Simple Easter Menu for the Whole Family (2024)
With Easter around the corner, I am sharing a simple Easter menu for the whole family to enjoy. I am including a few links to easy recipes and some planning tips to make your preparations a little easier.
Easter Sunday is such a special day of remembrance for believers. Easter morning usually begins at church, celebrating what the Lord has done for us, and it ends at home, sharing a holiday meal with family and friends.
When it comes to the meal and family time, there has to be a good balance. You want the food to be delicious and enjoyed by the whole family, but you don’t want to put too much work on just one person. The point is for everyone to get to enjoy the family.
Tips for an Easy Easter Menu and Meal
Before we get into the menu, I feel that it is important to share a few tips to make your Easter lunch with family run a little smoother.
- Plan your Easter menu in advance.
- Meet with other family members and divide up the responsibilities.
- Place a grocery store order or go purchase all ingredients and/or supplies you need for your part (with the exception of items you will need to have fresh – produce, etc.)
- Prepare any meals in advance, if possible.
- Decide where the Easter meal will be held.
- If you are hosting, decide what decorations, tablecloths, centerpieces, plates, silverware, etc. you need.
- Plan out seating arrangements to make sure you have a place for everyone.
- If you really want to plan for an easy gathering, purchase disposable products. They can be as simple or as fancy as you want.
Simple Easter Menu
A few of us in my family met over the phone this week to get a plan for our Easter meal. After my sister and I planned out the menu, we looked back at the last holiday meal we had planned. We weren’t really surprised to see that we had planned almost the same menu items. It just seems like a holiday wouldn’t be the same without them.
Do you have certain menu items that your family loves and has to have for a holiday meal? Ours is a pretty traditional Southern meal. I would love to hear if yours is the same or how it is different.
Easter Appetizers
We usually don’t have a lot of appetizers for our holiday meals. However, we do have a few that are pretty steady:
- Cream Cheese Dip with Wheat Thins – My sister makes this, and everyone loves it! I will have to see if I can get the recipe and share it later. (This recipe is similar to the filling my Aunt Joy puts in her jalapeno appetizer below.)
- Relish Tray
- Chips with Sour Cream/Ranch Dip
Other Easter Appetizers and Options
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Deviled Eggs
- Fruit Tray
- Broccoli Salad
- Aunt Joy’s Jalapeno Appetizers
- Other Jalapeno Appetizers
- Rotel Cheese Dip and Chips
- Sausage Balls
Main Course – Meat for the Easter Menu
Almost every holiday, but especially Easter, we have to have my dad’s mouthwatering Easy Baked Ham. It is the most tender ham I have ever eaten, and the juice is sweet and delicious!
See the link to the super simple over-night Easter ham recipe here!
Other Main Dish Options for Your Easter Feast
- Honey-Baked Ham (Purchased – we still prefer my dad’s Brown Sugar Ham recipe.)
- Fried Chicken
- Meatloaf
- Pork Tenderloin
- Lamb Chops or Roast Lamb
- Pork Chops
- Beef or Pork Roast
- Prime Rib Roast
- Baked, Grilled, or Fried Fish (I recommend fried outdoors.)
Easter Side Dishes
The side dishes are actually some of our favorite things. We try to make sure everyone has their favorite side dish, so we usually end up with a lot of leftovers. Here is what we have on the Easter menu for this year.
If you notice, we have a couple of varieties of mashed potatoes and green beans. We want to make sure everyone has their favorite things.
- Jay’s Macaroni and Cheese
- Daddy’s Fried Okra
- Momma’s Mashed Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Green Beans
- Sweet and Savory Green Beans with Bacon
- My Sister’s Corn Casserole
- Momma’s Red Beans
- Shea’s Homemade Rolls
Other Easter Sides and Options
The recipes for the first three side dishes can be found here.
- Glazed Carrots
- Granny Grace’s Corn Casserole
- Au Gratin Potatoes
- Black-Eyed Peas
- Fresh Asparagus
- New Potatoes
- Pasta Salad
- Cabbage
- Greens or Spinach
- Green Bean Casserole
Easter Desserts
We are going to try to keep the Easter desserts simple this year, since there will be lots of Easter treats and candy for the kids later. We will see if we stick to it.😂
- Granny Joy’s Chocolate Cake
- Granny Grace’s Sock it to Me Cake
- Chocolate Pecan Pie (I still have to ask my sister-in-law about this. Jay loves it though!)
Other Easter Desserts and Options
- Chocolate or Coconut Pie
- Apple or Cherry Pie
- Egg Custard Pie
- Turtle Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese Oreo Dessert
- Carrot Cake
- Caramel Apple Dump Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Chocolate Trifle
- Banana Pudding
Miscellaneous Items to Remember
Don’t forget the ice and drinks. We have gotten to the point that many family members bring their own drinks in an insulated tumbler. It doesn’t make for a great matching table setting, but it is very convenient.
Again, in keeping it simple this year, we are having:
- Water
- Sweet Tea
- Unsweet Tea
- There are usually a few soft drinks if anyone wants one.
- My nephew and his wife will bring “Good Ice” from Buc-ee’s!
Last but not least, don’t forget the candy and Easter eggs for the kids. This year I found chocolate crosses for the girls, along with other candy and Easter treats.
On that same subject, we always have Cascarones (Confetti Eggs). This is a tradition we started years ago, and Jacob loved it. We carry it on now in his honor!💕
At this point in our lives, we buy the cascarones from Walmart, but if you want a fun project to do with the kids, see how to make them in the post here. If you prefer to purchase them, get them quickly; they usually sell out before Easter. Here is an affiliate link to order them from Walmart. We just got ours yesterday! I’m ready!
This simple Easter dinner menu contains some of my family’s favorite things. Whether it is the main course, a side dish, or dessert, I hope you enjoy your Easter meal as well.
When we gather together to share this meal, our first priority has to be to reflect and know why we are celebrating. The Easter recipes will be delicious, the dinner table will be set, Easter baskets will be full, chocolate bunnies will be eaten, but first of all, we will praise our Lord for His sacrifice for us.
Remember to honor and praise Him, not just on Easter morning, but every day of the year!
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Please join me below to receive these posts directly to your inbox. I would love to connect!Related Posts
How to Host Family Gatherings Without Missing Your Family
Our 50 Most Popular Easter Dinner Recipes – The Food Network
Until next week…
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“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” I Corinthians 10:31
What a fabulous menu filled with wonderful recipes. Thanks!
We’re in the process of finalizing our Easter brunch menu now so this is perfectly timed, Susan. These recipes and ideas look delicious! Hugs, CoCo
Thank you! I am looking forward to a great Easter. I hope you and your family have a great one as well!
This looks like a delightful menu! Yum. Thanks for sharing at the Will Blog for Comments #31 linkup. Hope to see you next time, too.
Thank you so much! I hope to be there next week! 😊
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party!!! Have a great weekend.
Thanks for letting me be a part of the party!
Your menu sounds delicious Susan. Happy Easter!
Happy Easter to you also. I hope you have a great one!
You have quite the spread Susan, everything sounds delicious. We typically have the same dinner for the holidays. Ham is always served for Easter. I think I would like to try something new, but I guess it will have to be next year since we are so close to Sunday now. Fried chicken sounds scrumptious! I have not had it in years.
I love fried chicken, but I hate to fry food. It is just so messy! I think I have made it once in the last 20 years. 😂 Anyway, have a wonderful Easter!