Easy & Elegant Easter Dinner Menu

I did it folks.  I made Easter dinner, documented the ingredients and how I cooked it as I went, then photographed it.  All before Easter.  I’ll take my bow now.  I promised an Easter Dinner Menu in my #MonthofMeals, and here it is.  Super easy, way elegant, and a fantastic way to celebrate spring with your nearest and dearest!

Just so you know, I decided to make EVERYTHING on this menu around 3pm on a random weekday.  By 5:30 everything was prepped and the roast was in the oven.  The menu will serve 8-10 depending on the size of your lamb roast.

And that adorable Oreo Trifle?  It’ll probably serve about 20.  Unless you’ve got a pregnant lady around, and then she may just saddle up to the bowl and dig into it with a spoon.  I may or may not know this from personal experience.

Here’s the menu rundown, recipes, ingredients, directions, and even acute (and edible) table setting.  Never to many sweets on Easter, if you ask me!

Linens are from World Market, and the candy and baskets were from the Seasonal department at Harris Teeter.  I skewered the peeps (they may have been harmed in the photo-taking of this post) with toothpicks and used sticky labels to write guests’ names.

Now, on to the important stuff: food!  On the menu, Smoked Salmon Dip, Garlic and Rosemary Leg of Lamb, Primavera Orzo, Spring Bean Salad, Parker House Rolls (not-picutred. I like the Sister Schubert rolls available in the freezer section), and Easter Oreo Trifle.

Lightened-Up Smoked Salmon Dip

Ingredients
8 oz. block of reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup of 0% plain Greek yogurt
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon of horseradish
Salt and pepper to taste
3 oz smoked salmon, diced
Veggies and crackers to serve with dip

Directions:  

Mix all ingredients (except salmon) in stand mixer with paddle attachment.  Stir in salmon by hand and refrigerate at least an hour or up to overnight.  Serve with veggies and chips.

Garlic and Rosemary Rubbed Roasted Leg of Lamb

Ingredients
4 lb. boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and tied
2 tablespoons of rosemary
6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of salt
1 pound of red potatoes
12 ounces of baby carrots

Directions
Mince the rosemary and garlic and sprinkle on the salt.  Grate into a paste with the back of your knife and then mix into melted butter.

Place potatoes and carrots in the bottom of a large roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Place lamb on top of vegetables and generously rub with rosemary butter mixture. Allow to rest at room temperature for an hour.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees and roast lamb for about an hour and a half (pull it when internal temp reaches 135 degrees Farenheit for rare and 145 for medium-rare).

If the crust of the lamb starts to get to brown before done, cover with aluminium foil.  Once at desired temp, pull from oven, tent in foil and allow to rest at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Primavera Orzo

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups of chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups of chopped zucchini
2 teaspoons of curry powder
3 cups of water
3 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon, vegetable base
1 cup of orzo
1/2 cup shredded parmesan, plus extra for topping
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion, carrots and zucchini and saute until tender, approximately 5 minutes.  Add curry powder and stir until fragrant.  Stir in water and bouillon  and bring to a boil.   Add orzo and bring back to a boil.  Cover and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender.  Remove from heat and stir in peas and parmesan.  Once in serving bowl, top with extra parm and parsley.

Spring Bean Salad with Balsamic Drizzle

Ingredients
1 pound of French green beans (haricot verts)
12 oz. of yellow wax beans (I buy the kind you can steam in the bag)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
Balsamic glaze
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Blanch haricot verts in salted water until tender but still crunchy (3-4 minutes).  Drain and rinse in cold water.   Steam the wax beans in microwave (or blanch) until tender.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  Slice the cherry tomatoes.  Mix all veggies in large serving bowl.  Can be prepped up to a day ahead and refrigerated.  Before serving drizzle with a tasty olive oil, balsamic glaze (usually in vinegar section of grocery store), and season with salt and pepper.

Spring Oreo Trifle

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 packages of French vanilla instant pudding (not the big box)
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. package of light cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup of confectioner’s sugar
1 16 oz. container (the large container) of light Cool Whip
2 packages of Oreos
Candy for topping – I used sour gummy worms, mini Cadbury eggs, piped frosting and (non-edible) chicks.  I bet Peeps would be cute!

Directions
Whisk milk and pudding together and allow to set (about as long as it takes you to prep other ingredients!).  Meanwhile, beat the butter and cream cheese in stand mixer with paddle attachment.  Once fluffly, add in the sugar until smooth.  Remove the bowl from stand mixer and fold in the pudding by hand.

Using a food processor (or sheer determination) beat one package of cookies into medium sized crumbs and stir into cream cheese-pudding mixture.   Pulse the second batch of cookies into medium crumbs and reserve.

In a trifle dish, layer 1/4 of the cream-cheese pudding mixture and sprinkle with oreos, making sure to put crumbs right up to the glass exterior.  Repeat layers, but don’t put the final layer of oreo cookie crumbs on the top.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  Before serving add the final sprinkle of oreos (this way they stay crunchy), and top with your decorative candy.

Dig in.

Happy Easter y’all!  Let me know if you have any questions about the Easter Dinner Menu… At your service!

Katie