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31 Recipes to Make in March

31 Recipes to Make in March

By Food & Wine

Updated March 01, 2021

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Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

March marks the beginning of spring, when some of our favorite ingredients come into season. But it can still be really cold, so in this recipe roundup, we’ve included 31 recipes that are perfect for all kinds of weather. Think bright asparagus and fresh green salads, with plenty of heartier dishes like cheesy baked pasta with radicchio and roast chicken in the mix, too. And don’t worry, we didn’t forget about dessert—read on to find out all of the other recipes we’ll be making this month.

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Asparagus Carbonara

Credit: © Abby Hocking

Cookbook author Melissa Clark riffs on classic carbonara, swapping out the pasta for thin asparagus spears. It has that same irresistible pancetta-cheese-egg flavor, but with bright green asparagus at the center.

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Rosewater-and-Saffron Ice Cream (Bastani Irani)

Credit: © Con Poulos

This fragrant ice cream is redolent with flavor. It’s traditionally served between two thin wafers to make ice cream sandwiches, but it’s equally delicious on its own.

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Lee Lee’s Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Credit: Greg DuPree

While many recipes call for creaming the butter and sugar before adding the eggs, Lee Lee Reid whips eggs and sugar together to aerate them, leading to the ultimate brownie consistency.

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Crispy Chicken Thighs with Spice-Roasted Radishes

Credit: Victor Protasio

This quick chicken-and-veggies dish is great for weeknights, and you can make the Everyday Spice Blend beforehand—keep it in your pantry for added ease.

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Honey Cake with Citrus Frosting

Credit: John Kernick

This tender, light honey cake, laced with hints of coffee and orange juice, is perfect with a cup of tea.

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The Simplest Salad

Credit: Victor Protasio

A classic green salad—one featuring crisp lettuces and a few raw, seasonal vegetables, tossed with a barely-there vinaigrette—instantly elevates any meal.

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Cauliflower Korma with Blackened Raisins

Credit: Eric Wolfinger

Cookbook author Meera Sodha adds ground almonds to her version of this yogurt-based curry, then folds in nutty roasted cauliflower. Toasting the almonds and the raisin garnish adds a striking smokiness and texture to the finished dish.

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Feta-Brined Chicken Sandwiches

Credit: © John Kernick

Justin Chapple’s chicken and whipped feta sandwiches are the ideal addition to any springtime picnic basket.

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Spiced Lamb Kebabs with Fresh Herbs

Credit: Eva Kolenko

In this recipe, aromatic lamb and creamy chickpeas soften into a crispy, moist patty once cooked.

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Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio

Credit: Greg DuPree

A splash of red wine vinegar balances the richness of this cheesy pasta and magnifies the pink color of the onions and radicchio. Omit the prosciutto to make this a vegetarian main dish.

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Roasted Squash Salad with Sumac and Italian Dressing

Credit: Greg DuPree

Petals of red onion, nutty acorn squash, and pickled peperoncini tossed in a creamy Italian dressing make a hearty but not heavy side. Inspired by chef Scott Tacinelli’s crispy sweet potatoes at Don Angie in New York, we’re adding sumac to the dressing, giving it an herbal, lemony kick.

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Laotian Khao Soi

Credit: The Ingalls

Traditionally made with creamy coconut milk, this lighter, breakfast-style khao soi features a brightly flavored clear broth and fresh ribbons of zucchini.

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Ginger Crispy Rice with Salmon and Bok Choy

Credit: Victor Protasio

Grains of jasmine rice take on a toasty, crispy crust in this perfect pot of rice topped with salmon, bok choy, and corn. To achieve the crust at the bottom of the pot, use a squeeze bottle to drizzle oil around the edge of the pot, or apply it precisely with a spoon.

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Braised Sausage and Fennel with Toasted Spices

Credit: Greg DuPree

With whole pink peppercorns and fennel seeds, this simple braise is gently perfumed and aromatic with fresh spring flavors inspired by the braised fennel at Red Hook Tavern in Brooklyn, New York, from chef Allison Plumer. Use a fresh, spicy sausage here to complement the creamy bean puree and sweet fennel.

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Monkfish Piccata

Credit: Greg DuPree

Monkfish, with its tender, springy bite reminiscent of lobster, is firm and sweet enough to stand up to this lemony butter sauce enriched with white miso. Plenty of briny capers and caperberries help cut through the richness.

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Enfrijoladas

Credit: The Ingalls

A creamy, savory black bean puree drenches enchiladas filled with queso fresco in this warming and hearty dish. Avocado leaf serves a similar purpose as a bay leaf—imparting deep flavor before being removed prior to serving, leaving a faint fennel-like flavor behind.

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Mushroom Cuban Quesadillas

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Montiel

At New York City’s Golden Diner, chef Samuel Yoo roasts dry-brined mushrooms to build big flavor into his crispy, cheesy quesadillas. “The taste is very similar to a meat-based Reuben, that’s why we love it,” Yoo says. Here, we’ve channeled his roasting technique to create a vegetarian Cuban, spiked with tangy pickles and mustard. Keeping the mushrooms uncovered during brining helps them release more liquid, leading to a more concentrated flavor.

