Spring Ideas for Easter

Pasta, Sides, Desserts and more

I hope it’s not too late to share a bit of Easter inspiration. It’s my favorite holiday meal of the year—it gives me the perfect excuse to include all the spring vegetables. Artichokes of course, asparagus (cultivated and wild), peas and fave beans all brightened with mint and lemon.

In Italy, Easter is celebrated on Sunday with a big lunch. Every family and region has their own traditions and favorite foods. Then, on Easter Monday—Pasquetta, or "little Easter"—people typically head to the countryside with friends for a picnic or cookout. But since it’s spring, nine times out of ten, the weather doesn’t cooperate and it ends up raining!

Over the years, we’ve created our own Easter traditions. Even though egg hunts aren’t a thing in Italy, I made sure Emma and Sophie grew up not only excited to find dyed eggs, but also looking forward to the kind of gift- and candy-filled baskets my mom used to make for me. Definitely not an Italian tradition—which is probably why my nieces still remember them as a special highlight from their slightly crazy American aunt.

For many years, we celebrated Easter in Bari with Domenico’s mother. While I kept up my Americanized version of Easter-themed decorations, the holiday there was also deeply tied to its religious roots. We always looked forward to the elaborate, 24-hour processions that wound through the alleys of Bari Vecchia on Good Friday. But I also made sure we spent time dying eggs, which my mother in law and aunt loved! To this day I always make sure I have a pack of Paas Dyes bought in the States.

Decorating Eggs in Bari 2016

More recently, we’ve been spending Easter up at our house in Umbria—including that memorable year when the national TV station came to film Sophie and me to talk about our Easter traditions! This year, we’ve got quite a houseful. My parents, who live next door, will be celebrating with us—which is a treat, since they’re usually not here this time of year. My niece is visiting from her junior year abroad in Paris, and Emma is bringing two friends from NYC for the weekend.

All of which has me in full-on ‘what-am-I-going-to-cook-for-all-these-people’ mode.

But I’ve been doing this for about 35 years now—and documenting it, too. So just in case you’re in the same boat of Easter meal indecision, I thought I’d share a roundup of some of my favorite recipes, menus, photos and videos.

Enjoy!