My Guide to Surviving Passover - Great Passover Recipes

Passover starts a week from tonight, and this year I actually want to be prepared in advance! Charlottesville doesn't exactly have a large Jewish population, so most grocery stores have a pretty pitiful Passover section. Giant is considered the "Passover supercenter" but if you don't go early, you'll be left with empty shelves and really expensive single boxes of matzah. We went a week ago and picked up a lot of stuff - we got a 5lb box of matzah for only $2.99 with our purchase, as well as roasted chestnuts, matzah ball mix, macaroons, horseradish, and of course Dr. Brown's soda.

Most of my meals revolve around non-kosher for Passover foods. For breakfast I have a breakfast sandwich (english muffin = not kosher), followed by oatmeal (cooked grains = not kosher). For lunch I have a sandwich (bread = not kosher). Dinner is easier, since the majority of the meal is the protein and lots of veggies, and it's easy to substitute quinoa for that.

I want to come up with some meals that don't simply replace the bread with a piece of matzah. I remember back in high school, when I would bring in matzah to make a sandwich at lunch, and everyone who wasn't Jewish wanted to try a piece of matzah for the novelty of it. This year, when we were buying the matzah, the (obviously non Jewish) cashier informed us that she had tried matzah, and it was just really plain and she couldn't figure out why people were buying so much of it now. Yes, I agree it's bland!

So here are some ideas for Passover-friendly meals. Everyone has their own way of keeping kosher for Passover, so you may have to slightly adjust some of these recipes.

Note - here is a post from my old blog, back from 2010! I made matzah lasagna with pesto, and flourless chocolate cake, and include the recipes. Both are great choices!

Breakfast:

Matzah Brei with Lox, Eggs, and Onions

Broccoli, Mushroom Egg and Cheese Casserole

Baked Eggs with Herbs and Goat Cheese

Caramelized Onion and Zucchini Frittata

Breakfast Egg White Spinach Enchilada Omelets

Caprese Shakshuka Breakfast Casserole

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

Extra Pink Berry Smoothie

Lunch:

Vegetarian Matzah Ball Soup

Matzah Ball Soup

Matzah Pizza

Veggies:

Recipes with an asterisk (*) include an ingredient that is considered kitniot - and is not kosher for Ashkenazi Jews.

Dijon Braised Brussels Sprouts 

Spaghetti Squash Marinara 

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms 

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Sweet Corn and Avocado *

Braised Coconut Spinach and Chickpeas with Lemon *

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pine Nuts

Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze

Thyme Roasted Carrots 

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Smoked Almonds and Goat Cheese

Mustard and Rosemary Asparagus 

Classic Cheese Fondue Use veggies as your vehicle for delicious oozy cheese

Mustard and Chive Potato Salad 

Honey Mustard Veggie Kabobs 

"Grains":

+Quinoa, although debated, is considered by most to be kosher for Passover. 

*Rice, on the other hand, is kitniot and only kosher for Sephardic Jews.

Quinoa Succotash +

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Pecans *

Caprese Quinoa with Homemade Basil Oil +

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Broccoli and Feta +

Mushroom Fried Brown Rice *

Quinoa with Roasted Broccoli, Arugula and Feta +

Seafood:

*Shrimp are technically not kosher for Passover simply because they are never kosher for Jews. However, I still choose to eat them.

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon 

Cod Baked in a Tomato and Feta Sauce 

Simplest and Best Shrimp *

Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce *

Easy Ginger Lime Roasted Shrimp *

Grilled Tuna and Avocado Salad 

Shrimp with Garlic and Parsley *

Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna Salad (sesame seeds are kitniot)

Meat (and Potatoes):

Some of these recipes mix milk and meat - if this is a rule that you follow, then be careful to avoid or modify those recipes

Beer, Ginger and Garlic Braised Brisket (you would need a gluten-free beer for this recipe)

White Wine Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Potatoes 

Roasted Provencal Chicken with Hasselback Potatoes (potatoes use butter)

Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes 

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Creamy Mustard Tarragon Sauce (sauce uses cream)

Balsamic-Brown Sugar Short Ribs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes (potatoes use butter, milk and sour cream)

Caprese Chicken (lots of cheese)

Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken 

Stove Top Summer Chicken 

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken (uses cheese)

Tangy Spiced Brisket 

Snacks:

Chocolate Covered Matzah Otherwise known as matzah crack, for its addictiveness

Custards:

Warning - gelatin is a technical no-no for Jews, so I've noted which recipes use it. 

Chocolate Pots de Creme

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Roasted Berries *uses gelatin

Lavender Panna Cotta with Honey Poached Pears *uses gelatin

Lemon Lime Mousse with Fresh Strawberries

Almond Vanilla Rice Pudding (uses rice - kitniot)

Baked Apples with Creme Anglaise

Meringues and Pavlovas:

These desserts get their rise from egg whites

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Mixed Berry Pavlova

(Mini) Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Mixed Berry Mini Pavlovas

Flourless Chocolate Cake:

This is an easy way to make a passover-friendly dessert! These chocolate cakes are actually flourless by design. You might have to check the chocolate you're using, to make sure that's kosher as well. The best way to make sure of that is to use really good dark chocolate - less likely to have non kosher additives.

Rich Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Warm Molten Chocolate Cake - Two Ways

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Spiced Poached Pears

Flourless Chocolate Tart with Sugared Cranberries

Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte

Ultra-Rich Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Flourless Cake

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cookies:

This is another easy way to make a yummy dessert for Passover with zero matzah in it! These cookies are sometimes called "puddle cookies" or "brownie cookies," but they're basically pure chocolate and fudgy and delicious!

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Flourless Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Mint Cookies

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

Macaroons:

You can find these in grocery stores, in round tins. However, when made at home, they taste so much better!

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

Raspberry Coconut Macaroons