Whether you’re craving sweet or savory, nostalgic or new, these Passover recipes are chametz-free, holiday-approved, and full of flavor. Chag sameach—and don’t forget to save room for dessert!
Roma Yukilevich’s Matza Arayes
Inspired by @sivanskitchen
Makes: 12 pieces
Ingredients:
- 3 sheets of egg matza (wet and cover with a towel, set aside)
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 1 whole onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro
- A few small sweet peppers (or one big one)
- Spices of choice: garlic salt, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper
Directions:
- Run sheets of matza under water for a couple seconds on each side. Cover with towel and set aside for the remainder of preparation time. Matza should be flexible without breaking.
- Finely chop all veggies (onion, garlic, cilantro, sweet peppers).
- Chop and saute a whole onion until translucent and aromatic.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the pack of ground beef (1 lb) with all chopped vegetables.
- Add in spices of your choice (I recommend salt, pepper, turmeric, and a little cayenne pepper). Mix well until fully combined.
- Heat up pan and add avocado oil (or your choice of cooking oil).
- Cut each sheet of matza into four equal squares. Will make 12.
- Spoon beef mixture into half of each matza square, along the diagonal. Add in olive oil to mixture as needed to help in shaping. Fold into triangles.
- Fry on each side for about 5-7 minutes and sear the side with exposed meat, until beef is browned and matza is golden.
- Garnish with toppings of choice (I like some cilantro and tahini dressing) and enjoy! Chag Pesach sameach!
Rachel Fox’s Flourless Chocolate Cake:
Ingredients:
- 8oz butter
- 8oz dark chocolate
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cocoa powder
- 6 eggs separated
- 1/4 tsp salt.
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and mix until smooth. Stir in the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and remove from heat and let cool.
- Beat egg whites in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks.
- Stir the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture. Then fold in 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then pour the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg whites and fold to combine.
- Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Rachel Fox’s Strawberry Coconut Macarons:
Ingredients:
- 14 oz shredded coconut sweetened
- 14 oz condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla. Whip the egg whites and salt until they make stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
- Make small 1-2in diameter balls with the batter and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Ben Frogel’s Amba Silian Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 lb chicken thighs, preferably bone in and skin on
- 1/2 cup Silan
- 1/2 cup amba
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Place the chicken thighs in a baking tray, casserole dish, or any vessel that can hold both the chicken and the drippings.
- In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and adjust for seasoning. The sweetness and acidity of the sauce will depend on the brand/type of amba and Silan that you’re using, so be sure to taste before you baste. I usually begin with a 1-1 ratio and adjust as needed. The glaze should taste sweeter, saltier and more acidic than you’d want your chicken to taste because it’s doing all of the work of seasoning here.
- Brush the glaze onto the chicken and place into the preheated oven.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes at 400 or until the chicken hits an internal temperature of 175—dark meat is better when slightly overcooked.
- Be sure to cover the chicken with tinfoil when the glaze starts to burn, or you have the option of brushing it on towards the end of the cook. Enjoy!
Bella Brannon’s Loaded Avocado Toast
This year, Chag coincides with my peak marathon training—which means getting creative with recovery meals that are chametz-free, quick to prepare, and still nourishing. My go-to is a loaded matzah avocado toast.
My favorite build:
- Smashed avocado
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Smoked salmon
- Scrambled eggs
- Tomato slices
- Microgreens
- Grated cheese
- Sprinkle of salt, pepper, and paprika
- Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
- After especially hard workouts, I pair it with Greek yogurt and blueberries or apple slices with almond butter!
Hailey Zill’s Chilled Mocha Cake (@happyhealthyhailey)
Inspired by Flavor Walk
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 12 oz mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup black coffee
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 bags (7 oz each) Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Shaved chocolate, for garnish
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine the cream, mascarpone, sugar, coffee, cocoa powder, and vanilla.
- Using an electric mixer, whip everything together until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
- Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a single layer of cookies.
- Spread about 1/5 of the whipped cream mixture evenly over the cookies.
- Keep layering cookies and cream, ending with a layer of cream on top. You should end up with 5 layers of each.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to let the cookies soften and the flavors meld.
- Before serving, release the springform pan and garnish the top with shaved chocolate.
- Enjoy it cold!
Liana Nitka and Melissa Siskin’s Peach Matzah Kugel
Inspired by Witty in the City
Ingredients:
- 1 pound matzah (or matzah farfel)
- 3 (16 oz) cans of peach slices in 100% juice (not syrup)
- 7 eggs
- ¾ pound margarine (3 sticks)
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cinnamon (for topping)
- ¼ cup sugar (for topping)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Break the matzah into roughly ½-inch pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl. (If you’re using matzah farfel, you can skip this step.) Cover the matzah with hot water and let it soak for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Drain well, pressing gently to remove excess water, and return it to the bowl.
- Melt the margarine and allow it to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and cooled margarine. Pour the egg mixture into the matzah and stir to combine.
- In the same medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Open the canned peaches and drain the juice into this bowl, setting the peach slices aside. Mix well, then stir this liquid mixture into the matzah.
- Grease a 3-quart baking dish. Spread half of the matzah mixture evenly in the dish. Arrange half of the peach slices on top. Repeat with the remaining matzah mixture and top with the rest of the peaches, gently pressing them down to be level with the kugel.
- Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon and ¼ cup sugar mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour, until the kugel is golden and set, and the sugar topping has formed a crisp, caramelized crust.
