Easter dinner does not need to feel like a panic attack in church clothes.
It just needs a centerpiece that makes sense, a few sides that belong on the same plate, and a plan for what to prep and which dishes share your equipment.
That is what this page is for.
This is not a recipe roundup. It is a real game plan. Pick your main, build the plate, check what your recipes let you make ahead, and plan the cooking order around your kitchen.
Hit play, pour some coffee, and let’s get the table handled.
Jump to:
Pick Your Main |
Build the Plate |
Finish Strong |
My Suggested Easter Menus |
Make-Ahead Prep and Cooking Order |
Plan for Leftovers
Pick Your Main
Easter dinner starts with one decision: ham or lamb.
Both work. They just tell different stories. Ham is familiar, crowd-proof, and easy to build a plate around. Lamb is the more interesting call, and if you have never made it for Easter, this might be the year.
Ham
The Instant Pot warms a spiral ham and leaves the oven available for sides during warming; reserve a broiler slot for the finish. Finish it under the broiler and you get that sticky, caramelized, copycat HoneyBaked-style crust.
The Instant Pot handles the warming. The broil makes the dish.
My take: However the ham gets warm, the broiler finish is what people remember. Follow the ham recipe for that step. Do not skip it.
Lamb
Two options, two different tables.
Pressure Cooker Lamb Shanks is the more forgiving of the two. Rich, braised, and deeply flavored. The pressure cooker does the heavy lifting, and the sauce it produces is exactly why mashed potatoes and cornbread dressing belong on the same table.
Mint-Crusted Rack of Lamb is the more polished move. It looks sharp on the plate and brings a little more elegance to the table. If Easter dinner is more dinner party than family reunion, this is the one.
My take: Shanks if you want something forgiving and deeply satisfying. Rack if you want the table to feel a little more dressed up. Pick the one that fits the size and mood of your table.
Build the Plate
The main gets the attention, but the sides make the plate feel complete. You do not need ten bowls just because it is a holiday. You need the right ones.
The Anchor Side
Southern Baked Mac and Cheese is the one to build around first. Creamy in the middle, golden on top, and rich enough to hold its own next to ham or lamb. If there is one dish people start looking for before they sit down, it is usually this one.
The post includes a gluten-free option too, which makes this one even easier to build a table around.
Gluten-Free Callout
Feeding a mixed table? A few of these recipes already include gluten-free options, which makes it easier to build one Easter meal without feeling like you are cooking two separate dinners.
The Cold Side
Potato salad belongs here. It cuts through all the hot, rich food and gives the table something familiar and a little lighter.
Potato salad is a make-ahead option. Follow the recipe’s preparation and storage guidance as you plan.
Something to Catch the Gravy
Every Easter plate needs something that catches the sauce. Ham calls for dressing. Lamb calls for mashed potatoes. Want both? Nobody is going to complain.
Cornbread Dressing is the one I will always make room for. Savory, soft, and equally good under ham drippings or lamb jus.
Mashed Potatoes are the natural landing spot for lamb shank braising sauce. If the shanks are on the menu, this decision basically makes itself.
Pick Your Green
These are not the same dish.
Southern Collard Greens is the stovetop version. Deeply savory, with a stovetop braise that gives these greens their familiar flavor.
Instant Pot Collard Greens uses the pressure cooker. Same soul, different method. The smart call when the stovetop is already spoken for.
Sautéed Collard Greens is the lighter version. More texture, with a sautéed method instead of a braise.
Southern-Style Green Beans with Bacon and Potatoes brings something brighter to the table. Smoky, savory, and the safer play for a mixed crowd.
Pick one or do a couple. It is Easter. The table can handle it.
Finish Strong
Three directions, all worth saving room for.
Hummingbird Carrot Cake is the most natural Easter dessert on this list. It looks right, feels right, and lands like a real holiday cake. If you want one signature dessert, start here.
Sweet Potato Pie is more old-school and more soulful. The right call when the rest of the meal already leans rich.
Gluten-Free Key Lime Bars bring something brighter and lighter to the finish. A smart option for a mixed crowd and a welcome contrast after a heavy plate.
Pick one, or do cake and one of the others. Either way, the table ends strong.
For more cheesecake options, the cheesecake guide compares flavors, pan choices, and cooling and chilling steps.
My Suggested Easter Menus
Every recipe below is live and ready. Pick a menu or mix and match.
