64 Best Lent Recipes

Fat Tuesday may be devoted to indulging in pancakes, paczki, or Hurricanes cocktails, but at the stroke of midnight, the fun is over and the 40-day fasting season of Lent begins. In the Christian church, Lent is a time when the faithful are meant to prepare themselves through prayer and reflection for the Eastertime celebration of Christ's resurrection.

The Catholic church, in particular, has some specific rules regarding food that apply during the Lenten season, chief among them that no meat is to be eaten on Fridays as well as on Ash Wednesday. These rules apply to everyone aged 14 and up, although parents of younger children are also encouraged to include them if they can. Luckily, the church has a somewhat liberal interpretation of what counts as meat products, so they're certainly not expecting anyone to go vegan. Cheese, eggs, and all types of dairy are okay to eat, along with fish and seafood of all sorts (as well as reptiles, amphibians, and insects, although we're a bit short on recipes for these).

Another traditional (if non-obligatory) Lenten custom involves giving up some type of favorite food for the duration - President Biden, our nation's second-ever Catholic president, has been known to make the ultimate sacrifice of going dessert-free for all 40 days. Whether you're simply observing the Lenten meat abstinence or going all-out by giving up a favorite food of your own, the following options should help you get through the season without feeling too deprived.

In British-themed pubs, as well as in the U.K. itself, the condiment of choice for fish and chips is malt vinegar, but here in the U.S., we're more apt to opt for tartar sauce. For the fish, that is. The chips (fries) get ketchup, of course. This slightly fancy recipe for the former condiment calls for adding capers and parsley to the basic sauce, but all you really need are the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and pickles. To save a little time, you can also just use pickle relish instead of dicing your own gherkins.

Recipe: Easy Tartar Sauce Recipe

When you're thinking of meatless meals, stir-fry may not immediately come to mind, but egg foo young is a Chinese-American classic that gets its protein from eggs and shrimp. The chicken broth used in this recipe is kind of iffy, but you can always substitute it with water or vegetable or seafood stock. You can also swap out the bean sprouts for a different type of vegetable, like peas, water chestnuts, bell peppers, or carrots.

Recipe: Egg Foo Young

Lobster bisque is an iffy kind of dish to order at a restaurant as there's always a chance that the "lobster" will really be a cheaper crustacean such as langoustine. If you make it at home, though, you'll know exactly what goes into it, plus it's bound to be a bit cheaper, as well. Add a chunk of crusty bread and a side salad and you have a meal that manages to be light and simple, yet also delightfully indulgent.

Recipe: Easy Lobster Bisque

Usually when you see a food labeled "rice and chicken" or "noodles with beef," this is a major red flag that when you open the package you're going to see a lot more of the former ingredient than the latter. Well, let's set your mind at rest right away regarding this recipe: Despite the name, we assure you, there's a lot more fish than ginger. There's just enough of the ginger to add flavor, along with some honey, sriracha, and soy sauce, but the main ingredient is most definitely the salmon.

Recipe: Easy Fresh Ginger And Salmon

A cabbage and noodle combination is more of a side dish than a main course as it doesn't include much in the way of protein, but the good thing about it is, it's very cheap and filling. Were it not Lent, you could toss in a few chunks of kielbasa to make the cabbage and noodles into a meal. On a meat-free day, though, you might pair it with a small piece of fish, some scrambled eggs, or a grilled cheese sandwich, instead.

Recipe: Quick Cabbage And Noodles

Crab meat can be very expensive and crabs can be quite tricky to eat, as well, what with having to bash them with mallets and then use picks or other implements to dig into all the hidden crevices. A far easier and thriftier way to enjoy this crustacean is by making crab cakes. Stir some breadcrumbs or crushed crackers, an egg, and some mayonnaise into a pound of crab meat and you'll find it can easily be stretched to feed six.