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Soto Ayam

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

This hearty Soto Ayam, an Indonesian soup, served at Diana and Maylia Widjojo's restaurant Hardena in Philadelphia, is the perfect one-bowl meal. The fragrant soup, filled with juicy chicken and delicate vermicelli noodles, gets topped with cabbage and sprouts to add texture and fresh crunch. The spice paste, bloomed in oil alongside fresh lemongrass and lime leaves, layers a mildly earthy, warming flavor into the broth.

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Soba Noodles with Crispy Duck and Hot Dipping Sauce

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Paige Grandjean and Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

The combination of cold, chewy homemade soba noodles with steaming-hot crispy duck and dashi-enriched dipping sauce is an unparalleled delight. Timing is key when making this dish—cook the soba just before you serve. Work ahead by steeping the dashi and seasoning the duck the night before or the morning of cooking. For the purest flavor, seek out hon mirin (“real mirin”), which has no added sweeteners or salt.

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Roast Chicken with Chile-Basil Vinaigrette, Charred Broccoli, and Potatoes

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Chef Hillary Sterling's epic chicken at Vic's in New York gets its juiciness and deep flavor from brining, air drying, and marinating.

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Hanger Steaks with Cabbage-and-Beet Salad

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Montiel

“Cabbage is a hard sell on restaurant menus, so it’s very underutilized but a great vegetable,” says chef Craig Koketsu, of New York City’s Quality Bistro. “This salad is sweet, salty, savory, and acidic. It’s so dynamic when you’re eating it, even though it’s all red.” Though it stands alone on Koketsu’s menu, we’ve topped our version with hanger steak for a quick weeknight dinner.

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Dhansak

Credit: Eva Kolenko

In this spiced lamb stew thickened with pigeon pea dal, lamb shoulder is slowly tenderized and deeply flavored with vibrant green chutney, tangy tomato achaar, and dhansak masala, ingredients typical of Parsi cuisine. Use leftover kachumber on fish tacos or grilled pork chops.

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Guyanese Gojas (Fried Coconut Turnovers)

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Fried sweets prepared and shared with loved ones are a mainstay of Phagwah, or Holi, a holiday celebrated by many in the South Asian diaspora each spring. Alica Ramkirpal-Senhouse, founder of the blog Alica’s Pepperpot, learned to make these Indo-Caribbean coconut-stuffed fried handpies from her grandmother, Shelia. Freshly grated nutmeg and ginger are essential ingredients for the warmly spiced coconut filling. Serve them piping hot, soon after frying, for the best texture.

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Coconut Macaroon Brownies

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Paige Grandjean and Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Super-rich, fudgy brownies meet chewy, sweet macaroons in this gorgeous, Passover-friendly mash-up of two crowd-pleasing desserts.

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Sorghum and Albacore Tuna Salad with Preserved Lemon

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Sorghum, a nutritious and sustainable grain, adds a pleasantly chewy bite to this simple salad from Roxana Jullapat, the co-owner and baker of Los Angeles restaurant Friends & Family.

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Prawn Patio

Credit: Eva Kolenko

A generous amount of red onion cooks down into a jammy, caramelized spread, adding a silky, savory contrast to the quickly cooked lemony shrimp in this traditional Parsi side dish. Cilantro stems and leaves add a bold, herbal crunch.

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Beef-and-Fonio Meatballs with Sweet Potato Stew

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Cooked until fluffy and dry like couscous, fonio, a West African staple grain, keeps the meatballs tender while imparting a mildly nutty, earthy flavor. These meatballs are on the delicate side—let them chill before cooking, and sear them on all sides to help them hold together during the final simmer in the sauce.

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Seared Scallops with Pomegranate and Meyer Lemon

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

At Bavel in Los Angeles, Chef Ori Menashe serves shallow bowls of scallop aguachile, and diners can’t get enough. “It’s a roller-coaster flavor journey—sweet, sour, spicy, crunchy, soft, aromatic, floral, smoky, savory from the salt. So many things going on!” Menashe says. Our riff on his raw dish sends scallops to the skillet for a quick sear before bobbing in the spicy pomegranate reduction.

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Teff Tagliatelle with Niter Kibbeh

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

In traditional Ethiopian niter kebbeh (spiced clarified butter), whole spices, like nigella, coriander, and cardamom, are bloomed in clarified butter, or ghee, and then strained; here, chef Yohanis Gebreyesus leaves the toasted spices in to add texture to this simple but luxurious sauce for pasta made with earthy, fragrant teff. Don’t skip on resting the dough—it prevents the pasta from cracking apart when rolling and boiling.

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French Onion Soup with Roasted Poblano

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Montiel

At Tzuco, in Chicago, the French onion soup arrives to the table piping hot, topped with a bubbling layer of Gruyère cheese. Hiding under the blanket of cheese, a thick slice of baguette soaks up a soup suffused with flavor from a mountain of jammy onions, balsamic vinegar, and bay leaves. French onion soups can lean quite beefy, but chef Carlos Gaytán uses a gentle base of chicken broth that allows the allium flavors to truly shine. Poblano chiles add a mild, vegetal heat and slight charred flavor.

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31 of 31

Fresh and Easy Piña Coladas

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Coconut milk provides richness that rounds out sweet-tart chunks of frozen pineapple and adds a creamy texture to this lighter take on classic piña coladas. Be sure to vigorously shake the can of coconut milk before opening to recombine the coconut liquids and coconut cream.

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