Recipes for Lent: 30 Meatless Meals
Let's get real: it's hard to figure out ways to diversify your meals when you can't have meat for Lent! Suddenly, all of your favorite dishes get put on the back burner as you try to figure out how you can add some variety to dinnertime. Our latest collection of Lent recipes gives you a few ideas that will help you go meatless, so you're not scrambling to figure out recipes each week. From dinner to lunch, we've got lenten meals we know you're gonna love! So do yourself a favor and check out the quick, easy, meatless meals we've cooked up. They're the perfect recipes for when you're holding out for that huge Easter dinner spread!
Looking for some great ideas for meatless appetizers? Get started with this delicious Spinach Arthicoke Dip and this Save-the-Day Corn and Black Bean Salsa. These are two of our favorite ways to start a meal during this season!
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Lent Dinner Ideas
Finding dinner recipes that the whole family can agree on can be difficult. Toss in the fact that you are in search of meatless meal ideas during Lent and the task grows harder and harder. Lucky for you, we have scoured the Mr. Food recipe collection for some of our best Lenten dinner ideas. Look out below for some tasty and meat-free ideas and don't miss our Butternut Squash Lasagna, pictured above!
Even when meat's not an option, it's not easy getting finicky eaters to dig into their veggies; but if we sneak 'em into our pasta, we have a better shot. Linguine with Eggplant is chock-full of fresh herbs, spices and veggies...so every forkful is packed with tasty nutrition. That's why it's one of our most popular Lent recipes!
Our Noodles, Peas 'n' Cheese recipe will help you put a meatless dinner together with no fuss. If you're looking for Lenten melas that remove meat as your main dish, but still provide tons of flavor and satisfaction, this one is sure to be a hit. Don't believe us? Say a prayer and take a chance. We know you'll love it!
Need a last-minute Lent recipe to serve tonight? Well, it must be your lucky day 'cause our recipe for Lucky Cabbage and Noodles is a real crowd-pleaser that comes together faster than you can do an Irish jig! Don't you just love it when luck is on your side?
You might want to take a peek into your garden for some of the ingredients needed for this Garden Quiche. This Lenten meal is made with a couple of fresh garden ingredients, like spinach and cherry tomatoes, which make this quiche perfect for a Mother's Day brunch or spring get-together.
Try our Broccoli and Cheese Manicotti tonight. It's a satisfying, Lent-friendly, homestyle baked Italian favorite that you'll find a cinch to make from scratch, especially when you use our fool-proof trick for filling the pasta shells!
The only thing better than pasta? A cheesy, rich, fresh baked pasta that's loaded with flavor and totally Lent-friendly! Try our amazing, easy-to-make version of Italian style Stuffed Shells, and see for yourself. Our stuffed shells recipe is sure to make dinner a creamy, cheesey, delicious experience for everyone; you'll want to make this perfect baked pasta dish again and again!
Mexican food is a great choice for Lent, because you can use beans as the protein for so many of your favorite dishes. These layered nachos are packed full of delicious ingredients like guacamole, tomatoes, black beans, and sour cream. It will be a new meatless favorite!
This delicious tortilla stack is one of our favorite Mexican food recipes for Lent. It's super simple to make, and layers of melted cheese ensure that no one will be disappointed with this meal on a Friday night.
Say goodbye to your pizza delivery guy, 'cause once you've tried this easy recipe for Roasted Vegetable Pizza, we have a feeling you won't be ordering in anymore! Just another way to save a little money, and enjoy good eating when looking for Lent recipes.
What do you do when you've got fresh veggies on hand, and a grill that's hot and ready? You make our Overstuffed Grilled Veggie Hoagie! Tender and caramelized veggies are the star in this zingy sandwich recipe. That's why it's one of our favorites Lent recipes!
What's the surprise ingredient between our layers of lasagna noodles? No, not meat. We've been over this, we're going meatless for Lent. But we used seasoned mashed potatoes to make this recipe pop! Our hearty Pierogi Lasagna, topped with zesty Cheddar cheese, is a must-have when you're looking for the best Lenten meals.
If you consider yourself a lasagna lover, then these Lasagna Rollups are going to become a dinnertime favorite. If you're looking for one of our more unique meatless meals for Lent, then this one is it! Plus, who doesn't want to change up their lasagna a little? This gives it that little something extra.
Who says you have to choose between great taste and good health? With our recipe for Baked Eggplant Parmigiana, you can enjoy both! We're sure you'll find yourself making this Italian favorite even when you're not thinking about lightening up!