Recipe: Crab Cakes

Gordon Ramsay's vocabulary may be on the profane side, but Hell's Kitchen has been known to turn out some pretty heavenly dishes. What's more, this salmon recipe has the benefit of being Lent-appropriate, as well. Our version of Ramsay's recipe isn't an exact duplicate of the Scottish chef's, however, as we've also added some lemon and swapped out his Cajun seasoning for plain cayenne pepper. Feel free to swap it back if you like, but do keep the lemon since it's every fish's best friend.

Recipe: Gordon Ramsay's Salmon

Shakshuka may seem like something dreamed up by hipster foodies sometime in the past few years, but eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce are actually a traditional dish from northern Africa. We suspect one reason it's been adopted into the American trendy foods pantheon is that it's quite easy to cook and makes for a great one-pot meat-free meal. Just add a few chunks of bread for sopping up the sauce and you'll be all set for dinner.

Recipe: Simple Shakshuka

Eggs Benedict may be stereotyped as a brunch dish, but there's no reason why it can't make for a delightful dinner – just be sure to leave out the Canadian bacon if you're serving it on a Friday during Lent. (You could always use smoked salmon instead if you're feeling fancy.)  Yes, the various components of the recipe take a little effort but mastering the arts of making great Hollandaise and poaching perfect eggs are well worth learning. Practice makes perfect, and you can take solace in the fact that while your not-so-successful efforts may not be very photogenic, they'll still make for a great-tasting, meal.

Recipe: Eggs Benedict

The Lenten season is meant to bring us closer to God, but it's also a great time to get better acquainted with cod. (Perhaps we should give up the dad jokes for Lent?) If you haven't tried this type of fish before, we suggest coating it in bread crumbs, pan-frying it, and serving it with a side of tartar sauce. Conveniently enough, this twofer recipe includes directions for both fish and sauce, with a contemporary take on the latter that involves dill pickle relish and chopped fresh dill.

Recipe: Breaded Pan-Fried Cod

The incredible, edible egg may not be as cheap as it once was, but it's still an economical, protein-packed powerhouse. In this easy recipe, eggs are baked in bread and topped with shredded cheese to make for a super-simple main dish that works just as well at nighttime as it does in the morning. While a side of bacon or ham is verboten during Lent, at least on a Friday, you can always add a big fruit salad and some muffins to make this a breakfast-for-dinner kind of meal.

Recipe: Quick Baked Eggs In A Basket

Haluski is a simple Polish dish made of boiled egg noodles tossed with fried cabbage and onions. The dish on its own contains very little protein so it's not really a main course, but it does make for a cheap side dish that can fill you up. As such, it could be useful for helping to stretch out a seafood entrée, or else it could be paired with a big, meat-free chef salad made with plenty of boiled eggs and chunks of cheese.

Recipe: Polish Haluski

Mahi mahi is a type of white fish distinguished by having a very delicate flavor, which is culinary-speak for "it doesn't taste too fishy." If you're on the fence about fish, mahi mahi's a good one to start out with and this recipe makes it easy even if you've never cooked a fish before. All you need to do is to bake the fillets in the oven with a topping of garlicky herb butter, then squeeze on plenty of fresh lemon juice. Try it and you'll find that this baked mahi mahi makes for a decent dinner even if you're not a real fish fan.

Recipe: Simple Baked Mahi Mahi Recipe

If you typically celebrate the end of the work week with a large pepperoni pizza, you know that's out of the question for as long as Lent lasts. Sure, you can always make do with a cheese pizza, but for extra protein, why not try an egg pizza instead? This recipe includes directions for making your own pizza crust while calling for pizza sauce from a jar, but you can feel free to reverse the two or else just go with both store-bought crust and sauce. As for the eggs, they bake right on top of the pizza. Take it out of the oven when the yolks are still a bit runny if you prefer them that way, or else leave it in for another few minutes until they firm up to more of a boiled egg consistency.

Recipe: Egg Pizza

Cacio e pepe may sound like a fancy new dish and it certainly has been super-trendy as of late, but it's actually an old Italian standby that couldn't be much easier to make. Cacio e pepe simply translates to cheese and pepper, and those are, in fact, two of the three main ingredients. The third one, of course, is pasta, with butter making a fourth ingredient as it helps the cheese to stick to the spaghetti.

