Food

Top 12 Louisiana Recipes

By Diana Rattray, About.com Guide

Here are my picks and some of the most popular recipes for Mardi Gras, including grillades and grits for breakfast or brunch, gumbo or po' boys for lunch, a Louisiana chicken for dinner, delicious oysters for appetizers, and a bread pudding or Bananas Foster for a very pleasant end of day dessert.

1. Creamy Pralines With Toasted Pecans

Image © Diana Rattray

Toasted pecans give these cream pralines a distinct pecan flavor. Make these pralines for Mardi Gras, or any special occasion.

Recipe: Creamy Pralines With Toasted Pecans

2. Spicy Shrimp and Grits

Image © Diana Rattray

This flavorful version of shrimp and grits is made with tomatoes, green onions, and spicy Louisiana seasonings. Serve over savory creamy grits or your favorite cheese grits or grits cakes.

Recipe: Spicy Shrimp and Grits

3. Grillades and Grits

This is a really flavorful dish with beef steaks, onion, other vegetables, tomatoes, and herbs and seasonings, along with a roux.

Top Picks

4. Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Image © Diana Rattray

Delicious gumbo with a flavorful roux, chicken breasts and thighs, Creole seasonings, vegetables, and sliced smoked sausage.

Recipe: Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

5. Spiced Bread Pudding With Raisins

I love bread pudding, and I'm always looking for a new one. This is a very good bread pudding, and it would be wonderful with a vanilla sauce or bourbon sauce.

6. Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

Red beans are cooked with chopped vegetables and seasonings, along with smoked sausage. Serve red beans over hot cooked rice.

7. Chicken or Ham Jambalaya

This is a quick and easy jambalaya recipe, made with chicken or ham. I like to add a little smoked sausage to this rice dish.

8. Creole Sauce

Serve this flavorful Creole sauce with fish, seafood, or chicken.

9. Cajun Chicken Pasta

I love this tasty pasta with chicken breasts, mushrooms, cream, Parmesan cheese, and Cajun style seasoning. This recipe was shared on our forum by Janet.

10. Seafood Creole

Catfish and shrimp are cooked with tomatoes, roux, vegetables, and seasonings, and then the mixture is served over hot cooked rice.

11. Bananas Foster

This delicious banana recipe is made with bananas, butter, spices, lemon, and brandy, along with banana liqueur and brown sugar. A distinctly New Orleans recipe.

12. Chicken Louisiana

This tasty chicken is made with chicken pieces, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs, along with Tabasco sauce and chopped bell pepper. This chicken is served over hot cooked rice.