brush half of the glaze all over the ham and down into the slices. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the ham from the oven and paint with the second half of the glaze. Bake for 10 more minutes. Tent with foil until serving to keep it warm.

*As you can see in the photo, using whole grain mustard here provides gorgeous texture (and those little mustard seed pops add so much delicious flavor).

Makes 12 rolls, easily doubled if needed

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, preferably Maille

• 12-pack of King’s Hawaiian rolls

• Big pinch of flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir together 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

Brush the butter mixture over the tops of a 12-pack of King’s Hawaiian rolls (keep them all together). Sprinkle with a big pinch of flaky sea salt.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Keep a close eye on them, they’ll go from golden-brown to burnt quickly! Once cool enough to handle, separate the rolls and arrange them on a serving plate. Serve along with whole grain and/or Dijon mustard to make little ham sandwiches.

Inspired by Marian Burros’s “Original Plum Torte.”

Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes total (30 minutes of prep time, ~1 hour of baking time)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (which is 1 stick) unsalted butter

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

• 1 lemon (ideally an organic Meyer lemon), zested, 1/2 of it juiced

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• Tiny pinch of kosher salt

• 1 pound (aka 16 ounces, aka 1 standard clamshell container) of strawberries, de-stemmed and halved (or quartered if your strawberries are big)

• 1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter to a 10-inch (well seasoned!) cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook until browned, swirling the skillet occasionally. Let cool for 10 minutes (put it in the fridge to expedite).

Stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar and the zest of 1 lemon for 30 full seconds. Add 2 large eggs (just crack them right into the skillet!). Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and a tiny pinch of kosher salt in a pile and use your fingers to mix the dry ingredients together. Now stir to combine them with the rest of the ingredients.

Smooth out the top of the mixture. Wipe/clean off the sides of the skillet (you can use your finger but, I’m just warning you, once you taste this cake batter your life will never be the same). Add 1 pound de-stemmed and halved/quartered strawberries on top with the cut sides facing down (see the pic for a visual). Sprinkle 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and the juice of 1/2 lemon over top.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake (don’t poke near a strawberry) comes out clean and the top and edges have turned golden.

While it’s baking, make your sweet cream by mixing together 1 cup of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.

Slice the cake and serve with a big dollop of the sweet cream!

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• Love your leftovers: Leftovers will be good for 3 to 4 days stored in airtight containers in the fridge. Here are delicious ways to use them up:

  • Dice up ham and add it to the pasta

  • Add sliced ham to poppy seed rolls

  • Toss any leftover roasted veggies with greens, feta, pistachios, and dressing for a roasted veg salad. You could add diced ham if you have it.

  • If you have a ton of leftover ham, you can freeze it! Wrap the sliced ham in plastic wrap or foil, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Use within 2 months.

• I have a frozen pre-cooked ham: Remove the ham from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours to ensure it’s thawed before you bake it.

• Got a cocktail rec? Strawberry lemon margs! Or salty minty dogs!

• Vegetarian: To make this meal vegetarian, swap the ham out for a frittata! If you have my book, turn to page 131 for frittata ideas. Or use the vegetarian note in this recipe.

• Dairy free: Omit the Parm from the cheese board and the goat cheese from the salad (or swap it with a DF cheese alternative like dairy-free Parm). Use DF Boursin and Parm (or omit the Parm) from the pasta. Use plant-based butter sticks for the rolls and cake, and use DF sour cream for the sweet cream.

• Gluten free: Make sure your granola’s gluten free. Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for the cake. Use GF rolls and GF pasta.

• Nut free: Swap the pistachios out for pepitas or just omit. Pay attention that your granola is nut free!

• Feeding a bigger crowd/prep ahead/special ingredient/I just need a weeknight meal: Go back up and read the intro sections!

For these menus we provide an abbreviated subs section because we supply a grocery list to ensure you don’t forget anything at the store! See above for how to modify the recipes for dairy, gluten, and nut allergies.

• Ham: In case you’re wondering, here’s an example of the type of ham you’re shopping for. You could also cook a whole roast chicken or leg of lamb! See the “vegetarian” note above for another idea.

• For the snack plate: Sub with any charcuterie meats, cheeses, and briny things you love.

• Roasted veggies: Parsnips, sweet potatoes, winter squash, celery root, yellow onion… pretty much any roasted veggies you love would be good prepared this way. Just be sure they’re cut roughly the same size to ensure even roasting.

• Ditalini: Any shape/kind of noodle works! I like small shapes like ditalini, cavatelli, orecchiette, or elbows best.

• Peas and asparagus: You could skip one and double up on the other. You can use fresh peas (or any frozen peas, even if they’re not “English”) but add them for the final 4 minutes of pasta cook time.

• Boursin: 5 ounces of any other creamy cheese you like. Ricotta, goat cheese, even cream cheese will do the trick. But if you don’t use the garlic and herbs cheese, you’ll need to add a teaspoon of oregano or dried thyme or Italian seasoning.

• Strawberries: You could use another fresh fruit like blueberries or blackberries both places (but it’s strawberry season so I’d go with those!). Frozen strawberries aren’t ideal for the salad. You could use them for the cake but fresh look so much prettier!

• Sour cream: Plain yogurt, crème fraîche or mascarpone!

• Dill and chives: These are my favorite green herb for this meal, but if needed, sub options could include parsley, tarragon, green onion, or basil.

• Mustard: I really recommend using mustard here, even if you don’t love it on its own. As used in this menu, mustard beautifully balance out the sweetness in these recipes. But here are non-mustard subs if needed: In the ham’s glaze you can use a vinegar like apple cider or even balsamic. For the rolls, you can just omit it (or add a minced/grated garlic clove for a little non-sweet kick). And for the dressing, swap in a tablespoon of mayo, sour cream, or Greek yogurt (or skip it, but you’ll need to shake the dressing more often because mustard helps it emulsify!).

In case you want to set a special spring table!

• Here are my reversible, wipeable placemats.

• This is an amazing price on my white Sabre flatware!

• I’ve had these plates for years without a single chip, and they’re less than $9 per plate.

• The rest of my tabletop is from local shops but you could recreate it with these candleholders from Amazon, these candlesticks from Etsy, and these mouth-blown recycled glass vases that are a very great price from Half Past Seven.

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Click here for the full index of What to Cook recipes categorized by protein, cook time, and *mood.*

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Editor: Molly Ramsey
Photographer: Amanda Chasten Photography