Menu 1: The Classic Ham Table
Main: Instant Pot Ham
Anchor Side: Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
The Sides: Potato Salad and Green Beans
The Finish: Hummingbird Carrot Cake
Menu 2: The Ham Table with Soul
Main: Instant Pot Ham
Anchor Side: Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
The Sides: Cornbread Dressing and Collard Greens
The Finish: Sweet Potato Pie
Menu 3: The Rack of Lamb Table
Main: Mint-Crusted Rack of Lamb
Anchor Side: Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
The Sides: Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Collard Greens
The Finish: Gluten-Free Key Lime Bars
Menu 4: The Lamb Shanks Table
Main: Pressure Cooker Lamb Shanks
Anchor Side: Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
The Sides: Mashed Potatoes and Cornbread Dressing
The Finish: Sweet Potato Pie
Menu 5: The Full Holiday Spread
Main: Instant Pot Ham
Anchor Side: Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
The Sides: Cornbread Dressing, Collard Greens, Green Beans, and Potato Salad
The Finish: Hummingbird Carrot Cake and Sweet Potato Pie
That last one is not minimal. But Easter is not always the day for minimal.
Make Ahead at a Glance
Choose and shop: Run the full grocery list and check the recipes for any thawing or make-ahead steps.
Prep what you can: Use each recipe’s guidance to plan dessert, potato salad, greens, mac and cheese, and dressing prep.
Map the cooking order: Account for oven, stovetop, and pressure-cooker space, including the ham’s broiler finish and any resting steps in the main recipe. If mac and cheese and dressing need the same oven space, plan separate batches as needed.
Make-Ahead Prep and Cooking Order
Use the make-ahead steps your recipes allow, then arrange the cooking order around your equipment and the dishes you chose. The recipes set the cooking details.
Choose, Shop, and Check
- Shop: Run the full grocery list. Check your main, glaze ingredients, sides, and dessert ingredients.
- Check thawing needs: If your ham or lamb is frozen, use the selected recipe’s thawing guidance when planning the meal.
- Check dessert prep: If Hummingbird Carrot Cake or Sweet Potato Pie is on the menu, use its recipe to decide which steps to handle ahead.
- Prep produce: Wash and organize greens and anything else that needs trimming.
Prep What the Recipes Allow
- Plan the potato salad. Follow its recipe’s make-ahead and storage guidance.
- Prep the greens. Wash, trim, and get them ready to cook.
- Check the mac and cheese prep. Follow its recipe for any assembly ahead of baking.
- Prep dressing components. If dressing is on the menu, use its recipe to choose the steps you can handle ahead.
- Set the table in your head. Serving dishes, foil, and the equipment each dish needs.
Plan the Cooking Order
- Give the main a clear lane. Read the ham or lamb recipe and account for the equipment it shares with the sides.
- Check the cold sides. Use each recipe’s serving guidance.
- Plan oven space for the mac and cheese. Follow its recipe’s baking or reheating instructions.
- Account for the dressing. Follow its recipe and check how it shares oven space with the other dishes.
- Finish the greens. Follow the recipe for the stovetop, pressure-cooker, or sautéed version you chose.
- Allow for the ham’s broiler finish. Work that step into your oven plan and follow the ham recipe.
- Check resting and slicing. Follow the instructions for your chosen main.
- Serve. Let the recipes guide when each dish is ready.
Keep the cooking order flexible. Your menu, equipment, and recipe steps decide how the meal comes together.
Plan for Leftovers
If there is ham left after dinner, these recipes give you a way to use it. Keep them in mind when you choose your menu.
Holiday leftovers are only disappointing when there is no plan. Now you have one.
Easter Dinner FAQ
Ham. It is familiar, feeds a crowd well, and gives you more flexibility with the rest of the meal. If you want the least stressful option, start there.
You can use the make-ahead steps your recipes allow. Check dessert, potato salad, mac and cheese, greens, and dressing for preparation and storage guidance, then choose the steps that fit your menu and kitchen. Keep the cooking order flexible and follow each recipe for the details.
Mashed potatoes are the natural choice, especially with lamb shanks. Cornbread dressing also works well if you want the plate to feel more holiday-driven. For the green side, collards or green beans both make sense depending on how rich the rest of the table already is.
Yes. Several of these recipes already include gluten-free methods or are naturally gluten-free, which makes it easier to build a mixed table without making a completely separate meal. That is always the goal.
Holiday Dinner Game Plans
Final Thoughts
You do not need a perfect Easter table. You need a smart one.
Pick the main that fits your kitchen. Build around sides that actually belong there. Use the make-ahead steps your recipes allow. Plan the equipment and cooking order. Then let the day be the day.
That is the whole point of a game plan.
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