15 Bright & Zesty Lemon Recipes
When the Co-op gives you a lemon sale, make lemonade! Or lemon chicken, lemon curd, lemon bars, or whatever other lemon-y dishes you fancy!
Check out some of our favorite recipes for utilizing lemons for lunch, dinner, and dessert!
One-Skillet Lemon Butter Chicken and Orzo
Buttery, lemony, and perfectly warm and cozy, this one-skillet lemon chicken recipe from Half Baked Harvest is a quick 'n' easy weeknight meal.
Chicken breast is quickly seared in lemon, garlic, and butter, before being baked in the oven with orzo, chicken stock, and kale.
15 minutes later, just like magic, you'll pull out a ready-made dinner straight from the oven that's the perfect mash-up of zingy lemon and salty-savory butter.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Preserved Lemons
If you find yourself with a huge haul of lemons, consider preserving them!
Preserved lemons are simply lemons and salt combined in a canning jar and left to sit at room temperature. Over time, the lemon skin begins to soften and what remains is a salty-tangy lemon that can be chopped up and added to a variety of dishes.
And don't toss out that brine, either! It makes for a great addition to salad dressings and marinades in small amounts.
Lemony Asparagus Risotto
When you want something warm and filling that's also springy, consider this lemony asparagus risotto!
Arborio rice, asparagus, leeks, garlic, basil, and lemons are slow-cooked in white wine and vegetable broth to create a rich and perfectly saucy risotto that's absolutely delicious.
Although risotto can be a labor of love, once it's cooked, it's a versatile side that goes well with a variety of proteins including salmon, chicken, and beef.
Photo Courtesy of Once Upon a Chef
Lemon Meringue Pie
Like biting into a lemony cloud, lemon meringue pie is a springtime baking must.
Calling for just a few simple ingredients, this light, and fluffy pie is easy to toss together when you've got a hankering for pie but don't want to make a huge mess and spend hours in the kitchen.
Make sure to make this pie the day you want to eat it — the meringue can get really sticky when left in the fridge.
Find the full recipe at Once Upon a Chef
Lemony Lentil Soup
Spring in the Pacific Northwest means light and cool dinners one night and warm and cozy meals the next. This recipe is for that colder spring night when you just want to warm your bones.
Made up of onions, carrots, garlic, red lentils, and corn, this veggie-forward soup is seasoned with cumin, curry powder, saffron, and of course lemon.
You wind up with a zingy, spiced soup that's easy to prep on a weeknight.
Photo Courtesy of Spend with Pennies
Baked Lemon Butter Salmon Pasta
Lemon, butter, salmon, dill, and parsley come together in this simple, yet elegant pasta dish that's perfect for spring.
Salmon is roasted in the oven before being combined with fettuccine noodles and topped with fresh herbs.
Serve this seafood pasta with a side of roasted asparagus or broccoli.
Find the full recipe at Spend With Pennies
Lemon Potatoes
A traditional food staple in Greece, lemon potatoes (patates lemonates) is simply oven-roasted potatoes tossed with olive oil, oregano, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
Chicken broth and lemon juice are incorporated to give the potatoes a little extra moisture and flavor toward the end of cooking.
Serve these lemon potatoes with some oven-roasted salmon, chicken, or steak.
Photo Courtesy of Cookie + Kate
Honey Lemon Curd
This is another recipe that's perfect for when you end up with way too many lemons.
Lemon curd can be used on everything from cookies and cakes to yogurt and ice cream and adds bright citrusy flavor to whatever you add it to.
Usually, lemon curd is sweetened with white sugar, but here, honey is added to the mix to provide the curd sweetness and extra flavor.
Photo Courtesy of Love and Lemons
Lemon Vinaigrette
If you've got lemons, olive oil, garlic, mustard, honey, thyme, and salt and pepper on hand, you've got homemade salad dressing are your fingertips!
All the aforementioned ingredients are whisked together before being stored in an airtight container or a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
Use your lemon vinaigrette on everything from salad and grains to oven-roasted veggies and marinated meats.
Photo Courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction
Lemon Bars
A classic dessert for a reason, lemon bars are bright and tangy with a toothsome texture and bite.
These lemon bars call for just 7 ingredients and the use of 2 bowls, making them a simple dessert to whip up and clean before the bars even come out of the oven.
Finish them off with a light dusting of powdered sugar for that extra sweet touch.
Find the full recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction
More Lemon Recipes to Try
Indian Lemon Rice from Feasting at Home
Simple Lemon Sugar Burnt Basque Cheesecake from Half Baked Harvest
Lemon Pepper Chicken from RecipeTin Eats
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies from Avery Cooks
Pasta al Limone from Bon Appetit