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    Home » Blog » Catholic

    11 Cookbooks for the Catholic Table

    Published: Sep 1, 2022 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    These Catholic cookbooks are just the thing for finding the perfect recipe for your next family feast or for feeding your friends and neighbors. Give one as a thoughtful wedding shower or Christmas gift.

    A photo collage shows the covers of 4 popular Catholic cookbooks.

    I'm a huge cookbook fan. I should be, I wrote three cookbooks myself.

    The joy of reading through a cleverly themed cookbook never gets old for me and I'm always on the hunt for fresh inspiration.

    I stumbled across a cookbook called "Cooking with the Saints" when browsing at a book store the other day and discovered an entirely new category of cookbooks I hadn't seen before.

    The idea of a Catholic cookbook is so intriguing to me because traditions involving food are so integral to how our family celebrates our faith.

    I think these creative and clever cookbooks for Catholics would make an amazing wedding shower gift along with a set of pretty wine glasses.

    They'd also make a lovely Christmas gift or even a Mother's Day or Father's Day gift if you're looking for something unique.

    Why Buy a Catholic Cookbook?

    Generally speaking, outside of choosing meatless meals for Lent and periods of fasting, Catholics don't have specific dietary restrictions.

    So why choose a cookbook specifically for a Catholic audience?

    Because these cookbooks are filled with more than just recipes. You will find fun bits of inspiration that includes:

    • Pictures of the Vatican
    • Stories of the Saints
    • Tips for Holiday Entertaining
    • Fasting Tips for Lent
    • Biblical Inspiration for Taking Joy in the Feast

    These cookbooks will help if you want more inspiration for:

    Honoring Sunday Dinner

    The big family Sunday dinner is a tradition that feels like it is fading in our busy modern world.

    Whether you gather together with your extended family or a chosen family of your making, what a wonderful way to honor Sunday buy focusing on what matters most: your faith and your family.

    Love Your Neighbor

    My heart was so happy to discover so many Catholic books about entertaining friends and neighbors.

    We are all called to serve in different ways, but showing my love through food is one of my particular callings. These cookbooks are wonderful encouragement that this is a God-approved way to share my talents.

    Cooking for Feast Days

    There are so many opportunities throughout the Catholic calendar year for us to celebrate a feast day.

    Want to have a little more fun in the coming year? Pick a new feast day to celebrate as a family or throw a little impromptu dinner party with friends.

    Inviting someone to your table is such a meaningful way to be an example of God's love.

    • The family dinner table is set for a special meal with pretty napkins, candles, and a vase filled with wheat.
      Catholic Feast Days to Celebrate as a Family

    11 Cookbooks for the Catholic Table

    From holiday recipes to cocktail recipes and everything in between, these cookbooks for Catholics run the gamut between truly inspirational and slightly tongue-in-cheek.

    Cooking With the Saints

    From traditional Cottage Pie on St. Patrick's Day to Basque Lamb Stew on the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the delicious recipes in this unique cookbook will excite your senses, awaken in you greater love for the saints, and bring Catholic festivity into your home.

    Here you'll find brief saints biographies and ideal accompanying dishes tied to the liturgical feasts of the Church. From this exceptional cookbook, your family will receive triple nourishment: for body, mind, and spirit.

    Drinking with the Saints

    Recipe for a liturgically correct cocktail: mix Bartender's Guide and Lives of the Saints, shake well, garnish with good cheer. Drinking with the Saints is a concoction that both sinner and saint will savor.Michael Foley offers the faithful drinker witty and imaginative instruction on the appropriate libations for the seasons, feasts, and saints' days of the Church year.

    The Vatican Cookbook

    Pontifical Swiss Guard presents ... a book like no other. From the elite protectors of the Popes and Defenders of the Faith for more than 500 years, a unique collection of exceptional recipes from simple to sublime, everyday staples to holiday feasts. Here are the classics served at Vatican tables for centuries and the finest of modern cuisine.

    Best of all, we pay tribute to Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI and Holy Pope John Paul II with the personal favorite dishes from their homelands of Argentina, Bavaria, and Poland.

    A marvelous cookbook and so much more. The Vatican Cookbook features superb photographs that take us behind the scenes to secret and special places of Vatican City. Walk the hallowed halls of St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel. Enjoy the stories and legends of the Swiss Guard handed down since the days of Michelangelo.

    For all who love to cook and share meals with family and friends, and for all who are fascinated by the wonders and the grandeur of the Vatican, the Swiss Guard is pleased to offer you ... The Vatican Cookbook.

    The Vatican Christmas Cookbook

    The Vatican Christmas Cookbook, eagerly-awaited sequel to the acclaimed #1 bestseller, The Vatican Cookbook, has been released just in time for what is sure to be a most memorable holiday season.

    Swiss Guard Chef David Geisser offers more than 70 new recipes, some from his days in the Guard, many new versions of Christmas classics, and more fresh innovations from this award-winning leader of the new wave of European chefs.

    Thomas Kelly provides the rich history and lore of Christmas at the Vatican and around the world, with inspiring stories of the popes at Christmas, the Three Wise Men, and the First Christmas, all surrounded by magnificent art and photography.

    This book earns a place in the kitchen as a handy reference for an assortment of mouthwatering holiday recipes, and on display on the coffee table for all to enjoy.

