Seasonal April dinner menu ideas inspiration for your family menus, including side dishes and a dessert option - the recipes are family approved, simple, and all real food.
Not sure why to menu plan? Check out all the great reasons here!
April is such a month of hope and looking forward, don't you think? All the flowers emerging from the ground, fruit trees in bloom, and the garden being planted.
I can't help but think about the garden lettuce, peas, and spinach we may hopefully will be eating soon - and then all the other treasures of the coming gardening season.
I swear I can almost taste the fresh tomatoes when I look at my little tomato seedlings!
Luckily, because we still have a few jars of canned salsa, rotel-style and regular diced tomatoes, and frozen roasted tomato sauce we can have some of that wonderful tomato flavor in our April dinners.
Plus, it's a great way to continue using up the things in our pantries and freezers from the previous season.
During this first full month of spring I find myself hovering between lighter fare like shrimp and asparagus and hearty things like soups and stews, which pretty much reflects the changeable weather!
You'll see this played out in the menu ideas below - as always, you'll find side dish ideas where appropriate and a dessert option for the month.
I hope this helps you with dinner ideas to plan for the month!
April Dinner Menu Ideas
Week 1
Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast, Garlic-Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, green salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Sausage-Chard Frittata, Easy Artisan Bread, Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Stir-Fry Chicken & Vegetables, rice
Roasted Root Vegetable Hash with Eggs, Bacon & Feta, Orange Almond Green Salad, leftover artisan bread
Cheesy Baked Pasta, green salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Week 2
Creamy Pesto Tortellini with Red Peppers, green salad
Homemade Tomato Soup, Soft 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls, cut carrots & red peppers
Sausage and Lentil Stew, salad, leftover dinner rolls
Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken, Baked Tasty Rice, Baked Lemon-Garlic Grated Carrots
Chicken-Pesto Greek Style Homemade Pizza (using leftover chicken)
Week 3
Turkey sausage meatballs, Carrot Salad with Feta & Olives, Rustic Hummus made with Sesame Seeds, Easy Whole Wheat Pita
Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken, Tasty Rice, steamed broccoli
Easy Thai-Style Chicken & Vegetable Curry (made with leftover chicken), brown rice
Baked Ham, Slow Cooker Cheesy-Garlic Scalloped Potatoes, green salad with Creamy Feta Dressing
Delicious Ham-Bone Soup, Skillet Pesto Twist Bread, vegetable platter with Feta Dip
Week 4
Shrimp & Asparagus over White Bean Puree, Sourdough Artisan Bread, green salad
Individual Cheesy-Crust Ham Pies (use leftover ham from last week), spinach, cranberry & feta salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Lemon-Garlic Roasted Chicken & Vegetables, slaw, leftover artisan bread
Quick Homemade Pigs in a Blanket, cut carrots & vegetables with ranch dip
Quick Corn & Sausage Chowder, Amazing Whole Wheat Flaky Biscuits, green salad with ranch dressing
Monthly Dessert Idea
Rhubarb Honey Crumb Bars - made with whole grains and lower sugar, this works for both a snack alone and dessert when paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
What about Saturdays & Sundays?
Our family’s menu always has a couple of standards for the weekends - it's one of the ways I make menu planning easier!
Saturdays alternate between burgers on homemade buns (or pigs-in-blankets) & fries and homemade pizza.
Sundays are mostly on-your-own leftovers (if nothing is available, a quick pasta is made using our frozen roasted tomato sauce or pesto).
If you need more, you can always check out these articles in our archives for lots more on menu planning:
- Menu Planning 101 (5 Steps to Easy Meal Planning)
- Seasonal cooking through the year
- Monthly dinner menus
I hope you enjoy and are able to use some of these favorite family meals of ours. You can follow me on Pinterest for even more simple, seasonal and from scratch dinner ideas!
J. Mac Neal says
Asparagus is one of those vegetables one either loves or hates. I confess I'm in the latter camp. I would buy and cook tender spring asparagus for my sweet spouse, who adored it, but for myself, noooooo, thank you. I must say, though, that is one handsome shot you took of your Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Purée. Any suggestions on a veggie that I could sub for the asparagus when making a version of the dish for me?
Jami says
So true. 🙂 And yes, try the shrimp and bean puree with green beans - it's fabulous, too!
Leslie says
Just saw the shrimp and asparagus recipe and nearly fell out of my chair. On my way to buy asparagus right now. This looks fantastic. I may not be able to wait until suppertime! Thanks, Jami.
Jami says
Yeah! I hope you like it, Leslie - it's one of our family's favorite!!
Sandra Cronje says
Love your recipes. The shrimps and asparagus looks like a winner.
Thanks for sharing
Nita says
We're having home made butternut squash soup and fresh baked sourdough bread for supper tonight 🙂
Jami says
Sounds yuuuumy, Nita 😉