Last updated 11:45 p.m. ET on 18 Mar 98.

A Far-from-Comprehensive List of Vegetarian Pesach Recipes - Part 1

On This Page:

Soups Not-Chicken Soup Matzoh Balls Cabbage Soup
Main Course Dishes Cheese Puff Nut Loaf Baked Eggs in Zucchini Spaghetti Squash Stuffed Cabbage
Side Dishes Sweet and Sour Cabbage Fruit and Vegetable Tzimmes Banana-Nut Matzoh Kugel Potato Puff Applesauce Matzoh Kugel

On Page 2:

Desserts Passover Mandel Bread Lucia's Other Cookies Passover Jam Squares Viennese Chocolate Torte
Other Passover Granola Matzoh Pizza Vegetarian Chopped Liver

Soups

Not-Chicken Soup

This recipe comes from Mollie Katzen's book Still Life with Menu pretty much unaltered. She includes an entire seder menu, which is worth looking at if you need more ideas. This recipe makes a wonderful golden soup with a rich flavor very similar to chicken soup. The vegetables can be cut a little smaller and left in if you prefer a more substantive soup, though the turmeric will stain them all a vivid orangey-yellow color. A sweet potato or yam in the broth may give the broth color without coloring all the other vegetables as well.

8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 8-inch parsnip, cut in chunks
2 large carrots, cut in chunks
2 medium onions, cut in chunks
8 to 10 (or more) cloves garlic, halved
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
a handful of mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
black pepper to taste

Combine everything in a large pot.
Bring to a boil, lower heat, and partially cover.
Cook slowly for 1-2 hours.

Turn off heat and let soup cool to room temperature.
Strain out and discard all the vegetables.
Heat gently just before serving.

We cook matzoh balls separately and add them to the soup as we serve it. Matzoh balls cooked or reheated in the soup will turn a beautiful golden color thanks to the turmeric.

Matzoh Balls

I got this recipe from my friend Linda, who got it from her mother. These matzoh balls are the light, fluffy kind. If you prefer hard matzoh balls, try another recipe.

6-8 eggs, separated
Add to yolks:
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1/2 cup club soda
Beat yolks on high speed.

Beat egg whites until stiff.
Fold yolks into whites with a fork.

Fold matzoh meal in with a fork, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is of medium consistency.
You will need at least 2 cups matzoh meal.

Cover the bowl with foil and refrigerate at least 30-40 minutes.

Boil water in a large pot. Form balls of mixture with hands; drop into the boiling water.

Cook matzoh balls in a covered pot over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Add to soup when serving.

Cabbage Soup

This is another recipe from our friend Linda, who has been a vegetarian since her teens. She makes it year-round, but we keep this recipe for Pesach.

1 large can (46 ounces) tomato juice
4 cups (1 & 1/4 pounds - or more) shredded green cabbage
2 large carrots, shredded
1 cup thinly sliced celery, including tops
1 large onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
(optional) carraway seeds, yogurt

Combine everything except the carraway seeds and yogurt in a large pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for an hour.

When serving, garnish with yogurt and carraway seeds, if desired.

Main Dishes

Cheese Puff

6 eggs
1 cup matzoh meal
1 cup milk
2 cups cottage cheese
4 ounces hard cheese, grated
1 package spinach, washed and torn into small pieces

Combine all ingredients.
Pour into a well-greased casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Nut Loaf

1 cup grated cooked carrots
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup matzoh crumbs (about 1 & 1/2 matzot)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon oil

Mix all ingredients except tomato sauce.
Spoon into oiled loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Five minutes before removing from oven, cover loaf with tomato sauce.

Serves 4.

Baked Eggs in Zucchini With Hollandaise Sauce

This is a very elegant dish that requires some careful timing. We do make a real Hollandaise sauce to serve with this, but if you have a substitute you like that's lower in fat, go with it. Sometimes we make this in a big casserole dish rather than in individual serving dishes.

4 pounds zucchini
2-3 scallions, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons oil
6 or more eggs AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
Hollandaise Sauce

Wash and grate the zucchini.
Salt and put in a colander to drain.
Squeeze out the liquid, dry on paper towels.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet.
Saute chopped scallions for a few minutes, then add zucchini and fresh-ground black pepper.
Saute over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring almost constantly.

Butter 6 or more small casserole or custard dishes.
Divide zucchini among the dishes and make a hollow in each dish.

