St. Patrick’s Day is a world-renowned holiday, and the first St. Patrick’s Day celebration dates back to March 17th, 1631 in Ireland. The holiday began as a celebration within the country to honor one of Ireland’s great patron saints, Patrick, on the day of his death. The Irish traditionally celebrated with religious services and feasts, and over centuries of cultural globalization, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved to be a globally recognized secular holiday celebrating Irish culture as a whole.
St. Patrick’s Day today is a fun-filled holiday known for its parades, shamrocks, leprechauns, music, all things green, and of course, traditional Irish foods. The holiday generally falls within the Catholic Lent season, and has been welcomed as a time to relax, let loose and enjoy a day of celebration with food and drink. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite recipes for you to celebrate the holiday with a twist!
Irish Soda Bread – We have two front runners competing for our favorite Irish Soda Bread recipe: Irish Soda Bread Scones and Green Irish Soda Bread. Both are festive, fun and delicious twists on the classic!
Corned Beef and Cabbage – Try out this slow cooker beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots for a lower-sodium, flavor-full version of the classic recipe.
Shepherd’s Pie – This recipe is loaded with spring vegetables and uses cauliflower for the topping instead of the usual mashed potatoes – with twice the fiber, a quarter of the carbs, and all of the same delicious flavor!
Seaweed Colcannon – Colcannon is a traditional Irish side dish mainly consisting of mashed potatoes and crumbled bacon. This recipe keeps most of the classic ingredients, but swaps out the bacon for dried dulse, making this high-fiber seaweed variation a must-try!
Shamrock Shake Smoothie – Using spinach and kiwi to give this smoothie it’s Irish-green color, you’ll love this healthified version of the classic Shamrock Shake. If you’re looking for the real deal though, you can find the ice-cream version here.
Green Pancakes, Please! These gluten-free, vegan, spinach-filled and festive pancakes are the perfect St. Patrick’s Day breakfast treat for you or your kids! You may want to double the batter, because these stacks won’t last long off the griddle!
Spinach Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting – We love when veggies make their way into unsuspecting recipes. Try out this simple green cupcake recipe to spice up your St. Patrick’s Day treats!
Content submitted by Jessica Roy MS, RD, LDN Waverley Oaks Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Counselor, and Caroline Meyer, Nutrition Intern