The Mardi Gras and Carnival season is ALLLLL about the indulgent southern comfort food. It’s basically a massive party dedicated to eating, which means it’s one of our favorites!
Whether you’re planning a big Mardi Gras party bash, or just cooking up a festive Fat Tuesday feast for your family, it’s an excuse to make your favorite New Orleans food. We’ve collected some of our favorite Mardi Gras recipes here!
Why Mardi Gras: Feast or Fast?
The history behind Mardi Gras feasting was to use up all the rich foods that were prohibited or restricted during a traditional Catholic Lenten fast. What to do with all those foods in your pantry that you weren’t supposed to eat but wouldn’t last in your larder until Easter? You feast!
Eggs, butter, meat & fresh sausages, and even rich cheeses and sweets… You’d try to use them up (you couldn’t exactly just stick them in the deep freezer until April until very recently, and especially not in the warmer, humid southern climate zones). And even things that wouldn’t spoil you’d use up to get that temptation out of the house!
The Carnival season starts on January 6th each year, and ends with Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday”, which is the day before Ash Wednesday. This is also called “Shrove Tuesday” or just Pancake Day… but whether you grew up eating pancakes or pฤ czki (a fried filled doughnut), beignets or blini, it’s a Fat Tuesday nonetheless!
In New Orleans and in many traditionally Catholic countries like Brazil and parts of Latin America, and even still in many parts of Europe, Carnival is a BIG deal.
Parades, parties, lavish balls, festivals, and other community celebrations that can be ritzy affairs or more casual events… but they all have one thing in common… FOOD, and lots of it!
And that celebratory tradition, plus the colorful and often contentious historic intersections and synthesis of culinary traditions from the varied diaspora of French & Spanish settlers, African Americans, Native Americans, and other food cultures that have influenced southern and especially New Orleans food culture… it’s a broad and inspired palette for the palate (sorry, sorry, I couldn’t resist).
And at the center of this party is New Orleans, the bustling port town that for hundreds of years was the major gateway to international trade for much of the central US, especially before the development of the railroads and highway systems, when the Mighty Mississippi was the highway from Midwestern farms & industrialized cities to the world, and vice-versa… all those flavors influence the recipes & cuisine most of us associate with Mardi Gras.
Yeah, yeah, blah blah, that’s great… but let’s eat, ok?
While most folks either don’t stick to a religious fasting tradition anymore, or rely as closely on a traditional agricultural calendar and seasonality in ingredients… it’s still fun to feast!
If you fell asleep during history class up there, no worries, we saved you a seat at the table. Let’s get cooking, yeah?
I’ve collected all of our best recipes for a New Orleans style menu… I’ll add to this list over time as I finish writing up some of our other favorites (like my chicken and sausage gumbo, Cajun catfish alfredo, and buttermilk beignets).
Whether your tastes lean towards spicy Cajun food or more subtle Creole cuisine, people down south know how to eat. Here are a few of our favorite southern or southern-inspired recipes to get inspired and get cookin’!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Mardi Gras Party Recipes: Southern Comfort Food
1
Southern-Fried Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish Salad with Peaches and Pecans
This southern-inspired fried catfish salad, y'all… It checks all the boxes for a refreshing summer entree on a sizzling hot summer day. Lightly pan fried cornmeal-crusted catfish, toasted pecans, peaches, red onion, romaine, cabbage, and a drizzle of creamy garlic parmesan dressing.It's crunchy, crisp, and a satisfying soul food meal that is still pretty dang healthy, and comes together in a flash.
The texture of these sausage balls is a little less crumbly and more chewy than the classic recipe, plus they're packing extra protein! Make-ahead instructions in the recipe notes.
Sharp Cheddar Grits With Mustard Greens, Bacon, Garlic, and Wild Mushrooms
This bowl of sharp cheddar grits and greens is the simplest of soul food meals, and oh so satisfying! Itโs rich, but just the kind of nutritious comfort food youโll be craving on a cold winter day, or anytime you need a hearty breakfast.To make this brunch "eggstra" special, add fried or poached eggs on top to add protein to power you through your day, and spice it up with your favorite hot sauces!
