Easter Recipes from the Mediterranean and Some Other European Countries

I grew up in the Mediterranean at a time when in my native country of Albania we went from no religious celebrations for 50 years to celebrating Christmas, Ramadan, two Easters and a variety of other religious occasions. I was so curious about all different ways of celebrating and especially the food recipes for each tradition.

My mom made a little dessert for each occasion and so did many other families. Easter (or in Albanian Pashkët) were celebrated twice, one sunday for the Catholic Easter and another one for the Orthodox Easter. Usually they were a week apart and very rarely two weeks apart. As a teenager at the time, I loved having Monday off after each:).

I got together with some other authentic food bloggers to share with you some recipes from the Mediterranean for Easter but didn’t want to leave out some other European bloggers that were gracious to share their recipes with me. Hope you enjoy this roundup of Easter recipes.

This is just the first edition, but occasionally I will add more recipes as other food bloggers share with me. Enjoy and let me know in comments if you make any of these recipes at home and if you have any other Easter traditional food.

Albanian Bukë me Vezë Pashke

Mirela is an Albanian culinary expert that posts beautiful videos and recipes in her Instagram. Her Easter posts are mouthwatering. Feel free to ask me in comments if you need the translated recipe but feel free to browse her Instagram for beautiful food in the meantime.

Original Post in Albanian: Buke Pashke me Veze

Greek Roasted Lamb & Potatoes

This recipe for Greek Roasted Lamb & potatoes is a traditional recipe that really embodies the core of Greek cuisine. While in modern days people can cook dishes like this anytime they want, in the past lamb and in general meat dishes were considered special and only served for special occasions like Christmas, Easter and big celebrations.

Get Recipe: Greek Roasted Lamb and Potatoes

Italian Easter Bread Rings

These individual Easter bread rings are so pretty to look at, they look like nests with an egg in the middle. Bread has a brioche texture and is covered in icing and sprinkles. Feel free to check out Christina’s blog for more authentic Italian recipes for any occasion:).

Get Recipe: Italian Easter Bread Ring

Italian Asparagus Lasagna

This Asparagus Lasagna or Lasagne agli Asparagi in Italian is a recipe written by my friend Jacqui who lives in Veneto, Italy. This lasagna is the perfect dish for Easter time and Spring season in general. We love asparagus in my house and can’t wait to bake this lasagna.

Get Recipe: Asparagus Lasagna

Greek Koulourakia Cookies

Make this traditional cookies during Holy Week and you’ll be prepared for Easter. You can twist and turn the dough into braids, snails etc to get creative with the shapes. Sylia shares her childhood memories of making this cookies so please check out her post.

Get Recipe: Greek Koulourakia Cookies

French Maman’s Cheese Souffle

This French inspired cheese souffle is an amazing holiday brunch recipe perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day. Check out the recipe from my friend Albana, her recipes are truly mouthwatering and so beautifully plated.

Get Recipe: Cheese Souffle

Italian Torta Pasqualina

Marcellina makes this delicious puff pastry pie with spinach, ricotta and eggs for Easter. Recipe is from Liguria region in Italy and legend has it that the pastry was made with 33 layers, one for each year of Christ’s life. Please check out Marcellina’s recipe as the fun facts she’s included for this beautiful Easter Pie.

Get Recipe: Torta Pasqualina

Spanish Crespells Cookies for Easter

This article and recipe are written in Spanish since Maite the blogger behind Antojo en tu Cocina is a Spanish based blogger. These cookies called Crespells are traditional in Mallorca during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Easter. Maite explains in her post that while you can find these cookies in bakeries all over town, it’s also traditional to make them at home and even get kids involved to help out.

Get Recipe: Crespells Cookies If you need help with translation, please let me know in comments.

Portuguese Easter Bread (Folar de Pásqoa)

This Portuguese Sweet Bread is traditional Easter Bread called Folar Da Pásqua. Alida, the blogger behind Alida’s Food blog adds cardamom and lemon zest to this sweet bread. I bet the bread smells amazing I can’t wait to try it out!

Get Recipe: Portuguese Easter Bread

Italian Easter Bread

This Italian Easter bread is shaped like a nest with colorful eggs nestled throughout. The bread has three strands of dough symbolizing Holy Trinity. For more fun facts and the recipe itself, please check out Marcellina’s post.