Recipe: Cacio E Pepe

While salmon is delicious all by itself or with a simple sauce of butter and lemon, it can also stand up to much stronger seasonings. Here the salmon fillets are oven-baked with a glaze of butter, honey, and lime juice spiked with cayenne, garlic, and chili powder. You could use this fish to top a tasty salad bowl or serve it with a side of rice, but either way, it's sure to be a hit with salmon lovers.

Recipe: Spicy Baked Salmon Recipe

Shrimp are a great option when you need a meatless meal in a hurry. Even if you've forgotten to defrost them ahead of time, you can easily do so by putting them in a colander and running them under cold water for a few minutes. Once they're thawed, toss them in a marinade of olive oil, lemon, crushed red pepper, and garlic, then give them a quick sauté. If you serve these garlic shrimp over rice or pasta, there's a good chance you won't be missing meat at all.

Recipe: Easy Garlic Shrimp

This recipe is what we call a double winner. Not only is shakshuka a super-easy, meat-free meal, but anything that only calls for three ingredients saves both shopping and prep time. All you'll need to make this delicious dinner is a jar of spaghetti sauce, some pepper to season it with, and a few eggs. We suggest adding a fourth ingredient, however: Throw a few slices of bread in the toaster so you'll have something to eat alongside the saucy eggs.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Shakshuka

Ina Garten is known for using nothing but "good" ingredients, so she no doubt uses the finest imported dijon mustard to coat her salmon fillets before she rolls them in a crust made of the very best breadcrumbs. Our ingredients, we contend, are not so shabby themselves, even if we do buy them from the supermarket. We are changing up her recipe just a smidge, though, by swapping out the mustard for sriracha mayonnaise (you can easily make your own by combining the two condiments to taste) and replacing the parsley she favors with chopped cilantro, instead.

Recipe: Ina Garten's Salmon With A Twist

Quesadillas are among the easiest of Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes to whip up in a hurry as the only real cooking that's required is to toast the tortillas and heat up the filling to the point where the cheese melts. Should you be feeding a crowd, though, you can cook up a batch of these great-tasting bean-and-cheese quesadillas on a single sheet pan to speed up the process even more.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Quesadillas

While Chick-Fil-A is famously closed on Sundays, it remains open on Fridays, even during Lent. It may not be a good idea to go there if you're Catholic, though, since you shouldn't be eating chicken on that day. But what if it's the macaroni and cheese that you're craving? Well, yes, that's still permissible, but in order to avoid what the church calls a near occasion of sin (meaning, in this case, proximity to those tempting chicken sandwiches), you're better off staying at home and recreating it in your own kitchen using this copycat recipe.

Recipe: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Mac And Cheese

One way of preserving fish – or any meat, really – is by salting it pretty heavily, but there are different methods of doing so. One type of salt cod that you may see in the store is dry as a bone, kind of like fish jerky, and that is not the kind you'll be using for this recipe. Instead, this fried cod recipe calls for the kind that is salted but still retains its regular fishy texture. In fact, if you can't find salt cod, you can use any firm white fish and just skip the step where you soak it to get the salt out.

Recipe: Classic Fried Salt Cod

Cocktail sauce is a great condiment for chilled shrimp, but it goes fine with warm shrimp, as well, and even with clams and oysters. There's no need to buy the bottled kind, however, since it's one of the easiest condiments to DIY. All you need to do in order to make the homemade cocktail sauce is combine ketchup with horseradish (not the creamy kind!), then season the mixture with lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. If you like it spicy, feel free to add both black pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste.

Recipe: Zesty Cocktail Sauce

Cheese souffle is a dish that's notoriously difficult to make as anything so airy will also be extremely delicate. In order to make things a bit easier, the souffles in this recipe are baked in individual portions to keep them from collapsing under their own weight to the extent that a larger souffle might do. Even if they do deflate as they come out of the oven, though, you may be able to camouflage that with some artful garnishing. If this doesn't work, you can console yourself with the fact that cheese souffles are just as tasty (some would say even more so) once they've flattened out a bit.

