St. Patrick’s Day is usually the last food holiday of the winter season before spring officially lands the following week. In addition to parades, the Wearin’ o’ the Green, and hoppy pints to mark the day in the U.S., it’s a particularly apt day to cook up a beefy, malty stew along with a fresh loaf of Irish soda bread. Whether your Irish cuisine jam is cabbage, beef, potatoes, or Guinness, my collection of St. Patrick’s Day Food Ideas has plenty of inspiration for your feast. Erin go bragh!
Soups
Irish-inspired beef soups are actually a mainstay throughout the entire winter and shine extra brightly as March prepares to say goodbye to winter. Beefed up, so to speak, with cabbage and root veggies simmering in a beer broth, they are, in this soup fanatic’s opinion, the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day food.
A deliciously savory soup with caramelized onions that are flavored-boosted with Guinness (always a good idea!). Guinness Onion Soup is an Irish-leaning version of the famous French onion soup. Top your bowl with spoon-sized cheesy toast points instead of one big broiled cap of cheese over bulky bread slices. Delish!
Hearty Irish Potato Soup combines chunky potatoes, crispy bacon, and aromatic vegetables in a velvety blended, cream-enriched broth. Top with your favorite garnishes for a comforting, seasonal classic that’s both rustic and delicious.
Beef and Cabbage Soup is a filling, satisfying soup made with seared steak, green cabbage, potatoes and lots of seasoning in a savory broth. An easy weeknight meal that's perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any time you need a hearty soup that's fast to the table.
St. Patrick's Day doesn't occur in the summer, of course, but the title of this soup is meant to celebrate the abundance of fresh vegetables, not confine it to warm weather. It's actually a particularly delicious Cabbage Soup, so if you're a fan looking for something easy to serve on the big day, this soup is ready and waiting.
Potato soup might be ubiquitous in Irish cuisine, but that's because it's an all-around amazing meal soup. When you flavor up the humble potato with ham, pancetta, aromatic veggies, mustard, and a nice helping of cream, the result is simply irresistible. Ham and Potato Soup is a lovely nod to Irish cooking on St. Paddy's Day, or any time of the year.
If you're a fan of the pressure cooker, potatoes are one ingredient that cook up particularly well, and faster than the oven. My Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup features the baked spud's best toppings combined right into the soup.
Most of my Irish-inspired dishes are stews, but I can’t resist a good potato dish on the side. Here are my favorite one-pot meals and potato sides, perfect for outfitting your Irish-inspired celebrations.
Traditional Dublin Coddle is one of Ireland's most beloved dishes for good reason. This recipe layers bacon, sausage, cabbage, and Yukon golds with a generous pour of Guinness for a stew that's rustic, warming, and packed with flavor. It's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any chilly evening.
Beef cooked long and slow in a beer-boosted broth with lots of vegetables and mushrooms creates an incredibly delicious meal. Let Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew simmer quietly while you go about your St. Paddy's activities and come home to a hearty meal that honors the day beautifully.
This one-pot meal is a lovely variation of the beef and cabbage dish, using strips of steak, cabbage, and onions. My Steak and Cabbage Skillet is quick to cook up and makes a filling meal served with a side of Irish soda bread.
My Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes are irresistibly smooth and creamy, and loaded with sweet-savory notes of roasted garlic. It's the perfect St. Patrick's Day side to a lovely roast.
A vegetarian twist – but a delightfully delicious twist – on a classic stew, saucy lentils and authentic Guinness Stout simmer to create a rich and flavorful dish. Serve my Vegetarian Irish Stew with mash and soda bread. And more Guinness — which, unlike most beers, is actually vegan!
Sweet potatoes do not grow natively in Ireland like they do in the U.S., but they're still widely enjoyed as an alternative to the traditional nightshade potato. Salt Roasted Sweet Potatoes are probably my favorite way to bake potatoes, when I have the extra time to create that crave-worthy, lightly salt-infused jacket.
This recipe isn't remotely Irish in inspiration, but for whatever reason, I always associate beef stews with Ireland. Cognac steps in for beer to create a rich and hearty Dijon Beef Stew that's perfect this month, as we slowly climb out of the winter chill to spring.
Reuben sandwiches are not specifically Irish, but it's true that Irish-Americans did enjoy this corned beef and cabbage sandwich as something familiar from home. My Reuben Fried Toast takes the sandwich's famous filling and piles it generously on a slice of olive oil-fried sourdough. It hits just right for an easy lunch.
For a different take on fried potatoes, my Crispy Smashed Potatoes show off perfectly browned crispy edges like no other preparation can match (not even French fries!). They're extra delicious when served with a dipping sauce.
I'm not sure that appetizers are a big thing on St. Paddy's Day, but I think these bite-sized Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes would be the perfect savory snack with a glass of suds.
Soda bread is a fabulously famous Irish invention and tradition, all the more so because these perfectly crafted but humble, rustic loaves are so delightful when slathered in butter and then dipped into soup. Unlike yeasted breads, they’re also fast to the table and can be formed and baked up while your favorite St. Patrick’s Day soup or stew simmers on the stove.
Super-easy, super-cute Irish Soda Bread Minis are baked up in a cast iron skillet, creating sweet little rolls in half the time of loaf soda bread. It’s homemade bread on a weeknight, for a tasty side to your Irish soups and stews.
I have a particular obsession with soda bread. It's a humble, un-yeasted bread that relies on baking soda and lactic acid (via buttermilk) for its lift, and is meant to be served in it's charmingly simple and unglamorous state. Bread goes marvelously as a side with soup, as we all know, but Traditional Soda Bread is the tops, as it's the perfect medium for dipping and catching savory juices.
Irish soda bread is a wonderful blank slate of a loaf. Which means that bread fanatics like me can get in there and glitter it all up. I replaced some of the all-purpose flour with ground oats and added seeds for crunch. It's still soda bread. It's still lovely. Just extra.
While not specifically Irish in culture, these wonderfully rustic and nutty Sourdough Rye Bread Bowls, made with my homemade sourdough starter, are a fun way to liven up any soup or stew dinner. When you cut the cap out of the bread bowl, don't forget to keep it for dipping into those luscious beefy broths!