    For those who love Christmas, cooking, fine art, and the storied history of the Vatican and the Swiss Guard, this is a perfect gift.

    The Lenten Cookbook

    From hearty breads to succulent stews to mouth-watering omelets and desserts, award-winning chef and former Vatican Swiss Guard David Geisser returns with 75 new international recipes that were specially conceived for the penitential season of Lent. From delicious soups and salads to zesty curries and rich smoothies, Chef Geisser offers here a uniquely Catholic way of celebrating the Lenten season in your home each year.

    Much more than a cookbook, this first-ever guidebook for mealtimes in Lent features essays from acclaimed biblical scholar Scott Hahn, who reflects on the history of fasting and its integral role in our personal spiritual growth. Hahn guides you on how to practice a holy Lent that will enable you to return your focus to Christ, and how to carry the unique and extraordinary joys of Lent forward into the rest of the year. You’ll also learn of forgotten Catholic traditions and timeless customs, such as St. Martin’s Lent, Ember Days, and Rogation Days and how you can apply these time-honored periods of grace to your spiritual life today.

    From a Monastery Kitchen

    Monastic cookery, as it has been practiced through the centuries, is cherished for its emphasis on simplicity, wholesome frugality, basic good taste, and the seasonal rhythms of ingredients used. Healthy eaters, practical cooks, cookbook collectors, and recipe readers will treasure this edition of this classic cookbook containing more than 125 recipes, arranged seasonally.This best-selling cookbook from renowned author Brother Victor-Antoine is now available in paperback at a popular price. Healthy eaters, practical cooks, cookbook collectors, and recipe readers will treasure this edition of this classic cookbook containing more than 125 recipes, arranged seasonally.

    The Gathering Table

    We are all hungry for meaningful connection, but most of us don't have the time to cook complicated meals or plan big gatherings. What we need are simple, delicious recipes and easy, doable ideas for getting together with friends and family. Thankfully, that's just what the five women of The Gingham Apron deliver in this full-color lifestyle book that is as practical as it is pretty.Filled with beautiful photography and inspirational writing, The Gathering Table follows this Iowa farm family through a year of gatherings that strengthen relationships, establish and deepen family traditions, and showcase God's gift of great food. With complete menus, easy-to-follow recipes, devotional readings, prayers, and plenty of inspiring and customizable ideas for everything from intimate family gatherings to larger community events, this book will become your go-to resource for entertaining and enjoying life--together!

    The Living Table: Recipes and Devotions for Everyday Get-Togethers

    This practical devotional, hospitality book and cookbook equips the most intimidated hostess. Hosting doesn't require food that takes all day to prepare. It’s also not about being perfect; it’s about offering care to one another and building community.What is on your dining room table right now? Bills, laundry, maybe your kids' soccer cleats? In this fast-paced world, it's easy to start trading our dining tables for sofas and televisions, but what would happen if we started to see the table as the most important piece of furniture in our homes? Just picture it: No TV. No cell phones. Just your family enjoying one another over a nice meal.

    Grace Before Meals

    Eating the Bible

    Eating the Bible is a new cookbook with recipes inspired by parts of the Bible. Author Rena Rossner was inspired to write it when one night, many years ago, someone served her a bowl of lentil soup. That week, she had heard the Bible story of Esau selling his birthright to his brother, Jacob, for a bowl of red lentil soup. Rossner wondered if she could bring others the connection to the Bible that she had felt through cooking. Every meal in Eating the Bible works towards that goal. Whether you are a beginner cook or an expert, Eating the Bible is for you. Jewish Bible stories are shared throughout the guide, especially in moments where any cook has to wait. Rossner uses the time spent waiting for water to boil to share Bible stories or commentary to make cooking a contemplative experience. These recipes create a tactile connection between the Bible and food. 

    The Supper of the Lamb

    From a passionate and talented chef who also happens to be an Episcopalian priest comes this surprising and thought-provoking treatise on everything from prayer to poetry to puff pastry. In The Supper of the Lamb, Capon talks about festal and ferial cooking, emerging as an inspirational voice extolling the benefits and wonders of old-fashioned home cooking in a world of fast food and prepackaged cuisine. This edition includes the original recipes and a new Introduction by Deborah Madison, the founder of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco and author of several cookbooks.

    More Favorite Cookbooks

    • A photo collage shows the covers of several bread baking books.
      14 Best Bread Baking Books
    • A photo collage shows some of the best cookbooks for parties.
      16 Realistic Cookbooks for Entertaining
    • A stack of cookbooks is next to a digital tablet.
      15 Favorite Healthy Cookbooks for Families
    A photo collage shows the covers of 4 popular cookbooks for Catholics.

    More Celebrating Catholic Traditions

    • An easter bunny in a photo collage next to several potluck recipes.
      Easter Potluck Ideas: 30 Recipes that Travel Well
    • A photo collage shows several easy things to eat for breakfast.
      18 Easy Lent Breakfast Ideas
    • A photo collage shows a variety of meatless soups, sandwiches, and snacks for Lent.
      16 Simple Lent Lunch Ideas
    • An orange pot on the stovetop is cooking a family dinner.
      How Family Dinner Will Save the World

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

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