Easter Sunday is a delightful occasion to get the entire family together over a lovely meal. However, planning the ultimate Easter menu with the ideal fresh twist that will brighten every guest’s day is not an easy task.

To provide inspiration for a delicious Easter menu, Barilla shares three colorful and easy pasta recipes inspired by spring flavors to go with any lunch, brunch or dinner celebration this Sunday.

Barilla Protein+ Penne with Spring Vegetables (above)

Serves: 7

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 24 minutes

Ingredients
1 box of Barilla Protein+ Penne

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

½ cup of white onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 pound of asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally

2½ cups of cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups of yellow squash, chopped

6 leaves of fresh basil, cut into strips

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add asparagus and continue for 3 additional minutes. Add tomatoes and squash, sauté an additional 2-3 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 11 minutes. Drain pasta.
5. Immediately add hot pasta to the skillet. Mix well.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter, garnish with fresh basil strips and dig in.

Collezione Orecchiette with Creamy Wild Mushrooms & Peas Sauce
Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 box of Collezione Orecchiette

1 garlic clove, chopped

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 ounce of dried wild mushrooms (porcini, morels)

Enough water, wine or stock to cover the dried mushrooms

6 ounces of oyster mushrooms, sliced

1 cup of peas

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of chicken broth

Salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 tablespoon of parsley

Directions

1. Place your mushrooms in a bowl large enough to accommodate all of them. (Dried mushrooms will reconstitute to 4 – 6 times their dry weight.)
2. Add enough warm water, wine or stock to cover them completely.
3. Let them sit in the liquid for 15 – 20 minutes until they plump out.
4. Drain the mushrooms and set aside.
5. Bring a pot of water to boil. Season with salt.
6. Add pasta to boiling water – for authentic “al dente” pasta boil for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Meanwhile in a skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil until slightly yellow. Add dried mushrooms and sauté 1 minute. Stir in sliced mushrooms and brown well, about 5 minutes over high heat.
8. Add broth and cream, bring to simmer and season with salt and pepper.
9. Add peas and cook for 3 additional minutes over medium heat.
10. Toss pasta with sauce. Add cheese and parsley before serving and enjoy.

Carnitas and Corn Rigatoni
Serves: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 box of Barilla Blue Box Rigatoni

2 lbs. of shredded pulled pork

3 ears of fresh corn on cob

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 cup of roasted garlic tomato sauce

2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth

8 dried poblano chilies

2 cups of water

1½ teaspoons of oregano

½ cup of green chilies, diced

1 teaspoon of cumin

½ teaspoon of coriander

2 cloves of garlic

¼ cup of radish, thinly sliced

8 lime wedges

½ cup of queso fresco, crumbled

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. For authentic “al dente” pasta, boil uncovered, stirring occasionally for 12 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
2. Pull pork into approximately ½ oz. pieces.
3. Place pork on baking pan and put in a 450°F oven for approximately 15 minutes to heat through and crisp the outside.
4. Rub corn on cob with canola oil and season with salt and pepper if desired; cook corn on the grill turning so not to burn for approximately 10 minutes. Cool corn and slice kernels off.
5. In small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Cut dried chilies in half, remove stem and seeds. Chop dried chilies and soak in hot water for 10 minutes; drain water from the chilies.
6. In a blender, add tomato sauce, chicken broth, soaked chilies, oregano, diced green chilies, cumin, coriander, garlic cloves and blend on high for 3 minutes or until sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. In a small pan, add roasted corn to sauce mixture and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
8. In large bowl, toss pasta with tomato green chili sauce and portion evenly in bowls.
9. Top with warm pork, sliced radish, queso fresco and a lime wedge. Enjoy.