30 Recipes We Can't Wait To Cook This Spring

We'd go so far to say as spring has popped its head out. Well, at least in the form of asparagus, but that means that a vast bounty of the best green vegetables of the year are on their way to the markets. Here's a refresher course on the fresher course: 30 of our favorite springy, green, veggie-packed dishes for pasta fiends, salad fanatics, trigger-happy grillmasters and anyone else who's ever loved a fava bean.

This is a delicious way to serve an underappreciated vegetable, which just happens to be part of the same family as garlic and onions. This dish is great paired with lamb, pork chops or steak. As with any gratin, we recommend whipping up a batch of homemade breadcrumbs. You'll notice the difference in the fresher taste and crisper texture. 

If you've cooked with duck fat before, you can jump into this simple stir-fried dandelion greens recipe with gusto because you've experienced duck fat as the culinary gem that it is. Its unctuous and rich flavor is worth going that little bit out of your way for. 

Hearty and light salad for spring.

Treat that leftover chicken right and make a soba-filled home for it.

Add some asparagus to your macaroni salad for a pleasant crunch.

What's a BLT sandwich without the bread? It may sound like a riddle, but it's also the basis for this delicious recipe.

Crunch into this light seasonal salad.

Yes, gazpacho is great, but after slurping the stuff all summer, I needed a break from the cold tomato concoction. Enter cacık (pronounced JAH-jek), another hot-weather favorite. The Turkish cold soup is basically a tzatzki thinned out to a soup-like consistency. Just when you thought tzatzki couldn't get any better.

Add some brightness and spice to your broccoli rabe.

The tomatoes won't be missed in this minestrone.

These beans will get you excited to eat your veggies.

Sweet gem is a mild, tender baby lettuce like a mini-head of Bibb or butter. Massaging the dressing gently into the leaves before plating ensures every leaf gets a good dose, and make sure you allow the mozzarella to come to room temperature before serving. 

Brunch pizza? We vote yay!

This tart is the epitome of spring.

Keep your pasta light in the spring.

Tuck these little leeks into bed with a blanket of prosciutto. It's the only way to do it.

These are the sleeper hit at The Meatball Shop and the star in our Chicken Parm Sliders. Find out how to make 'em at home, after the jump.

Super-green, healthy and delicious pasta, straight from ABC Kitchen.

Italy has 20 regions, each home to a unique and delicious cuisine. Culinary instructor and cookbook author Katie Caldesi's book, The Italian Cookery Course, is a compilation of 400 of Italy's best recipes from simple to very complex. Did someone say simple? Cause this parsley-lemon pesto takes no time to make and will serve us well through the summer and beyond.

Got grilled leftovers? Pop them into this quiche.

Add some color to your salad blues.

Prosciutto y meloni, or prosciutto-wrapped melon, is a favorite appetizer or first course in Italy and throughout Europe. Who better than Austrian-born chef Wolfgang Puck to reimagine this simple, elegant dish as a salad for the perfect start to your meal?

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