Get Recipe: Italian Easter Bread

Greek Tsoureki

This sweet bread is traditional in Greek bakeries and homes during Easter time but you can also find it year around as it has become a symbol of Greek recipes. Usually this Greek bread is served with honey, butter, jam etc. Feel free to check out the beautiful recipe and details in Sylia’s recipe in her blog 30 Days of Green Food.

Get Recipe: Greek Tsoureki Bread

Agnello con Carciofi – Italian Lamb and Artichoke Stew

This recipe for lamb and articoke stew is a Sicilian recipe called Agnello con Carciofi brought to you by Vladka, the blogger behind Route to Longevity. She points out that some of the flavors of this recipe are enhanced by the farm to table/seasonal and fresh ingredients of the region. Please read this fantastic article and recipe!

Get Recipe: Agnello con Carciofi

Albanian Baked Lamb And Rice Dish

Baked lamb and rice dishes are very common in my native country of Albania. I remember my mom making this dish on Sundays and especially on Easter time. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do as it brings back memories from home.

Get Recipe: Oven Baked Rice and Lamb Dish

Natural Egg Skin Dye for Easter

Elena’s recipe is inherited from her grandmother and it allows for you to dye the Easter eggs in various shades of red and brown. So perfect and inexpensive to do for Easter, especially if you’re getting your kids involved.

Get Recipe: Natural Egg Skin Dye

Albanian Easter Soup

Mirela explains in this Instagram post not only how to make this beautiful soup but also how it’s an important meal after 40 days of lent. If you would like a translation of her post, please let me know in comments. Feel free to check out Mirela’s beautiful food and photography.

Mirela’s Original Post: Supa Magjerica

Smoked Salmon Quiche

This elegant smoked salmon quiche is the perfect brunch on Easter. Picture and recipe are courtesy of my friend Albana, follow the link below for her recipe.

Get Recipe: Smoked Salmon Quiche

Greek Lamb Cooked in Parchment

Kleftiko is one of my favorite Greek dishes. Lamb is cooked with veggies, herbs and seasonings wrapped in parchment. It’s such a flavorful dish and it’s perfect for Easter time.

Get Recipe: Kleftiko

Soft Italian Ricotta Cookies

These soft Italian cookies have a secret ingredient: ricotta. Ricotta makes them so soft and they’re so perfect!! Angela covers them in sweet icing and sprinkles. These cookies are perfect not only on Easter but on Christmas too and more importantly, they’re so much fun to make with kids.

Get Recipe: Soft Italian Ricotta Cookies with Sprinkles

Pizza Rustica – Italian Easter Pie

This traditional Easte pie is made with a flaky crust and a ricotta filling. You can include other types of cheeses in the filling as well as meats. Check out the recipe fro Tara Noland because she shares so many tips and a crust from scratch!

Get Recipe: Pizza Rustica

Albanian Karkanaqe Cookies

Mirela has posted about these cookies several times in Instagram, she makes them for Easter and always serves them in a beautifully decorated table and with tea. See one of the her posts linked below for the recipe, let me know in comments if you’d like for me to translate. Thank you:).

Get Recipe in Mirela’s Instagram: Mirela’s Cookies

A Traditional French Easter Menu

Audrey from Pardon Your French blog writes such a beautiful article on traditional French cuisine for Easter. I loved reading everything in her article, from how Easter is celebrated, to what’s traditional and what dishes are served during Easter weekend. If you love French culture, you’ll love all the facts and information in Audrey’s article.

Get. Article on French Easter Menu: French Easter Menu

Bonus Recipe 1 – Ukrainian Vareniki

Varenyky are Ukrainian dumplings filled with potatoes & onions. You can either boil them or pan fry them and serve them with lots of sour cream. Check out the recipe from Debra and the article where she shares different variations of the recipe, even different names this recipe goes by.

Get Recipe: Ukrainian Varenyky

Russian Paskha

This Russian Orthodox Easter dessert made the list of bonus recipes. It’s a crustless cheesecake that is rich and creamy, perfect to break the lent on Easter. Read the article from Katia with lots of details on how to make this amazing dessert.

Get Recipe: Russian Paskha

I want to take a moment to thank all the bloggers who submitted recipes for this Easter article. Happy Easter!

If you’d like to save this article for future exploration of these beautiful, authentic and traditional Easter recipes around the Mediterranean and widely Europe please feel free to pin the below picture to your boards in Pinterest so you can easily retrieve this post in the future. Thank you:).