Cheese Grits with Venison Summer Sausage and Chocolate Red-Eye Gravy
You can substitute beef or other spicy summer sausage for the venison. This one has cheddar and jalapeno in the sausage, but use what you can get. You can use regular summer sausage to tone down the heat or cut back on the Cajun seasoning.
Creole Jambalaya Pasta (Pastalaya) with Smoked Sausage, Peppers, & Onions
This quick Creole jambalaya pasta recipe brings all the bold flavors of jambalaya to a one-pot pasta sauce. The "holy trinity" of peppers, onions, and celery are sauteed with garlic, spices, and smoked sausage, then tossed with fresh or canned diced tomatoes and simmered into a quick homemade pastalaya sauce. Big flavors from the Big Easy!
This homemade pumpkin mac & cheese recipe has it all… a rich, creamy, cheddar cheese sauce, a subtle blend of spices, and brightly-colored pumpkin puree. This is ultimate-comfort food, but with an extra superpowered veggie-boost!
You can make these from scratch whenever you are craving hot biscuits, or meal-prep and pre-measure your dry ingredients so they're even easier to throw together in an instant. The pre-measured mix makes a great homemade gift, paired with home-canned jams or other preserves.
Homemade smoky Old Bay Chex mix is so much better than the plain store-bought stuff. It's fresh and crunchy, has a rich, buttery flavor, and you can customize it with your favorite seasonings and snacks!
This simple stove-top recipe is fast, easy, and almost irresistible. Once you get the hang of this incredibly simple and thrifty stove-top popcorn recipe, you can have theater-quality fresh popcorn at home!
Throw some rice in your rice cooker (or use your favorite stovetop recipe) and heat up a jar of these spicy Cajun red beans with smoky pork and andouille sausage for a hearty, warming dinner in almost no time at all. This pressure-canning meal-in-a-jar recipe is adapted from a tested recipe by Ball. I have changed the seasoning and modified the preparation steps and recipe volume somewhat from the original, while still following safe-canning practices.
Smoky White Bean Soup with Pork & Collards (Instant Pot Recipe)
This smoky white bean soup with pork and collard greens will warm you from the inside out. This substantial southern soup has got soul, yโall! This recipe makes a big batch, perfect for feeding a crowd or meal-prepping, and it freezes beautifully. Itโs sized for an 8 quart Instant Pot, but you can still make it if you have a smaller IPโฆ just cut the recipe in half, or see the recipe post for stove top or crock pot preparation.
This traditional southern pecan pie is a great addition to your holiday pie table, or to bake and make any day special! It has a rich, caramel flavored filling, with buttery pecans and a flaky pastry crust. I recommend a homemade all-butter crust, but you can use your favorite quality store-bought crust in a pinch (though the pie won't be quite as good).
This water-bath canning recipe is adapted from the tested Ball canning recipe for Peach Rum Sauce with only safe variations, so you can can with confidence.
This homemade peach jam has a kick… it's packed with fresh fruit flavor, but layered with caramel brown sugar notes, whiskey, vanilla, and a hint of sea salt and spice. You can use just a pinch of salt in this jam for balance, or add more if you enjoy salted caramel dessert flavors. Either way, it's a delicious way to put up and preserve the flavor of sun-ripened summer peaches!
These creamsicle cookies are soft frosted tea cakes. They're delicately flavored with fresh orange juice, orange zest, & vanilla. It's an easy scoop & bake recipe with a quick frosting. It's an updated old family recipe… elegant but with kid-approved flavors! Fancy enough for a party, simple enough for everyday treats.
Bake this classic king cake recipe & no matter how far you are from New Orleans, it's a Mardi Gras party in your kitchen! This one has a traditional cinnamon sugar filling rolled up in a buttery, eggy yeasted dough, flavored with a hint of orange zest, and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and colorful sugar.