Recipe: Cheese Souffle

Sweetened fish may sound like a taste sensation that only Bertie Botts could love, but honey actually makes a pretty good glaze for salmon. Well, not just honey alone – here it's combined with salty soy sauce, tangy lemon juice, and pungent garlic to make for a well-balanced combination that pairs well with simple baked fish fillets. What with all of the different flavors going on though, you'll probably want to stick with a very plain side such as steamed rice.

Recipe: Easy Honey-Baked Salmon

Traditional shakshuka consists of eggs cooked in tomato sauce, but once anything gets trendy, chefs and home cooks alike start tweaking. Not only are there now vegan variants where the eggs are replaced with tofu but there are also versions such as this one that even dispense with the tomatoes. In this recipe, which is basically a 21st-century take on green eggs and ham minus the ham, the sauce is made from nutmeg-spiced spinach. If you're a fan of eggs Florentine, this recipe is a must-try. As a bonus, in those years when St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday, it makes a great meat-free alternative to corned beef and cabbage.

Recipe: Green Shakshuka

Pasta salad may seem like something you'd save for a summertime supper, but there's no reason you can't eat it in winter or spring. In fact, it's probably a lot safer to do so, as mayonnaise-based salads tend to spoil quickly in hot weather. This particular pasta salad not only tastes good but is also pretty economical as it takes just half a pound of crab and stretches it out to feed about four people. (The directions say eight, but that's for more of an appetizer or side dish-sized portion than a main course.)

Recipe: Creamy Crab Pasta Salad

Miso, which is made from fermented soybeans, is one of the healthiest ways to add an extra hit of umami to any recipe. Here it's combined with soy sauce, sesame oil, and maple syrup to make a glaze for baked salmon fillets. Not a fan of maple-flavored fish? Feel free to use honey, instead. This Asian-inspired salmon goes great in a rice bowl, and you can also use it to top a green salad for a flavorful low-carb meal.

Recipe: Broiled Miso Salmon

Fondue? Isn't that some cheesy food fad from the '70s? Well, yes, home fondue parties may have been at the height of their popularity back in the disco decade, but the dish still makes for a fun meal where everyone gets to choose from an assortment of bread chunks, apple slices, and crudites for dipping. This particular fondue is made from a combination of Swiss and gouda cheeses flavored with white wine and brandy, although you can swap those out for broth if you're going alcohol-free (whether for Lent or in general).

Recipe: Easy Cheese Fondue

Dressed-up macaroni and cheese is nothing unusual these days as there are whole restaurants devoted to the stuff that offer fancy add-ins like lobster and truffles as well as more basic ones like chicken and ham. This recipe, which is a meat-free one, of course, gives the dish a Mediterranean-style makeover by mixing in some pesto sauce and using a combination of mozzarella and parmesan for the cheese. If you wish, you can also swap out the elbow macaroni for rigatoni, penne, or a similar type of chunky pasta to make it even more Italian-esque.

Recipe: Pesto Mac And Cheese

While salmon, butter, and lemon juice are a combo you will find in countless recipes, here we're doing something just a little bit different. Rather than mixing the lemon juice with melted butter or simply squeezing lemon wedges over butter-baked salmon, we're making a compound butter flavored with lemon zest and then adding some orange and lime zest for good measure. This zesty butter is not only good with baked salmon and other types of fish, but it goes great with green vegetables, as well.

Recipe: Slow-Baked Salmon And Citrus Butter

Are boards still a thing, or are they an early 2020s trend that's already on its way out? If you're bored with boards, you can always do a simple word swap and have a delicious bagel, lox, and cream cheese platter instead. In addition to the three main ingredients, these delightfully carby creations are adorned with the traditional onions, capers, and lemon slices as well as some colorful sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Vegetables + starch + protein sounds like a complete meal to us, one that works just as well for dinner as it does for brunch.

Recipe: Bagels And Lox Cream Cheese Board