Easter in Italy is a big deal, and the traditional Italian Easter dinner that we enjoy on Easter Sunday is a huge part of the celebrations. There are lots of different dishes that can be incorporated into the menu, but the one consistent thing is that there is always a lot of food!
Usually a lunchtime meal, giving you plenty of time to enjoy all the different courses without rushing, Italian Easter dinners are a lot of fun! If you’re trying to decide what will be on your Easter table, here are our suggestions for planning the perfect Italian Easter dinner:
Antipasto: The Start of the Meal
To start your Italian Easter dinner, we recommend starting with a selection of lighter bites that act as a warm-up to the main event.
Italian Meats
Depending on how many people you are catering for, we like to start with 3-4 different types of cold cuts and cured meats. Prosciutto di Parma is a must, but we also love Mortadella and salamis like Finocchiona or Sopressa.
Cheeses
Accompanying the meat is of course a selection of cheese. We recommend 3-5 different types of cheese, with a mix of textures and milk types. A lovely aged Parmigiano Reggiano will always work well, along with a blue Gorgonzola and perhaps a Pecorino Romano or Caciocavallo.
Mozzarella di Bufala is often the star of the show on tables in Campania and Lazio but if you can’t get fresh mozzarella, you can switch it out for a fresh Caprino (made with goat milk) or ricotta.
Other Elements
Along with the meats and cheese we will always have some hard boiled eggs (it is Easter after all!) as well as a selection of other nibbles. Olives, Giardineria (pickled vegetables) and a mix of crudites serve as a nice counterpoint to the rich meat and cheese.
Finishing up the antipasto course you have to have some form of bread or pastry. In Naples you’ll find casatiello or tortano, whereas further north in Abruzzo and Umbria you’ll find the cheese-filled pizza di Pasqua. Savory pies are also common, such as the torta pasqualina from Liguria filled with eggs, ricotta and greens or pizza rustica, small pies stuffed with eggs, cheese and pieces of meat.
As tasty as all these antipasti elements are, make sure to leave plenty of room for the rest of the meal!
Primo Piatto: Pasta and Risotto
Now that you have grazed on the antipasto selection, it’s time for the primi, the first main dish of your Italian Easter dinner. This will pretty much always be a pasta or rice dish, but there is a lot of variety in what that looks like!
If you’re serving a lot of people, we suggest making a baked pasta dish. Italian classics like lasagne or cannelloni can be prepared in advance saving time on the day. As well as the classic ragu-filled pasta bakes, you can also make vegetarian versions stuffed with spinach and ricotta or a mix of spring vegetables. Asparagus lasagne often makes an appearance at Easter time, as well as versions made with artichokes.
You can also serve classic ragu over tagliatelle, stuffed tortellini pieces in broth or a sauce, or really any pasta dish you like – Italian holidays are all about being happy with what you’re eating!
Risotto is another popular primi for an Easter menu. The spring flavors of peas, asparagus and artichoke work very well with risotto, and are a lighter option ahead of the next course. Fish is more commonly served on Good Friday, but seafood risottos are common on Easter Sunday as well.
Secondo Piatto: Main Course
We have arrived at the main event; the secondi. This is the major part of any Italian Easter dinner, so there is often a small break after the primi to make sure the whole family is ready to enjoy the delicious food.
Traditionally the Italian Easter menu will feature lamb as the secondi, but the preparation of this varies hugely across Italy. In Rome we have either abbracchio alla Romana (lamb cooked in white wine with garlic and rosemary) or abbacchio a scottadito (grilled lamb cutlets) whereas further south in Naples you’ll be more likely to see lamb stewed with peas and/or artichokes.
Lamb roasted with potatoes is popular in Veneto and Piemonte and in Tuscany you’re more likely to see lamb served with truffles. If you’re not a huge fan of lamb, you can also prepare other meats like pork or rabbit, or even a whole baked fish if you prefer.
Italian Easter recipes favor savory flavors with simple ingredients so whatever you decide to prepare for your secondi, the idea is to have something relatively straightforward done to perfection.
Contorni: Side Dishes
The secondi would be nothing without accompanying side dishes; the contorni. This is where the vegetables really get their chance to shine, serving as excellent contrast to the rich meat or fish main course.
Spring vegetables are a must for Italian Easter. We love simple grilled asparagus topped with lemon juice and a little olive oil, as well as the Roman vignarola. This is a mix of peas, artichokes, broad beans and lettuce cooked down to create a delicate stew – delicious!
Potatoes are also very popular (we always have a huge dish of crispy baked potatoes) along with a mix of different grilled vegetables like eggplant, zucchini and peppers.
If it’s particularly warm where you are, or you want to have some easy to prepare side dishes, you can also incorporate some salads into your Italian Easter. Salads are usually side dishes in Italy rather than their own course, so are made with simple ingredients and aren’t dressed with anything more than olive oil and vinegar.
Dolci: Desserts
Even after all that food, Italians will still bring out the dolci, the sweet ending to the meal. No Italian Easter menu would be complete without a few desserts, even if you can only manage to nibble on a cookie or two!
Of all the Italian Easter recipes out there, the colomba has proven the most popular. The dove-shaped sweet bread is traditionally filled with candied orange peel and dried fruit, similar to a Christmas panettone, and topped with almonds but there are almost infinite flavor variations available now.
Another Italian Easter classic is the Neapolitan pastiera, a tart made with creamy ricotta and wheat berries flavored with orange and lemon zest, or the Sicilian lambs made with marzipan – we love giving these as gifts this time of year.
There are lots of choices here, you can make a ricotta pie, chocolate salami (a Piemonte classic), Easter cakes, tiramisu, panna cotta; the list is endless so go for whatever makes you happy.
If eating super sweet and rich desserts sounds like a challenge after the preceding courses, you can end your Italian Easter dinner simply with seasonal fruits, a selection of cookies and maybe a chocolate egg or two.
Whatever you serve for dessert, take it slow, linger over coffee, a dessert wine or maybe an Italian amaro and congratulate yourself on making it though an entire Italian Easter dinner!
Happy Easter!
We can’t wait to enjoy our Easter meal and hope that these ideas help you plan your own special occasion. If you find yourself with a lot of leftovers, don’t forget that you can follow another traditional Italian Easter custom; taking the leftover food out on Easter Monday. Known as Pasquetta in Italy, the Monday is a day for picnics and relaxing outside so nothing gets wasted.
Buona Pasqua from the whole Casa Mia team!
