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Lebanese Recipes for Lent

These Lebanese recipes for Lent hit all of the marks for fasting from meat: hearty, simple, and so flavorful. Plus, they are humble in their own special ways, just what we look for while fasting during Lent. Get the right ingredients, including lentils, bulgur, spices, olive oil and more in my online shop here!


Garlicky Lentil Soup, MaureenAbood.com
Garlicky Lebanese Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard and Lemon; dressed up Rushta

Practice fasting in Lent with an array of healthy Lebanese recipes. There is a long and special tradition of Lenten practices in Lebanese culture and faith life. Out of this comes recipes and menu ideas to carry us through the 40 days. These recipes truly define the Mediterranean diet, with their emphasis on grains, legumes, healthy fats, plant-based protein, yogurt, and lots of herbs and spices.


Lebanese Salad in a salad bowl

Lebanese Salad (Salata)

My traditional Lebanese Salad (salata) is a crisp salad of romaine, cucumbers, onion, and tomato with a garlicky, lemony vinaigrette.Mouthwatering! We eat this one almost every day.

Lebanese falafel with tahini sauce on a plate

Authentic Lebanese Falafel

This authentic falafel recipe is packed with fresh herbs, giving the little fried fritters a fabulous flavor and texture.

Fresh mint hummus with mint, clintro, and pine nuts

Lebanese Hummus Recipes

Any and all hummus makes for an excellent addition to your Lenten recipe repertoire!

Roasted cauliflower on a sheet pan with foil

Roasted Cauliflower Shawarma

Cauliflower is given the shawarma treatment with a spiced marinade, then roasted to golden brown. Hearty, delicious.

Lebanese Mujadara with labneh and caramelized onions in a white dish

Mujadara, Lebanese Lentil Pilaf

This vegetarian/vegan pilaf is made with lentils, caramelized onions, and rice or coarse bulgur. A Lenten Friday favorite for it’s humble ingredients as a satisfying meal.

Vegetarian Stuffed Koosa

Vegetarian stuffed koosa is based on the classic Lebanese dish of hollowed-out, stuffed summer squash poached in tomato (or yogurt).

Vegetarian Grapeleaves, MaureenAbood.com

Vegetarian Grape Leaves (gluten-free and vegan too…)

Vegetarian grape leaves are stuffed with a delicious mix of rice, onion, chickpeas, and peppers. Simple adjustments make this gluten-free, and vegan.

Potato kibbeh in a square dish

Potato Kibbeh

Potato kibbeh is deeply savory with a lemony spinach filling. Very delicious on its own or served with a garlicky yogurt sauce with mint. We’ve had this conversation before, about dishes that are traditionally made with meat that are then turned into something new, vegetarian-style. The inspiration for the change-up had to be rooted in

Lebanese Pumpkin Kibbeh

This delicious blend of pureed pumpkin, bulgur, onion and spices with a lemony spinach and onion filling is one of the many versions in the great Lebanese kibbeh tradition. Use canned pumpkin puree or make your own. Use chopped frozen spinach or fresh.

Cabbage salad with garlic and lemon on a blue plate

Easy Cabbage Salad with Garlic and Lemon

My easy cabbage salad with garlic and lemon is a winner onall scores: the salad comes together in 10 minutes tops, packs incredible fresh flavorin just a few ingredients, and is at home with most every grilled meat, vegetable,and wrap you can think of.

Lebanese Fattoush Salad

I could eat this salad every single day and still want more! See how it’s done in my video, right here! Get the Fattoush Kit for the vinaigrette here! Find the recipe for the pita chips here. You can add cucumbers and any other vegetables you have on hand to this salad. The more the merrier!

Toasted Bulgur Pilaf with Zucchini, MaureenAbood.com

Toasted Bulgur Pilaf with Zucchini.

Think of bulgur pilaf the same way you do rice pilaf–except so much healthier with all of the protein and fiber in bulgur. Use coarse bulgur, known as “#3.” So nutrient-rich that it makes a great main dish.

Crunchy Cucumber Salad

This is laban khiyar, using lots of herbs and cool laban, or yogurt. Such a delicious side with any and all mains, especially mujadara.

Lentil soup in a blue flowered bowl with green herbs on top

Garlicky Lebanese Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard and Lemon; dressed up Rushta

Lebanese lentil soup, or rushta, is a Lebanese staple. I love to ramp my Lebanese lentil soup up with plenty of garlic, a healthy and delicious addition of swiss chard, and lemon. Warming, good for you, and always a hit especially during Lent.

Tabbouleh in lettuce cups

Avocado Tabbouleh, the original chopped salad!

This Lebanese chopped salad is a labor of love! SO worth it! I use a blend of parsley and mint as the foundation of this salad, along with diced tomato, sliced green onion, cucumber, and my special twist: avocado! Be sure to select firm-ripe avocados that aren't too soft for this recipe. Serve the salad in little lettuce cups, Lebanese-style.

Cabbage slaw in a big white salad bowl with silver serving spoons

Lebanese Cabbage Slaw, Malfouf Salad

This simple, no-mayo slaw is adaptable–use as many or few ingredients as you like, starting with cabbage and onion and going from there. Very flavorful with the vinaigrette and crunch.


More info about ingredients for Lebanese Recipes for Lent

Take the guesswork out of speciality ingredients like bulgur. Knowing just how to handle herbs and vegetables makes your cooking faster and easier! Here’s all kinds of helpful information to get started:

Learn more about bulgur here

Here’s how to prep parsley for tabbouleh

Here’s what to know about grape leaves

Learn how to core koosa here

Core and cut cabbage like this for slaw


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Maureen Abood in the kitchen

I'm so glad you're here! You'll find among these pages the fresh and classic Lebanese recipes we can't get enough of! My mission is to share my tried + true recipes -- and to help our Lebanese food-loving community keep these culinary traditions alive and on the table. What recipes are you looking for? Let me know!

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