Recipes for the Lenten Season

What makes a meal suitable for Lent

Lent is the roughly six-week period of fasting, prayer and almsgiving before Easter in many Christian traditions. Food practices vary widely by denomination, country and personal choice, so it helps to know which rules you are following before you plan your menu.

In general terms:

Roman Catholics are asked to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and the Fridays of Lent. Fish, eggs and dairy are allowed. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also days of fasting, which usually means one full meal and two smaller ones that do not add up to a full meal, for adults within a certain age range. Rules differ slightly between countries, so check your bishops’ conference or diocese for exact guidance.
Eastern Orthodox and many Eastern Catholic Christians follow a much stricter tradition that traditionally avoids meat, dairy products and eggs for much of the season, with fish allowed only on a few days, though shellfish is commonly allowed. Practices differ between churches and families.
Many other Christians, and some people who do not observe any religious rule, choose to eat simply or give up a particular food.

If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or are cooking for children or older adults, fasting rules typically have exemptions. Speak to your clergy and a healthcare professional rather than relying on a general article.

Traditional Lenten foods around the world

Lenten cooking tends to rely on foods that were available in late winter and early spring, and so reflects regional ingredients:

Mediterranean countries: olive oil-based vegetable stews, chickpeas and lentils, salt cod (bacalao or baccala), pasta with garlic and oil, and in Greece, dishes such as fasolada (white bean soup) and lagana, the flatbread baked on Clean Monday (see our traditional Greek bread recipes).
Eastern and Central Europe: mushroom soups, sauerkraut, pierogi filled with potato, cabbage or mushrooms, herring, and beet soups made without meat.
Britain and Ireland: fish on Fridays, and on Good Friday, hot cross buns (see Easter food in the UK).
Germany and Central Europe: soft pretzels have long been linked with Lent.
Latin America: salt cod, lentil and bean dishes, and fish stews in many countries (see our Latin American vegetarian food recipes for meat-free bean and plantain dishes).
Eastern Christian traditions: plant-based dishes of lentils, rice, olives, tahini, nuts, bread and vegetables.

These are examples, not complete lists, and each region has many more.

Good Lenten meals to eat

Soups

Soups are the backbone of many Lenten menus because they are filling, inexpensive and easy to make without meat.

Lentil soup with lemon
White bean and kale soup
Mushroom soup with barley
Beet or cabbage soup made with vegetable stock
Potato and leek soup

Fish and seafood

For people who eat fish, simple preparations are most common:

Baked cod with lemon and capers
Pan-fried white fish with herbs
Salmon baked with potatoes on a sheet pan
Shrimp with garlic and orzo
Fish stew with tomatoes and potatoes
Tuna and white bean salad

Bean, grain and vegetable dishes

Chickpea salad with lemon-tahini dressing
Rice and lentils with caramelized onions
Black bean tacos with roasted sweet potato
Stuffed peppers or cabbage rolls with rice and mushrooms
Roasted vegetables with grains

Pasta and dumplings

Pasta with garlic and olive oil, or tomato sauce with olives and capers
Baked ziti with ricotta and spinach
Potato and cheese pierogi or cabbage and mushroom pierogi (cheese is fine under Catholic rules, but not under the strict Eastern fast)
Gnocchi with a simple sauce

If you are cooking pierogi or cabbage rolls, you may find overlap with the dishes in our Ukrainian Easter dinner guide, where the same foods appear in a festive form.

Three simple recipes

Lemon lentil soup

Serves: about 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (about 200 g) brown or green lentils, rinsed
5 cups (about 1.2 L) vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pot and cook the onion and carrots until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the garlic and cumin and stir for 30 seconds.
Add lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Cook until the lentils are tender, usually 25 to 35 minutes depending on the type.
Stir in lemon juice, season and serve with bread.

Baked cod with lemon and capers

Serves: 2

2 cod fillets (about 150 to 200 g each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon capers, drained
Zest and juice of half a lemon
Salt, pepper and chopped parsley

Heat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Place the fish on a lightly oiled baking dish.
Drizzle with oil, scatter capers and lemon zest and season.
Bake until the fish turns opaque and flakes easily, roughly 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness. Fish is cooked when it reaches 63 C (145 F) at the thickest point.
Squeeze lemon juice over the top, add parsley and serve with potatoes or rice.

Potato and onion pierogi filling

Makes: enough filling for about 24 pierogi

500 g potatoes, peeled and boiled until soft
1 large onion, finely chopped and cooked in oil until golden
Salt and pepper
Optional: 100 g farmer’s cheese (omit for a strictly fasting version)

Mash the potatoes until smooth and mix in the onion, seasoning and cheese if using.
Cool completely before filling rolled-out dough rounds, and seal the edges.
Boil the pierogi until they float and are tender, then serve with fried onions. For the strict fast, use oil and omit butter and sour cream.

A traditional Good Friday dinner

Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics, and a strict fast day for Orthodox Christians. Traditional dinners are plain and meatless. Common examples include:

Fish, such as baked or fried white fish, salt cod, or herring
Simple soups, such as lentil, bean or mushroom
Bread or buns, including hot cross buns in the UK and countries influenced by British traditions
Pasta or potatoes with vegetables and oil
Eastern Christian homes often serve plain foods based on vegetables, beans and bread, without oil on the strictest days, depending on custom

Many families keep the meal simple and quiet. The meal that follows, after the Easter vigil or on Easter morning, is where the feast begins. See the traditional Polish Easter dinner menu and the blessing of Easter food for what comes next.

About the “3 1 1 rule”

You may see the phrase “the 3 1 1 rule for Lent” online. We could not identify it as an official rule of the Catholic Church or another major denomination, and it may refer to a personal or parish-level guideline. The formal guidance for Catholics is that adults generally abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and Lenten Fridays, and fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. If you saw “3 1 1” in a specific source, it is best to check with that source or with your parish.

Planning a week of Lenten meals

Monday: lemon lentil soup with bread
Tuesday: pasta with tomatoes, olives and capers
Wednesday: chickpea salad with tahini dressing
Thursday: potato and cabbage pierogi
Friday: baked cod with lemon, potatoes and a green salad
Weekend: a larger pot of bean stew or vegetable curry that can be reheated

Making soups and bean dishes in batches saves time, and most keep well in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for longer. Keep cooked food refrigerated and reheat it until steaming hot.

Frequently asked questions

What are some good Lenten meals to eat?

Meatless soups, baked or pan-fried fish, bean and grain salads, pasta with vegetables, and potato or cabbage dumplings are all common choices.

What are the traditional foods eaten during Lent?

It depends on the culture: salt cod and legumes in southern Europe and Latin America, mushrooms, cabbage and pierogi in Eastern Europe, and vegetable and lentil dishes in Eastern Christian communities.

Can I eat eggs and dairy during Lent?

Under Roman Catholic rules, yes. Under the traditional Orthodox fast, they are avoided on most days. Follow the guidance of your own church.