Lent, observed by many Christian traditions from Ash Wednesday to Easter, commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. A common practice during Lent is abstaining from meat on Fridays, with some choosing to forgo it for the entire season. If you're looking to change up your Lenten routine beyond the usual tuna noodle casserole and fish frys, this article provides a variety of healthy and flavorful meat-free recipes that will make you want to continue eating vegetarian even after Lent is over!
Understanding Lent and Dietary Adjustments
During Lent, many people choose to abstain from meat on Fridays as a reminder of Jesus' sacrifice. This practice encourages simplicity and reflection, aligning with the spirit of the season. Lent is also a time for positive changes, acts of generosity, and volunteer work. In Italy, it's a period of reflection and self-sacrifice, with many abstaining from meat for the 40 days leading up to Easter, following the indulgent festivities of Carnevale. Besides meat, some choose to give up other enjoyable foods like sweets, chocolate, ice cream, or cheese as a form of solidarity with those less fortunate.
Enhancing Flavor Without Meat
Creating umami flavor without meat is easy with ingredients like nutritional yeast or soy sauce. These additions can elevate vegetarian dishes, making them more satisfying and flavorful.
Soup Recipes
Black Bean Soup
Black bean soup recipes are a great choice for Lent because they are light and usually meat-free. For a variation, you could add lean beef or chicken, but the soup is excellent on its own as a filling Friday dinner during Lent.
Red Pepper Red Lentil Soup
This red pepper red lentil soup combines sweet peppers and hearty lentils. This comforting soup requires just a few simple ingredients.
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Creamy Cauliflower White Bean Soup
Make a creamy cauliflower white bean soup with simple ingredients like cannellini beans and tahini. Flavored with thyme and sage, this earthy soup is hearty and delicious!
Carrot and Lentil Soup
This hearty carrot and lentil soup is ready in just 30 minutes and made with only 7 ingredients. It's a simple yet flavorful soup filled with high-protein lentils and sweet, earthy carrots.
Vegan Gluten Free Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is a classic Italian recipe. This vegan and gluten-free version is full of delicious vegetables, beans, and pasta. This flavorful soup is warm and comforting.
Red Lentil Soup
A big pot of lentil soup is sure to please everyone on any night of the week! This healthy recipe is filled to the brim with protein-packed lentils, plenty of veggies, and savory spices.
Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
Enjoy this veggie soup that's still plenty filling and comforting! Leeks, celery, garlic, and potatoes combine with flavorful herbs and seasonings to make it happen. Pair it with goat cheese crostini.
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Moroccan Chickpea Stew
When invited to a potluck, easily double or triple this healthy Moroccan chickpea stew to treat the crowd to an exotic dish of enticing, bold flavors.
Moroccan-Inspired Vegetable Stew
This isn’t your average vegetable soup. Flavored with warm, earthy spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cumin, this hearty Morocco-inspired stew is pure comfort in a bowl.
Pasta Dishes
Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
Spaghetti squash Alfredo features an indulgent and creamy Parmesan-garlic sauce served over healthy squash "noodles"! With silky spaghetti squash instead of pasta, this decadent meat-free Alfredo dish cuts down on carbs without losing any of the sauce’s trademark richness.
Vegan Creamy Spinach Pasta
Make this vegan creamy spinach pasta on a busy weeknight. This dish is ready in 30 minutes and is a complete meal with protein, vegetables, and carbs.
Vegan Gluten Free Lasagna
This vegan gluten-free lasagna layers sheets of GF pasta, lentil meat sauce, and creamy tofu ricotta for a comforting dish made with whole food ingredients.
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White Lasagna
This lasagna will be love at first bite for lenten season and beyond! It has layer upon layer of pasta, béchamel sauce filled with pesto and artichoke hearts, several types of cheese, and veggies such as spinach and yellow squash. Bake it all until bubbling!
Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce
This tortellini with tomato cream sauce is warm and satisfying. Put spinach, tomatoes, and other pantry staples to use in the colorful dish. Jazz up packaged cheese tortellini with a silky tomato cream sauce and frozen spinach.
Vegan Baked Ziti with Ricotta
This vegan baked ziti with ricotta layers soft ziti noodles, red lentil meat sauce, and creamy tofu ricotta for a comforting dish made with whole food ingredients.
