Easter Table: What We Eat on Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is approaching, and the Easter table is the highlight of the celebration, bringing together friends and family. If you’re wondering what we eat on Easter Sunday, in this article you’ll find wonderful ideas and suggestions full of flavor, tradition, and balance!

What are the traditional Easter foods?

Let’s take a look at some of the most characteristic foods traditionally eaten during Greek Easter:

Magiritsa
A traditional soup made with lamb offal, lettuce or greens, and egg-lemon sauce, eaten after the Resurrection to “break” the fast observed during the previous period.

Roast lamb or goat on the spit
Perhaps the star of the Easter celebration, especially on Easter Sunday.

Kontosouvli and kokoretsi
These dishes complete the Easter culinary experience.

Red eggs
The egg-cracking tradition begins right after the Resurrection and continues the next day!

Tsoureki
The traditional sweet bread with a red egg in the center, along with Easter cookies—favorite treats that add the necessary sweet touch to these days.

Lambropsomo (also known as kosona)
A traditional type of bread prepared and served on the night of the Resurrection.

What do we eat on Easter Sunday?

There are many ideas, and you’ve probably already been inspired—but what do we actually eat on Easter Sunday in Greece, and how can you incorporate traditions into your own table this year?

The main feature of the Easter menu is lamb or goat, roasted from early in the day, bringing everyone together around the fire.
Kokoretsi and kontosouvli complement the selection of meats on the Easter table.
Various types of pies, such as cheese pie or spinach pie, as well as oven-baked or roasted potatoes, perfectly accompany the meat.
Of course, salads are also present—both green salads and the traditional Greek salad—along with a variety of side dishes like cheeses, tzatziki, Russian salad, etc., for balance and extra flavor variety.
For dessert, the meal ends on a sweet note with tsoureki, Easter cookies, and walnut cake, which is often a favorite!

What should I cook for the Easter table? The tastiest Easter recipes

Check out some delicious Easter recipes that go beyond the usual and don’t require a yard or a grill.

Oven-baked lamb with potatoes

Ingredients:

2 kg lamb (cut into portions)
1.5 kg potatoes
4 garlic cloves
Juice of 2 lemons
100 ml olive oil
Oregano
Salt, pepper

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Peel and cut the potatoes into wedges.
Place the lamb and potatoes in a baking tray.
Add garlic, oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours.
Uncover and bake for another 30–40 minutes until golden brown.

Easter Tsoureki

Ingredients:

500 g flour (half whole wheat + half white)
80–100 g honey
200 ml milk (1.5%)
2 eggs
60 g olive oil or coconut oil
1 packet yeast
1 tsp mahlepi
1/2 tsp mastic
Orange zest
A pinch of salt

Instructions:
Warm the milk slightly and dissolve the yeast with a little honey.
In a bowl, add flour, eggs, remaining honey, oil, and spices.
Pour in the yeast mixture and knead until elastic dough forms.
Let it rise for 1–1.5 hours.
Shape into a braid and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 30–35 minutes.

Mushroom “Magiritsa” (vegetarian version)

Ingredients:

500 g mushrooms (white or oyster), chopped
1 large lettuce
4 spring onions
1 onion
1/2 cup rice
1 bunch dill
1 liter vegetable broth
50 ml olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 egg (optional)
Salt, pepper

Instructions:
Sauté the onion and spring onions in olive oil.
Add mushrooms and cook until softened.
Add lettuce and dill, finely chopped.
Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.
Add rice and cook for 15–20 minutes.
Finish with lemon juice.

For egg-lemon sauce (optional):
Beat the egg with lemon juice and add some broth.
Pour into the pot and stir gently. Ready!

Pork tenderloin with prunes and wine

Ingredients:

1 kg pork tenderloin (cut into medallions)
12 pitted prunes
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup cognac
3/4 cup red wine
3/4 cup light cream
4 tbsp olive oil
Thyme, bay leaf, allspice
Garlic, salt, pepper

Instructions:
Heat olive oil and brown the meat for 2 minutes on each side.
Add onion and garlic and sauté.
Add prunes and stir.
Deglaze with wine and cognac, add spices, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add cream, season, and cook a few more minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes.

Easter orange cookies

Ingredients:

500 g flour
120 ml olive oil
120 ml fresh orange juice
Orange zest
100 g coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
A pinch of salt

Instructions:
Mix olive oil, honey, and orange juice.
Add zest and vanilla.
In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and soda.
Combine and knead into soft dough.
Shape cookies and place on a lined tray.
Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 15–18 minutes.