The nice thing about this fettuccine recipe is that, for flavor and ease, on a scale of 1 to 10, it rates a 10! Why, it's good enough to be served in the finest Italian restaurant. Does someone in your family prefer pesto? We've got you covered there, too. Try this Pesto Linguine for a delicious Lenten pasta recipe.
Fish Recipes for Lent
If you're on the hunt for a fantastic fish dinner recipe idea for Lent, look no further than the tasty seafood recipes below. All of the fish dinner ideas below are perfect for Lent. From tasty catfish concoctions to simple salmon, these Lent Friday meals are ideal for families of all sizes.
There's something about a tuna casserole that always takes us back to our childhood. It was one of Mom's specialties, and boy did she make it look simple! Luckily, our easy tuna filled version of Mom's Tuna Noodle Casserole is so creamy and delicious, you'll want to make it again and again.
Lure your gang to the table with this all-in-one meal that starts with mild and mellow U.S. Farm-Raised catfish. Topped with a tempting corn and lima bean succotash, our Pan-Seared Catfish with Succotash will have you reeling in tasty rewards! Lent never tasted so good!
Hit the pantry instead of the high seas for the main ingredient in this easy salmon casserole that's so rich and thick it will always leave you wanting more. Just because you've cut out meat for Lent doesn't mean you have to cut out satisfaction at dinnertime!
If you've never used buttermilk in a batter, are you ever in for a treat. Our delicious crispy batter-fried Buttermilk Fish Fillets will win you loads of tasty compliments. It's a little taste of spring without messing up your goal to go meatless.
Just wait'll you taste this crispy-crunchy recipe for potato-crusted fish and chips! Who would have thought you could use this type of breading on a fish dinner. Our shortcuts will have this British favorite on your table in no time.
Southern Fish and Chips is our take on a traditional British favorite. We bread our catfish fillets in a kickin' seasoned mixture, and serve them with a side of sweet potato fries for a truly Southern eating experience.
Mr. Food and our TV production team went nuts over this recipe when they visited a restaurant in the Mississippi Delta, where we taped some shows. They thought it was one of the best fish recipes they ever had. Our Test Kitchen agrees ... And so will you, we're sure of it!
If you want a great meal with less mess and fewer ingredients, our Brown Sugar-Glazed Salmon is just the recipe! Not only is this Lent recipe tasty, but it comes together in a hurry. Put away the chicken and tell the gang you're grillin' fish tonight!
Lent Lunch Ideas
Finding lightened up and meatless lunch ideas during Lent can be difficult. If you're go-to is a simple lunch meat sandwich, it is hard to think of simple and creative alternatives for your mid-day meal. These Lenten lunch recipes and ideas are tasty, simple, and easy to make-ahead of time. Consider meal prepping the week of Lent by making salads or sandwich toppings you can re-heat when your lunchtime hunger hits.
Crunchy coleslaw and a few south-of-the-border spices give these Simple Fish Tacos made with U.S. Farm-Raised catfish that extra kick we're sure you'll love. These crowd-pleasers are as welcome for entertaining as they are for a simple weeknight!
There is no denying it, this is truly the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich. You see, when we made it, this dish disappeared so fast in our Test Kitchen it barely even had time to cool!
Turn your kitchen into the private dining room of a country club when you serve up this fresh fruit salad at your next get-together. Our recipe for Country Club Fruit Salad is dressed up in a lively yogurt sauce that makes this fruit salad all the better!
Refrigerated pizza dough is our shortcut to making this tasty Spinach and Cheese Stromboli in less than 15 minutes. It's a quick and easy vegetarian stromboli recipe that's guaranteed to fill you up during Lent!
Tomato Flatbread is popular on restaurant menus, and now you can make it at home! The key to this tomato flatbread recipe is to start with really good tomatoes. And we recommend topping it with fresh slivered basil, too. This easy flatbread recipe makes the perfect Lent recipe!
We've come up with an easy way for you to eat macaroni and cheese - no utensils required! Macaroni and cheese is in the filling for this Mac and Cheese Quesadilla recipe. And since broccoli and cheese go so well together, you know we had to include that, too!
This jumbo-sized vegetarian's dream Portobello "Steak" Sandwich starts with the hearty "beefed up" taste and texture of popular Portobello mushrooms. Whether you serve it on a weeknight, or for a special-occasion, they'll love this flavorful sandwich!
We bet you've seen this salad at a restaurant before, but you've never tried making it at home. Well, now's your chance 'cause this Mandarin Spinach Salad is a green salad recipe that tastes better when it's homemade. We just love the fruity burst of flavor and simple spices.
