12 Spring Recipes That Our Food Editors Love

Looking for ways to become a more confident cook at home? Our food editors are here to help. Each week, we’re shining a spotlight on the exciting things happening in the Martha Stewart test kitchen. Our editors will share their best cooking tips, favorite products, new ideas, and more in our weekly series, Out of the Kitchen.

Spring is just a few weeks away, which means that our food editors can’t wait to get their hands on the fresh leeks, asparagus, rhubarb, artichokes, carrots, and peas that are at their peak starting in late March. Unlike the comforting casseroles and stews we love in winter, spring fare means crisp salads, cool soups, some grilling, and lots of fruity desserts. From dinner recipes and basic vegetable side dishes that will feed the whole family to some extra-special desserts (sheet cakes and crumb cakes), these recipes are the epitome of the very best flavors found in spring.

For an ingredient like rhubarb, stock up now and bake tarts, cakes, or Rhubarb-Buckwheat Scones, which are pictured here, all season long. This particular recipe calls for six ounces of diced rhubarb and buckwheat flour—the combination of the dark nutty flour and the red hue and tart flavor from rhubarb instantly perk up this classic teatime treat. It’s no secret that rhubarb and strawberry are a match made in heaven. Make a classic pie filling using these two brightly hued produce items mixed with cornstarch for thickness and sugar for sweetness. It’s exactly what we want to eat when spring arrives.

Asparagus offers so many possibilities, too. Serve it as a simple side dish, mix it into pasta, layer it in a cheesy potato gratin, or whir it into a cool, vibrant soup. We also love mixing asparagus into a rich, buttery pasta recipe as a way to give children a healthy dose of greens in a family-friendly format. As for peas, while you can buy frozen unshelled English peas anytime, anywhere, there’s something extra-special about the fresh varieties that you’ll find at the farmers’ market or in your grocery store’s produce section spring, such as sugar snap peas, shelled English peas, and snow peas. Mix snow peas into stir-fry or twirl unshelled fresh peas into an English-style spaghetti carbonara for dinner.

Ahead, we’re sharing the spring recipes that our food editors are looking forward to cooking and baking as soon as the snow melts and the robins sing.