30 Fast and Fresh Spring Dinners

This quick and easy recipe from a Southgate, Michigan reader starts with a package of rice pilaf mix. You can have this main dish on the table in about 30 minutes.

Spanish Rice with Chicken and Shrimp  

Seasonal veggies, pork and soy sauce dressing flavor this bright-tasting chilled noodle dish. Make this easy main dish ahead of time so it's ready for a light weekday dinner.

Spring Pork and Noodles

We created this ready-in-10 gravy to jazz up purchased deli-roasted chicken. Add steamed veggies and mashed potatoes, and you have dinner!

Easy Spring Gravy

Use a wok or skillet to stir-fry sirloin steak strips and broccoli. Combine with salad greens, chopped sweet pepper and bottled ginger vinaigrette salad dressing for a meal that's on the table in 20 minutes.

Gingered Beef & Broccoli Salad Bowl

Toss linguini with a rich sauce of morels, ramps (or leeks), peas, ham and cream. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese, if you like.

Can't find morels? Substitute the same amount of stemmed shiitake, cremini and/or button mushrooms in the recipe. Or check online for dried morels.

Spring Pasta with Morels, Ramps and Peas

This roasted meal will remind you how easy it is to cook a whole chicken. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots make this a one-pan meal.

Lemon-Rosemary Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Top fresh snapper fillets or other firm-flesh white fish with an easy tomato-olive mixture and crumbled feta cheese. Serve with rice, pasta or couscous.

Mediterranean-Style Snapper

Combine artichoke hearts, spinach and tomatoes with bow tie pasta and chopped cooked chicken for a rich, creamy casserole.

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

Goat cheese gives this tart a fine, velvety texture. The recipe comes from Judy Schad at Indiana's Capriole Farmstead Goat Cheeses.

Goat Cheese and Spinach Tart

Marinated chicken, sweet onion, mushrooms, snap peas and feta top an oiled crust in this recipe from the Stone Barn in Nelson, Wisconsin. "The flavors, accented by feta and balsamic vinegar, blend for a creamy, tangy taste," says Stone Barn owner Pam Taylor. "The vegetables add a crisp, element."

The Stone Barn's The Modena

Carrots, sugar snap peas and fresh ginger give crunch and flavor to this quick and easy Asian-inspired recipe.

Gingered Chicken and Fried Rice

Top fettucine with skillet-cooked salmon, fresh baby spinach, roasted sweet peppers and reduced-calorie dressing for a meal that's ready in just 20 minutes.

Mediterranean Salmon & Noodle Bowl

The dry rib rub is a family recipe from Linda Fridley, who used the rub to season meats served at the South Dakota governor's residence. Beef rib roast makes an elegant option, but the spice rub complements pork or chicken, too. Serve with Brussels sprouts or your favorite vegetable.

Oven-Roasted Prime Rib with Dry Rib Rub