Celebrate your seder dinner, or the full week of Pesach, with these Passover Recipes. Start with a traditional seder plate and conclude with a sumptuous feast with many blessings, and plenty of wine, in between.
The Jewish holiday of Passover celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from ancient Egypt, a movement from slavery into freedom (as documented in the book of Exodus). During the seder dinner (“seder” means “order”), families and friends gather together to retell the story of Passover.
The seder dinner contains many symbolic foods to illustrate the story of Passover, and they are presented on a special Passover plate. Wine and blessings are also part of the ritual.
Traditionally, Jews don’t eat chametz (leavened foods made from grains like wheat, oats, rye, barley, and spelt). This is because when the Jews were rushed out of Egypt, there was no time for the bread to rise, and all they could take with them was dough.
I’ve paired my best Passover recipes with a study of the seder plate below. As I mention in my Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur guides, I am not Jewish, but I love the food and experiencing other cultures through their cuisine. Light the candles and begin with Kiddush, or a wine blessing.
The seder dinner is structured around the seder plate which contains six foods to illustrate the story of Passover.
Zeroa: Roasted lamb shank bone. This symbolizes the lamb the Jews sacrificed as a special Passover offering (Pascal lamb).
Beitzah:Roasted (hard-boiled) egg. This symbolizes the circle of life and the festival sacrifice offered at the Temple of Jerusalem.
Maror: Horseradish or bitter herbs. This symbolizes the bitterness of life as a slave.
Chazeret: Lettuce or endive. This is another symbol of the bitter enslavement of the Jewish ancestors in Egypt.
Charoset: A mixture of grated apples, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and sweet red wine. This looks like the mortar and bricks that the Egyptian Pharaoh forced the slaves to make, and it also symbolizes the sweetness of freedom.
Karpas: Parsley, green onion. This vegetable symbolizes hope, renewal, and the coming of spring. The vegetable is dipped into salt water and as the water drips off, it symbolizes the tears of slaves.
You also need Matzo at the table (3 pieces, stacked and separated by napkins) and a dish of salt water.
The seder ritual contains 15 steps which includes blessings, washings, questions, and answers. And, participants are required to drink 4 cups of wine during the seder (men and women alike).
Passover Entree Recipes
Shulchan Orech, or Festival Meal, is the 10th order of the seder. Matzo Ball Soup and Gefilte Fish are the most common dishes.
Since keeping Kosher prevents the consumption of meat and dairy together, families can choose whether they are having a meat-focused or dairy-focused meal (fish is considered neutral).
Roast Beef Tenderloin
This Roast Beef Tenderloin starts low and slow in the oven and ends with a flourish on the stove. It's a great recipe to pull out for holidays, parties, and Sunday Supper.
Learn how to make rotisserie chicken at home with my super simple spice rub (4 ingredients plus salt & pepper). Or, recreate that same delicious flavor for your next oven-roasted chicken!
As the nights get chilly, this tender and smoky Slow Cooker Beef Brisket recipe makes one amazing dinner. It’s the easiest thing you’ll make all week, and it tastes like incredible.
This Classic Pot Roast is braised low and slow, just like mom used to make. Meltingly-tender beef, vegetables, and a rich gravy will have everyone asking for seconds.
This fantastic lamb chops recipe uses whole garlic cloves which caramelize in the skillet alongside the chops. Once the lamb is cooked, the cloves become a part of a quick pan sauce with lemon juice, herbs, and a pinch of red pepper. A sophisticated dinner in minutes, not hours, for lamb enthusiasts everywhere.
One-skillet Chicken Vesuvio is a hearty, comforting 30-minute meal. This easy weeknight dinner idea offers a taste of Chicago culinary history no matter where you live. Think of it like meat and potatoes with an Italian makeover!
Bright and budget-friendly, Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes is one of the best weeknight dinner recipes. This easy chicken dinner is ready in 30 minutes and bakes for just enough time so you can warm up some crusty bread to sop up all the luscious pan juices.
Grilled ribbons of zucchini stand in for lasagna noodles in this Italian comfort food entree. With layers of ricotta and marinara-coated ground beef, you won't even realize this is a low-carb casserole.
Simple pan-fried Tilapia with lots of colorful bell peppers makes a quick and easy, delicious and healthy meal! A great recipe if you want to eat more fish.
Support your main dish with a variety of Passover-friendly sides. Kitniyot (such as rice, corn, seeds, and legumes) were previously banned from Passover but kitniyot was declared in Kosher in 2016.
Matzo Ball Soup
Learn how to make Matzo Ball Soup, a delicious Ashkenazi Jewish recipe made with chicken and dumplings.
This easy Deviled Eggs recipe is my family’s most trusted and the only one you’ll ever need. They are creamy, delicious, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
Full of color and texture, this easy Beet Salad is loaded with goat cheese, almonds, and a delicious lemon vinaigrette. Save time with store-bought roasted beets or roast them yourself.
Freshen up your summer menu with a Quinoa Tabbouleh side dish. This healthy Mediterranean recipe is easy and ideal for showcasing all of your seasonal herbs and vegetables.
An easy recipe for Roasted Asparagus with olive oil, garlic, and lemon. The high oven temperature cooks it to tender-crisp perfection in 10 minutes or less.
These easy Roasted Green Beans are loaded with garlic and lemon and roasted to perfection. They are simple enough for busy weeknights but delicious enough for holidays too!
These Oven Roasted Potatoes are an simple, delicious side dish that goes with everything from everyday family meals to special holiday feasts. You'll love how crispy they get in the oven, and you can customize the herbs to your favorites.
This easy Roasted Carrots recipe showcases the best of spring's new, tender carrots. They look so pretty roasted whole with the green tops attached and the optional yogurt sauce is the perfect complement.
This easy Roasted Root Vegetables recipe is the best way to eat the rainbow! The natural sugars in the vegetables caramelize to kid-friendly territory via this sheet pan side dish idea.
Flourless cakes and cookies (made with walnuts or almonds), airy meringues, and coconut macaroons are all popular Passover desserts. Or, make a Matzo cracker candy with bittersweet chocolate, nuts, and honey.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
This Flourless Chocolate Cake has a gorgeous chocolate glaze and makes a stunning finale to any meal. And if that’s not enough, a vibrant raspberry sauce takes this decadent chocolate dessert over the top.
Candied Pecans are deliciously crunchy and decadent thanks to brown sugar, cinnamon, and a few other holiday spices. This recipe is lightning fast, kid-friendly, and a snap to make for a last-minute gifts or bake sales.
Lightly scented with vanilla and cinnamon and just as creamy as you remember from childhood, this homemade Tapioca Pudding is a naturally gluten-free dessert. (But sure doesn't taste like it!)
This easy chocolate mousse is the stuff chocolatey dreams are made of, and the fact that it's so unbelievably simple to make is thanks to an unlikely secret ingredient: mini marshmallows.
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
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