Pierogi Casserole
Also called pierogi lasagna, this hearty casserole tastes just like those Eastern European potato dumplings thanks to layers of mashed potatoes, cheese, and sweet caramelized onions.
Pesto Flatbread
Purchased pesto sauce keeps the pesto flatbread big on taste and convenience. Whether you use any of these store-bought pesto brands or make your own, this no-fuss flatbread is plenty filling thanks to melty mozzarella cheese and umami-rich mushrooms.
Ravioli
Store-bought ravioli speeds assembly of this cozy, restaurant-quality dish that tastes so good your family won't notice it's meatless. Packaged cheese ravioli is the ultimate vegetarian meal starter when you don’t have much time (or energy) to cook dinner.
Manicotti
This recipe is a fantastic way to make manicotti that's a little unusual. Avocado in baked pasta sounds a little out-there, but the bright green fruit helps make a rich sauce thanks to all its healthy fats.
Mac and Cheese
Nothing compares to a bubbling pan of creamy macaroni and cheese, and this simple version might be the greatest mac of all time. It’s easy to sneak in vegetables too. This is the ultimate creamy mac and cheese. It's saucy, thick and very rich, with a wonderful cheddar flavor. Once you taste it, you'll be hooked.
Linguine with Clam Sauce
As far as seafood pasta goes, this recipe is one of the best! It's lemony, garlicky, and extra decadent thanks to the addition of heavy cream and parmesan in the clam sauce. Better yet, it will be on the table in just 20 minutes!
Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Take everything you love about the popular party dip and transform it into a flavorful pasta with the addition of noodles and a crunchy panko breadcrumb topping. It's blissfully buttery and cheesy!
Pasta with Shrimp and Pistachio Pesto
Make a homemade pesto sauce using spinach, parsley, and pistachios, then use it as a delicious marinade for fresh shrimp. Serve it over linguine pasta for an easy yet exciting dinner.
Shrimp Alfredo
All you have to do to prepare this speedy shrimp pasta is boil some noodles, sauté the shrimp, and create the creamy sauce, which comes together using heavy cream, butter, and plenty of parmesan cheese.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi
A rainbow of veggies accompanies pillowy soft gnocchi on this sheet pan dinner. Serve it up with peppery arugula and fresh basil for even more green color.
Shrimp Scampi
The combination of butter, garlic, lemon, and shrimp is absolutely irresistible! Serve it over angel hair pasta and you'll have dinner ready in no time.
Vegetable Dishes
Cabbage "Steaks"
These thick slices of cabbage are brushed with olive oil, seasoned, and then roasted in the oven. Cabbage “steak” becomes irresistibly sweet and tender when roasted, without the bitter notes you find in other cruciferous veggies, like Brussels sprouts. These big slabs of cabbage are perfectly tender in the center with crispy edges and a garlicky, almond breadcrumb topping that makes them a total crowd-pleaser. Serve them up with mashed potatoes for a fun twist on a steak dinner.
Roasted Vegetables
This works well with a variety of sheet-pan-roasted vegetables. Use zucchini or summer squash in the summer. You can also change up the herbs in the dressing. Sheet pan dinners are lifesavers on weeknights when we don’t have much time or energy to cook, and this colorful Lent-friendly dish could not be easier to put together. Bonus: It can be made with whatever veggies you have on hand.
Vegetarian Enchiladas
These vegetarian enchiladas use a lot of garden favorites in a quick weeknight meal. Feel free to substitute with whatever vegetables you have from your garden: yellow summer squash, eggplant and corn-all taste great! Roasting zucchini, poblano pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes brings out their sweetness before they’re stuffed into cheesy enchiladas.
Stuffed Zucchini
Zucchini shells take center stage when filled with vegetables, beans and sauce. If you’ve never stuffed a zucchini, get with the program! The sturdy green vegetable makes a nutritious platter for saucy pinto beans and melty Gouda cheese.
Skillet Spinach Pie
Sneak extra veggies into your kids’ dinners, especially with this skillet spinach pie recipe. Because of this pie's flaky crust and extra cheese, the kids never know they’re eating a vitamin-rich dish. Plus, I’m not hovering over an oven for hours. Put the spinach and phyllo sheets in the refrigerator the night before or early in the morning for thawing. Flaky frozen phyllo dough layers with cheesy spinach to form a savory pie like no other.
