Get Creative with Your Matzah with These Fun Passover-Friendly Recipes

It’s the third day of Passover and we hope everyone had wonderful Seders! While everyone loves Passover food and Seder leftovers, there’s no shame in admitting regular matzah gets a little bit old after a few days. Lucky for us, there’s no reason to spend the last few days of Passover craving hametz. BZBI member Robin Lebow is here to help you get creative with your matzah with two easy recipes perfect for getting over the mid-Passover hump and learning to love your matzah, even after the second Seder.

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Pesach Granola (Adapted by My Cousin Darien Arnstein)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups matzah farfel, half whole wheat, half white
• 1/2-1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds, your preference)
• 3/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut (I omit this)
• 1/2 cup honey or brown sugar (my preference)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the matzah farfel, chopped nuts, and coconut.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together the honey or sugar, oil, water, cinnamon, and vanilla.
3. Combine the wet and dry mixtures.
4. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or 40 minutes at 325, turning and mixing every 15 minutes to keep the edges from burning.
5. Store in covered container in refrigerator.
6. Serve with milk, yogurt, or cottage cheese. Add any dried fruit you like, e.g., raisins, apricots, or cranberries.

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Pesach Lasagna (serves four, may be doubled)

Ingredients:

• 4 matzot
• 1 26 oz jar of Passover pasta sauce
• 8 oz cottage or ricotta cheese
• 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten well (I use two egg whites)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• Optional ingredients: 1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (be sure spinach is completely defrosted, and then microwave for 3-5 minutes, squeeze or drain completely and allow to cool somewhat). Mushrooms, canned or previously sautéed, drained.

Directions:

1. Mix together cottage or ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, parmesan cheese, and veggies if you choose to include them.
2. Pour boiling water over matzot in colander, drain immediately (I run the matzot, one at a time, under warm water until they soften somewhat. They should not be soggy, just well moistened).
3. Spoon enough sauce in the bottom of the pan to cover. A square disposable aluminum pan is preferred (who wants to wash another pan?)
4. Fit a layer of two matzot on the sauce.
5. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on the matzot and cover with sauce.
6. Place one matzah on top of the sauce.
7. Spread 1/3 of cheese mixture and then cover with sauce.
8. Repeat steps once more until you have three layers, ending with sauce.
9. Sprinkle additional parmesan cheese.
10. Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for 15 minutes.
11. Let Stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Here’s the order of the layers:

11. Parmesan cheese

10. Sauce

9. Cheese mixture.

8. One matzah.

7. Sauce.

6. Cheese mixture.

5. One Matzah.

4. Sauce.

3. Cheese mixture.

2. Two Matzot.

1. Sauce.

Tags: matzah, Passover, recipes