Something green, a couple of classics, and something lucky are all you really need for your St. Patrick’s Day spread.
Corned beef and cabbage isn't a traditional meal in Ireland, explained Kelly Zawierucha, president of the Toledo Irish American Club, but potato and leek soup, beef and Guinness stew, and bacon and cabbage are.
When planning a St. Patrick's party at home, the president advised having plenty of food on deck — like the ones above — and having some traditional Irish music playing for guests as well.
“One thing that we really celebrate, embrace, and bring to a lot of events is the music,” she said. “There’s thousands of traditional Irish music tunes that people tend to just pick up by ear and play. It’s one of those traditions of music that’s been passed down generation to generation.”
Irish soda bread is a treat that Zawierucha sells at bake sales for the Toledo Irish American Club, which is a quick-bread made without yeast, but with plenty of raisins. She said she’ll often have desserts like Jameson mint chocolate chip cookies and Bailey’s Irish Cream brownies at these bake sales, too.
“I feel like they're one of the most adored cultures,” she said of the Irish. “You can go to almost every county, any city in any country, and find an Irish pub.”
Right in downtown Toledo, the Blarney Irish Pub strives to serve authentic food and drink to appreciate Irish culture here in the Midwest.
The pub is hosting holiday celebrations at the restaurant through Monday, where guests can indulge in live music, classic bites, and other Irish festivities. Zawierucha said that she and other members of the Toledo Irish American Club are volunteering at the Blarney’s events.
For those staying home to celebrate, Travis Beczynski, co-owner of the Blarney, said sourcing local ingredients for your St. Patrick’s day meals is something to keep in mind — like when making shepherd’s pie for example.
“Some places try to really cut down the shepherd’s pie with burger meat because it’s a lot cheaper than lamb,” he said of the classic Irish recipe. “Using 100 percent lamb can add a lot of flavor to it.”
Eat me, I’m Irish
When planning recipes for St. Patrick’s Day at home, I wanted there to be a clear theme: green, tradition, and luck.
A Green Goddess Dip is a great appetizer for the holiday mostly because it’s full of the color green. It’s packed with parsley, dill, jalapeño, and more, then blended with cottage cheese. I like to serve this dip with slices of cucumber and green bell pepper, for obvious reasons.
Mini Shepherd’s Pies are a great way to turn a classic Irish recipe into a party-sized delight. These little bites are full of the usual ingredients for the shepherd's pie that we all know and love — like ground meat, sauteed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and more.
The Irish Soda Bread recipe from Zawierucha is another beloved Irish good that requires no kneading, and would be something relatively quick and classic to whip up for a St. Patrick’s Day party.
To finish off with a bit of luck, a recipe for Lucky Charms Rice Krispie Treats should do the trick.
These squares of sweetness come together in no time, and are the perfect way to wrap up the holiday on a high note.
Green Goddess Dip
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
½ cup fresh parsley
½ cup fresh dill
1 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeño
½ green pepper
1 small tub cottage cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ avocado
Directions:
To a food processor, add the parsley, dill, garlic, jalapeño, and sweet green pepper and process until smooth. It's important to add these first to avoid a chunky dip.
After the veggies are processed, add the cottage cheese, salt and pepper, lemon juice, and avocado.
Blend until smooth and taste and adjust for seasoning. Check for salt, lemon juice, and adjust to taste.
Serve as a dip, with veggies (like cucumbers and green bell peppers to stay on theme with St. Patrick’s Day, or any way you like!)
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Source: Adapted from the Modern Nonna
Mini Shepherd’s Pies
Yield: 12 servings
Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients:
2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts
1 pound ground lamb or beef, or a mixture
¼ yellow onion, diced
½ teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups mashed potatoes (homemade or instant)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the mashed potatoes and set aside.
Over medium-high heat, brown the meat in a deep skillet until fully cooked. Drain off any excess fat. Remove and set aside.
Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add mixed vegetables, crumble the beef bouillon cube, and simmer until vegetables are soft.
Add the meat back to the pan, along with Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, unroll the pie crusts and roll each crust to 12-inches in diameter. Cut six 4-inch rounds from each crust.
Press each round on the bottom and sides of a muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Divide beef mixture among all 12 cups.
Top with some cheddar cheese and finish with mashed potatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mashed potatoes have browned a bit.
Broil the pies at 450 degrees for 5 minutes if needed to brown the potatoes some more.
Let it stand for 10 minutes and remove by running a knife outside each pie.
Dish and serve warm.
Source: Adapted from the Cooking Jar
Irish Soda Bread
Yield: 1 loaf of bread
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups flour
⅔ cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ cups raisins
1 ⅓ cups buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons melted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, optional
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
In a larger bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.
Grease and flour your pan of choice — like a seasoned cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, then serve.
Source: Adapted from Kelly Zawierucha
Lucky Charms Rice Krispie Treats
Yield: 16 bars
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
⅓ cup unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
12-ounce bag of marshmallows
5 ½ cups Lucky Charms cereal
Directions:
Grease a 9- by 9-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the marshmallows and salt and stir with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides to make sure the marshmallows do not burn. As soon as the marshmallows are melted, remove from the heat immediately.
Add the Lucky Charms cereal, folding to coat the cereal completely.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing down into an even layer.
Place in the fridge to set for at least 20 minutes. Once set, use a sharp knife to cut the treats into 12 rectangles. Enjoy!
Source: Adapted from Broma Bakery
For recipe suggestions, contact Maddie Coppel at: mcoppel@theblade.com.
First Published March 16, 2025, 3:30 p.m.