Vegan Potpie
Substitute beans for canned lentils in this easy vegetable potpie. We also like using frozen edamame. This robust, entirely meatless potpie is packed with low-cost staples like canned lentils, frozen mixed vegetables and refrigerated pie crust.
Veggie Fajitas
Vegetarian-friendly fajitas? Yes, please! Vegetables like zucchini, squash, and peppers, get topped with homemade pico de gallo, cheese, crema, and a dash of hot sauce to satisfy all your Tex-Mex cravings. Serve these satisfying vegetarian fajitas with sides of cilantro lime rice or any of these Mexican side dishes. For a scrumptious and super healthy party dish, these colorful, hearty veggie fajitas packed with crisp-tender vegetables are perfect.
Eggplant Roll-Ups
These authentic Italian eggplant roll-ups can take some time to prepare, but the end result is restaurant-quality. Your family will request this recipe time and again. Eggplant Parmesan meets lasagna in this impressive Italian-inspired dish, which will win over even the staunchest eggplant haters. For an even bake, make sure to cut the eggplant super thin at 1/8-inch thick.
Spanikopita
This iconic Greek recipe features layers of seasoned spinach, tangy feta, and crispy phyllo dough that form a super savory vegetarian pie.
Thai Peanut Cabbage Salad
The ultimate peanut salad! This Thai cabbage salad is made from veggies like romaine, cabbage, bell peppers, and carrots, loaded with an easy garlic tofu, and drizzled with a decadent creamy peanut dressing.
Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
Sweet & Sour Cauliflower is the cauliflower version of the classic dish. Cauliflower and peppers covered in a thick, sweet sauce.
Asparagus Quiche
Just as delicious for dinner as it is for brunch, this veggie quiche is packed with seasonal asparagus, fresh herbs, and feta. You can even make it using a store-bought crust for extra ease!
Bean and Legume-Based Dishes
Chickpea Burgers
These chickpea burgers are totally awesome. I think I’d rather have one than any cheeseburger at a restaurant. They really rock! These savory garbanzo bean patties offer all the fun-and burger topping possibilities-of beef burgers, without the meat. The bean burgers come together in the food processor with just beans, a bit of lemon juice, eggs, bread crumbs and seasoning. Top them with American cheese for nostalgia factor.
Lentil Tacos
Craving tacos on a Friday night? Swap out the ground beef with lentils! When my husband's cholesterol numbers rose, I quickly lowered the fat in our family's diet. Finding dishes that were healthy for him and yummy for our five children was a challenge, but this fun taco recipe was a huge hit with everyone.
Bean Burritos
These hearty and zippy burritos can be whipped up in a jiffy. Thanks to instant rice and canned black beans, these satisfying plant-based burritos are ready even quicker than fast-food.
Vegan Tempeh Chili
This vegan tempeh chili is a classic chili, packed with nutrients, flavor, and protein for an easy and satisfying meal.
Vegan Kidney Bean Burgers
Get 18g of protein with these light and fresh vegan kidney bean burgers. These whole food burgers are easy to make and packed with nutrients.
Vegan Four Bean Salad
Make this vegan four bean salad in just 10 minutes. An easy no-cook recipe to serve on a hot day. High in protein and fiber, and naturally gluten-free!
Vegan Black Beluga Lentil Bolognese
Vegan Black Beluga Lentil Bolognese is a hearty and flavorful dinner. With just a few ingredients, this bolognese comes together easily, with minimal hands-on time!
Tofu Crumble and Black Bean Tacos
Make protein-packed vegan tacos with tofu and black beans! These tofu crumble tacos are so easy to make and have a great firm texture. Perfect for vegan taco Tuesday!
Tempeh Caesar Salad
Tempeh Caesar Salad is a plant-based version of the classic caesar. Made with tempeh, crispy chickpeas, homemade vegan parmesan, drizzled with oil-free cashew caesar dressing, and served on romaine. Vegan, oil-free, gluten-free.
Chickpea Dahl
This chickpea dahl is a hearty dish featuring chickpeas simmered in curry spiced coconut milk and tomato sauce. An easy and flavorful dinner.