Dive into a flavorful Mardi Gras feast featuring authentic Cajun and Creole entrées paired with classic Southern side dishes. From spicy jambalaya to savory gumbo, discover traditional recipes that bring the vibrant tastes of New Orleans to your table.
Each recipe in this roundup has been carefully selected to showcase Louisiana's diverse and vibrant culinary traditions. Whether you're a seasoned cook or new to Cajun and Creole cuisine, these dishes are designed to be accessible and delicious, ensuring your Mardi Gras celebration is a flavorful success.
1
Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya
Black-eyed pea Jambalaya is perfect for New Year's Day and upcoming Carnival season festivities that start on January 6. It's easy to make and produces amazing leftovers.
Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya
2
Beef Grillades and Smoked Gouda Grits
Beef Grillades (pronounced ɡree-yahds) and Grits is a classic New Orleans dish. The beef is cooked in a flavorful gravy accented with the Holy Trinity of onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic until it is fork tender. Beef Grillades is made extra special when served with Smoked Gouda Grits. It's not only delicious when first made, but also outstanding as leftovers!
Beef Grilles
3
Shrimp Étouffée
Shrimp Étouffée is Classic New Orleans at its best. It's perfect for Mardi Gras with spicy shrimp cooked in a delicious roux-based sauce.
Check out this recipe
4
Louisiana Skillet Cornbread
Louisiana Skillet Cornbread is perfect along side of Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya, Shrimp Étouffée, Red Beans and Rice and a whole host of other New Orleans classics. It's extra crispy on the sides and bottom and super moist in the middle.
Louisiana Skillet Cornbread
5
Cajun Blackened Chicken Alfredo
Craving a hearty and flavorful dish that packs a punch? Look no further than Cajun Blackened Chicken Alfredo! This unique recipe combines the creamy richness of traditional Alfredo sauce with the bold spices of Cajun cuisine, creating a truly unforgettable dining experience.
Cajun
6
Authentic Cajun Chicken Fricassee - A Taste of New Orleans
Chicken Fricassee is really a French stew that is typically cooked in a white wine sauce. This recipe is the Cajun version that is made with a traditional roux, and contains the holy trinity highlighted with Cajun seasonings. It's easy to make and incredible to taste!
Cajun Chicken Fricassee
7
Chicken Étouffée
Chicken Étouffée is a roux based stew made with the "trinity" and served over rice. It can be made ahead of time and reheated, making it the perfect Mardi Gras dish!
Chicken Etouffée
8
Cajun Corn Maque Choux
Cajun Corn Maque Choux (pronounced Mock Shoe) is a traditional Southern Louisiana dish. Often viewed as Southern succotash, Maque Choux combines Native American and early settler influences to create an incredible corn based dish. At its most basic level, Maque Choux includes fresh corn, onion, bell pepper, and spices. The Creole version adds tomatoes, and the dressed up versions add bacon, andouille sausage, crawfish, etc. This is a more basic version.
Cajun Corn Maque Choux
9
Pasta Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a quintessential New Orleans dish that has its roots in both French and Spanish settlers. Traditionally, jambalaya is made with some sort of sausage, along with some other meat and/or seafood. It includes the holy trinity of onion, celery, and green bell pepper, along with spicy seasonings and rice. Pasta Jambalaya replaces the rice with pasta to create an unforgettable meal!
Pasta Jambalaya
10
Spicy New Orleans Jambalaya
Nothing speaks classic New Orleans cuisine like Spicy New Orleans Jambalaya. Laizzez les bons temps rouler with this delicious one-pot meal that's perfect for Mardi Gras. It combines rice, shrimp, chicken, and andouille sausage in a spicy tomato sauce enhanced by the holy trinity.
New Orleans Jambalaya
11
Low-Fat Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo
Indulge in the rich, authentic flavors of New Orleans's iconic gumbo without the guilt. This low-fat chicken and smoked sausage gumbo is a healthier twist on the classic Cajun dish. Skip the traditional roux and use oven-browned flour for the thickening, cutting down on the fat while preserving the bold, savory taste.
Gumbo
12
Shrimp Newburg in Puff Pastry Shells
Shrimp Newburg in Puff Pastry Shells is an easy, but elegant entrée for your next dinner party. It's equally elegant for your Mardi Gras feast. Succulent shrimp in a spicy cream sauce spooned on crispy puff pastry says it all!
Shrimp Newburg
13
Mardi Gras Salad
For a quick and refreshing salad, you should try Mardi Gras Salad. It is so named because of its Mardi Gras colored ingredients - Green, Purple, and Gold!
Mardi Gras Salad
14
Red Beans and Rice
In New Orleans, red beans are a cultural tradition dating back for hundreds of years. Through the years, Red Beans and Rice was the quintessential dish associated with Mondays. Whatever day of the week, however, Red Beans and Rice is sure to please the most picky of eaters.
Red Beans and Rice
15
Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Boursin Grits
Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Boursin Grits is an easy to prepare but elegant dish to serve for any occasion. Succulent fresh shrimp are cooked to perfection in a creamy garlic and parmesan sauce. Ordinary grits are taken to new heights with the addition of not only Boursin cheese but also smoked Gouda cheese.
Cajun Shrimp and Boursin Grits
16
Bourbon Chicken
Legend has it that Bourbon Chicken was so named because a Chinese cook made it in a restaurant on Bourbon Street. Whether this is true or not, Bourbon Chicken is incredible and quite fitting for a Mardi Gras celebration! I don't know whether the original recipe contained Bourbon or not. However, I didn't think that I could go wrong by including it. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Bourbon Chicken
17
Baked Pecan Chicken with Mardi Gras Rice
Baked Pecan Chicken with Mardi Gras Rice - succulent pieces of chicken coated in pecan meal served with flavorful rice.
Chicken with Mardi Gras Rice
18
Spicy New Orleans Shrimp Creole
Shrimp Creole is a classic New Orleans dish consisting of shrimp cooked in a spicy mixture of diced tomatoes & the trinity - onion, celery and bell pepper.
Shrimp Creole
19
Cajun "Fried" Turkey without the Fry
There's a widespread view that in the South, we'll eat anything that's fried, and fried turkey is no exception! Although fried turkey is not necessarily confined to the South, it's origins are very Southern - the heart of Cajun country in Louisiana to be exact. What if you could achieve the crisp and crunchy outside, and moist and flavorful inside that is characteristic of a fried turkey without all of the oil that accompanies it? Well, thanks to my brother Tommy, the answer is that you can with his Infrared Oil-Less Turkey Fryer!
Cajun Fried Turkey
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