50 Best Green Food Ideas for St. Patrick's Day
Lucky you, there are ideas for the whole day!
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If you want to avoid getting pinched this St. Patrick's Day, you better have a colorful green outfit to wear. Better yet, make the holiday all about the Emerald Isle with green foods for your Irish dinner. Not only will it make your St. Patrick's Day party more festive, but the fun green recipes are delicious, too. (And they're sure to make any leprechaun happy!) So, before you whip up that corned beef and cabbage, plan a menu that's full of St. Patrick's Day green foods.
Many of these green food ideas for St. Patrick's Day get their brilliant color by incorporating fresh seasonal ingredients. Think: herbs and vegetables! In the springtime, you'll find lots of tasty greens like snap peas, broccoli florets, asparagus, and green beans. Cook them in a casserole, toss them in a salad, or puree them into one of our best soup recipes. If you're hosting for St. Paddy's Day, serve them up in fresh appetizers and sides to keep the party going. Spend the afternoon munching on chips and salsa verde or a pretty spring pea tart with herbed goat cheese.
And if you're thinking, "Irish I had a sipper," pair one of your favorite St. Patrick's Day drinks with a few slices of Ree Drummond's green pesto pizza. There's even a green martini on this list! There's also a few St. Patrick's Day desserts, including Lucky Charms bars dipped in a green candy coating and a batch of glittery green cupcakes that'll remind you of the rolling hills of Ireland. So, go ahead and go green all day long!
Green Goddess Salad
So many green ingredients, so little time (to assemble). This salad even has a homemade creamy green dressing to toss in. Bonus: It stays fresh for days!
Get the Green Goddess Salad recipe.
Gnocchi Alfredo with Peas
Now here's a different way to get your potatoes and a lot of green! Frozen peas and packaged gnocchi make it so easy to throw together, too. Dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes.
Get Ree's Gnocchi Alfredo with Peas recipe.
Watergate Salad
Grandma-inspired recipes for the win! This retro dessert takes pistachio pudding and makes a fluffy, sweet concoction featuring nuts, mini marshmallows, and maraschino cherries.
Get the Watergate Salad recipe.
Tabbouleh
If you've never had this Middle Eastern staple, think of this as a love letter to fresh herbs in the form of a salad. Parsley, mint, and green onions add a pop of freshness in every bite.
Get the Tabbouleh recipe.
Pasta with Shrimp and Pistachio Pesto
Make an extra green pesto by using pistachios, parsley, and spinach. It'll add a flavorful punch to your pasta and give it a pretty naturally green glow.
Get Ree's Pasta with Shrimp and Pistachio Pesto recipe.
Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Pie
Store-bought mint ice cream and mint Oreos make life so easy if you want a bright green dessert. You can assemble this whole pie in just about 20 minutes.
Get Ree's Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Pie recipe.
Avocado Dip
This dip is a like a creamy cousin to guacamole. It's fresh, and, of course, green! It gets its color and flavor from avocados blended with basil, green onions, garlic, and citrus.
Get the Avocado Dip recipe.
Asparagus Quiche
This quiche just screams "springtime!" It's loaded with tender asparagus, green onion, fresh dill, and crumbled feta. The best part is you can make it ahead for an easy meal any time of day.
Get the Asparagus Quiche recipe.
Lucky Charms Bars
These sweet cereal treats are made with Lucky Charms so they're magical delicious already. But dip them in melted green candy coating and decorate them with gold sprinkles, and they become the luckiest way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
Get the Lucky Charms Bars recipe.
Cabbage and Sausage
Nothing says St. Patrick's Day quite like cabbage! It's both green and traditional to the Emerald Isle. The tender veggie is even better when cooked with smoky sausage. Serve it with a classic Irish bread on the side.
Get the Cabbage and Sausage recipe.
Mint Julep
A big bunch of fresh mint will make this classic bourbon cocktail festive and green! Not to mention, there's mint muddled with simple syrup in the drink itself for loads of flavor.
Get the Mint Julep recipe.
Garlic Green Beans
If quick and easy is what you're looking for this St. Paddy's Day, this green bean dish comes together in just 15 minutes! They would make the perfect side dish for your corned beef, too.
Get the Garlic Green Beans recipe.
Grasshopper Pie
What's green, minty, and chocolaty all at once? Grasshopper pie! It's a little slice of (slightly boozy) heaven that doesn't even require you to turn on the oven.
Get Ree's Grasshopper Pie recipe.
Enchiladas Verde
"Verde" literally means green in Spanish, so it's no wonder these enchiladas are blanketed in a bright green sauce. Making it from scratch is as easy as roasting the tomatillos, onion, and serrano chilis in the oven, then tossing it with the rest of the ingredients into a blender.
Get the Enchiladas Verde recipe.
Spinach Casserole
Spinach is an obvious choice when making green foods, but this recipe might just surprise you. It's cheesy and comforting, yet still full of vitamins and minerals.
Get the Spinach Casserole recipe.
Pasta Primavera with Peas and Mint
This simple, creamy spring pasta is so versatile. While the peas, snap peas, and fresh mint add plenty of green color, you can also toss in some chopped asparagus or even broccoli for some more emerald hue.
Get Ree's Pasta Primavera with Peas and Mint recipe.
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
When you cut into this ice cream cake, you'll see layers of green thanks to the mint chocolate chip ice cream and minty Oreo cookies. You'll also see your friends and family coming back for seconds!
Get the Ice Cream Sandwich Cake recipe.
Appletini
Vodka isn't necessarily an Irish drink, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it on St. Paddy's Day! Since this drink has a pretty green hue and a sweet-tart apple flavor, it's perfect for any type of celebration.
Get the Appletini recipe.
Super Market Slaw
This colorful slaw recipe is chock-full of tasty mix-ins that will keep your family full throughout the busy day. Along with the green broccoli and edamame, there's also chicken, corn, feta, and a creamy green pesto dressing!
Get the Super Market Slaw recipe.
Key Lime Cupcakes
Don't tell anyone, but these cupcakes are made with a boxed mix! Ree doctors it up by adding a key lime curd and a key lime cream cheese frosting! You can zest some lime on top for even more green color.
Get Ree's Key Lime Cupcakes recipe.
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