Here are 15+ easy and simple meatless recipes for Lent. These Lenten recipes include dishes with seafood and fish, as well as some of my favorite vegetarian meals. I’m also including some of the traditional Ecuadorian dishes like fanesca soup and molo mashed potatoes. It used to be that these were mainly prepared and eaten during Holy Week, however these days it’s common for restaurants to serve them during the entire Lent season.
Tuna and tomato pasta: This dish of tuna and tomato pasta is so simple and quick to make. The pasta sauce is made with canned tuna fish, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, and herbs.
Ecuadorian viche fish soup: Biche de pescado, also called viche de pescado, is a traditional Ecuadorian soup made with fish, peanuts, yucca or cassava, sweet plantains, corn, and other vegetables and spices.
Avocados filled with shrimp salad {Aguacate relleno con camarones}: Easy recipe for shrimp stuffed avocado made with ripe avocado filled with shrimp, red onion, radish, bell pepper, celery and cilantro aioli salad.
Latin inspired tuna nicoise salad: I took a classic Nicoise salad – tuna fish, potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives and capers – and gave it a Latin twist by adding avocado slices, lime marinated onions and a spicy serrano cilantro vinaigrette.
Corn and shrimp locro soup: This is a shrimp and corn chowder style soup with a Latin touch. This tasty soup was inspired by the traditional Ecuadorian locro potato soup, and is made with shrimp, corn, potatoes, seafood broth, milk/cream, onion, garlic, celery, annatto.
Pasta with mushroom cream sauce: Easy and delicious pasta with a creamy mushroom white wine sauce, topped with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.
Fanesca {Ecuadorian Easter Soup} : This iconic Ecuadorian Easter soup or stew is made with bacalao or salted cod, squash, fava beans, chochos, corn, peas, porotos or fresh beans, rice, onions, garlic, cumin, achiote, peanuts, milk, cream and cheese.
Molo mashed potatoes: This Ecuadorian version of mashed potatoes is made with milk, cream, queso fresco and a refrito of onions, garlic, and achiote or annatto. Molo is served with lettuce leaves, hard boiled eggs, hot pepper slices, avocados, scallions, cilantro or parsley, tomato and onion curtido and aji or hot sauce.
Avocado pastas: Pasta or spaghetti with avocado sauce made with ripe avocados, roasted hatch green chiles, tomatillos, roasted garlic, cilantro, and olive oil. Topped with crumbled queso freso and green onions.
Shrimp tortilla soup: My uncle’s delicious shrimp tortilla soup recipe made with shrimp, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeños, tomatoes, spices, seafood broth, lime juice and served with queso fresco, tortilla chips, and avocado.
Tuna fish empanadas {Empanadas de atún}: These tasty tuna fish empanadas, also known as empanadas de vigilia, have a filling that consists of tuna fish, onions, bell peppers, olives, capers, paprika, and oregano.
Repe green banana soup: Repe lojano is a creamy soup made with green bananas or green plantains, onions, garlic, milk, cheese and cilantro.
Arroz marinero or seafood rice: Arroz marinero or arroz con mariscos is a seafood rice dish very popular in Latin/South American countries. It’s made with rice cooked in seafood broth and sautéed with shrimp, clams, squid, bay scallops, onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and spices.
Humitas or steamed fresh corn cakes/tamales: Recipe for humitas or savory steamed fresh corn cakes made from a mixture of freshly ground corn, onion, garlic, cheese, eggs, and cream, which is placed inside corn husks and steamed. If you can’t find fresh corn in the husks, try this baked casserole style pastel de humita version that can be made with frozen or canned corn.
Bean stew or menestra de porotos: Menestra de porotos is an Ecuadorian bean stew, made with beans simmered in a sauce of onions, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, chili powder and cilantro or parsley. Served with rice, plantains, salad, and for Lent, a fried egg or fish/seafood.
Seafood pasta {Tallarines con mariscos}: This Latin style seafood pasta or spaghetti recipe is made with a mix of seafood – fish, shrimp, mussels, scallops, clams, and calamari – cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, achiote(annatto).
Encebollado tuna soup with lime pickled onions: Encebollado de pescado is an Ecuadorian fish soup made with fresh tuna, yuca, tomato, onions, cilantro, cumin, hot pepper and topped with lime pickled red onions.
Asparagus empanadas: Asparagus empanadas filled with asparagus, fava beans, fresh peas, goat cheese and thyme. Serve the empanadas with a balsamic chimichurri sauce.
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