Mardi Gras—the notorious feast of indulgences—is around the corner. While we love digging into plates of New Orleans and Cajun classics, this year we’re lightening our load with a Mardi Gras feast of five healthy-ish recipes that are full of flavor but won’t break the calorie bank. So go ahead and indulge a little—it is Mardi Gras, after all.
Red Beans and Rice Burgers
These burger patties from My Cooking Spot combine two classic New Orleans ingredients—rice and red beans—with a flavorful mix of paprika-seasoned bell pepper, onion, celery, and crumbled sausage. To make it even lighter on calories, opt for turkey sausage instead of pork.
Instant Pot Jambalaya
We use our Instant Pot for cooking just about anything, and this easy jambalaya from The Spruce Eats is no exception. After a quick sauté of chicken, sausage (again, opt for chicken or turkey sausage here for a lower-cal version), and a veggie mix of bell peppers, onion, and celery, the whole thing is set to cook on its own with rice and canned tomatoes. In less than 20 minutes, dinner is done!
Cajun Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin—a tender, boneless cut of pork—is a juicy, flavorful, and lean cut of meat. This recipe from Food & Wine calls for rubbing your tenderloins with a Cajun-inspired blend of paprika, oregano and garlic and onion powders before roasting in the oven. Serve with a simple green salad or red beans and rice.
Cajun Shrimp Skillet
This shrimp and veggie skillet from Delish combines Cajun seasoning with a huge handful of diced veggies—think bell pepper, onions, and corn—and enough shrimp to feed your entire crew. Serve over anything from cooked quinoa to white rice to steamed greens, or put it all out on the table and let guests decide for themselves.
Baked Beignets
No Mardi Gras meal would be complete without New Orleans’s classic pillowy puffs of fried doughy goodness for dessert! We love how this recipe from Also the Crumbs Please easily walks us through making the yeasted dough at home and keeps the beignets healthier than their French Quarter counterparts by baking them in the oven instead of deep-frying them.
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