💜 Lent-Friendly Dinners, Mardi Gras Recipes + MORE!

View this email in your browser Hi Friends 👋🏼  As we head into the third week of February, we're balancing comforting dinner recipes for Lent with bold, festive Mardi Gras favorites that bring the party to the table. Expect plenty of meatless meals and seafood-forward dinners perfect for Fridays during Lent, alongside classic Mardi Gras dishes inspired by Cajun flavors—think rich sauces, hearty rice dishes, and big Southern spices. Whether you're keeping things simple and meatless or celebrating Fat Tuesday with something a little indulgent, this week's recipes are all about tradition, comfort, and seriously good food. Have a great week everyone!   featured recipes Red Velvet Pancakes (Made with box cake mix!) Balsamic Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms Chicken Florentina Cous Cous Salad To get the recipe ingredients and directions, click on the recipe name or image; which will take you to the original post.  Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle Balsamic Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms Chicken Florentina Pearled Cous Cous Salad lent friendly dinners Lent is the 40-day season leading up to Easter, traditionally observed with simpler meals and meatless Fridays as a way to practice reflection and restraint. This year, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18th and goes through Saturday, April 4th with many families choosing seafood and vegetarian dinners throughout the season. These Lent-friendly recipes focus on comforting, satisfying meals—think fish, pasta, vegetables, and hearty meatless favorites—that make it easy to honor tradition while still putting a delicious dinner on the table. Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Three Bean Chili Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille Lasagna Cavatelli with Broccoli Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Seafood Linguine Italian Beans and Rice Eggplant Francaise Cauliflower Black Bean Chili Zucchini Meatballs Visit our Meatless, Seafood or Pasta Categories under the Recipe Index for more inspiration!  mardi gras recipes Celebrate Fat Tuesday on February 17th with bold Mardi Gras-Inspired Cajun Recipes packed with smoky spices, hearty ingredients, and down-home Southern comfort. Known for its rustic, one-pot cooking style, Cajun food is all about big flavor and satisfying meals—perfect for marking the season before Lent begins. From saucy mains to classic rice dishes, these festive favorites bring authentic Louisiana flavor straight to your table. Cajun Shrimp and Linguine Cajun Lime Rib Eye Steak Black Beans and Rice Whole Cajun Chicken Chicken a la Diable Cajun Lime Grilled Shrimp Skewers Cajun Sausage Alfredo  Spaghetti Squash Pork Chops with Apple Chutney Check out our Pinterest Mardi Gras Board for more fun ideas!    weekly meal plan #200 Gluten Free (gf); Dairy Free (df); Low Carb (lc) For serving suggestions, please visit our Recipe Index by Category.  Click on each title or image to get to the recipe where you can print or instantly add grocery items into your own Instacart account!  ➡️➡️Click here to Download Blank Weekly Meal Plan Monday, February 16 Chicken Parmesan Tuesday, February 17 Mongolian Beef  Wednesday, February 18 Turkey Bolognese Spaghetti Squash  Thursday, February 19 Ranch Baked Pork Chops   Friday, February 20 Broccoli and Cheese Calzones Saturday, February 21 Rigatoni with Meat Sauce Sunday, February 15 Chicken in a Lemon Butter Sauce Dessert Skillet Chocolate Chunk Cherry Brownies most popular recipe last week Braised Cinnamon Whiskey Beef Brisket Cooked low and slow, this beef brisket braised in a Dutch oven with fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, carrots, brown sugar and cinnamon whiskey is delicious. recipes found around the web Here are some other recipes I found this week that caught my eye.     1. Asian Chicken Quesadillas from Barefeet in the Kitchen 2. Greek Stuffed Peppers from Everyday Eileen 3. Dan Dan Noodles from Budget Bytes 4. Oven Baked Pork Ribs from My Greek Kitchen Coming Next Week.... Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Lucky Charms Marshmallow Treats Website Email Pinterest Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please send us an email and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.   Copyright © 2026 Carrie's Experimental Kitchen, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via Carrie's Experimental Kitchen website. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's owner is strictly prohibited. Please contact the owner for any licensing inquiries for commercial use, publication and/or general distribution.  We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  subscribe