Break the eggs one at a time into a cup or small dish, then carefully slide the entire egg into the individual dishes.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. The amount of time depends on what else is in the oven and how well-done you like your eggs.

Spoon Hollandaise Sauce over each egg and serve immediately.

Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound butter
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
white pepper

Beat egg yolks until they are smooth and creamy, adding the salt.
Melt butter.
Add half the butter to the eggs yolks VERY GRADUALLY, a few drops at a time, beating all the time.
Alternately add lemon juice and remainder of butter VERY GRADUALLY, a few drops at a time, still beating continuously.
Season with white pepper.

At this stage, the sauce can be stored in the refrigerator until ready for use - up to about 2 days.

When ready to use, heat the sauce gently in a double boiler (or a bowl inside a pan of water) until mostly melted.
Stir lightly with a whisk or fork and serve immediately.

Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli Butter Sauce

1 medium sized (about 3-1/2 pounds) spaghetti squash
1 large bunch broccoli
4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon water
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in the spaghetti squash. Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes or until tender.

Cut squash in half crosswise. Let cool 10 minutes or so, then carefully scoop out the seeds.
Scoop out the "meat" of the squash with a fork. Squash should look sort of like strands of spaghetti. Put squash in a colander and set aside to drain.

Cut florets off broccoli and cut into small pieces.
Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet, add garlic, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add broccoli and basil; toss to coat well.
Add water, cover pan, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add drained squash to broccoli mixture.
Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
Season to taste and serve with cheese.

Stuffed Cabbage

This recipe is pretty flexible in terms of what goes into the filling and sauce and how much it makes. The version here reflects what we've come up with over several years. If there are ingredients you don't like or have, feel free to improvise. The end result will probably be fine.

NOTE: This really isn't as much trouble to make as the length of the recipe may suggest.

2-3 heads Savoy cabbage
Filling (see below)
Sauce (see below)

Combine all filling ingredients and set aside.
Combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.
Core each head of lettuce and boil in salted water about 15 minutes.
Drain and cool the cabbage.
Discard any torn outer leaves.
Peel off a leaf of cabbage and lay it down with the bottom of the leaf facing you.
Place about a heaping Tablespoon of filling at the core, roll over once, tuck in the sides of the cabbage leaf, then roll the leaf all the way up around the filling.
Repeat this process until you run out of ingredients.
You will only be able to use about 1/2 to 2/3 of each head of cabbage because the inner leaves will be too small.

Place the rolled cabbage flap down in a big casserole pan, layering if necessary.
Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls; saving extra sauce for basting or to serve on the side.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, basting occasionally.

You can prepare the rolls to this point, then refrigerate overnight or longer (or freeze). Cook again at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, basting and adding more sauce as needed.

Filling

1 box matzoh, crumbled (we use mostly egg matzoh with some whole wheat)
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup matzoh meal
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup dark raisins
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

2-3 cans tomato or tomato-mushroom sauce
3-4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup (or more) brown sugar
1-1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
1-2 cups dry white wine

Side Dishes

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Salad

1 head red cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, chopped
2 large Granny Smith apples, chopped
2 teaspoon allspice
2 Tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup sweet apple juice or cider
1 cup honey
1-1/2 cups golden raisins

Squeeze lemon juice over cabbage.
Mix all ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat for aobut 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cool. Serve chilled.

Fruit and Vegetable Tzimmes

The quantities and ingredients in this recipe are extremely adjustable. You can leave things out or put them in depending on what you actually have available without worrying about how it will turn out. The original recipe said it serves 16, but we've had leftovers with 20 people (of course, some of the people were kids).

2 medium onions
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 medium-sized butternut squash
1 pound parsnips
2 pounds carrots
4 apples
1 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
1 teaspooon or more cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
water
1/2 cup prunes
1/4 cup drived pears
1/4 cup drived apricots

Peel and chop vegetables and apples.
Combine orange jucie and spices.
Pour juice over vegetables in a big pot; add enough water to cover 1/3 to 1/2 the vegetables.
Cook on top of the stove 40 minutes; add dried fruit and cook for 20 minutes more.
Check pot frequently, adding water as needed.
Mash slightly before serving.

Banana Nut Matzoh Kugel

Our family isn't wild about matzoh kugels as a rule, but the bananas in this one really give it something extra.

4 whole wheat matzot broken into 1/2-inch pieces
4 eggs
4 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup melted butter
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
cinnamon

Place matzoh pieces in a bowl and pour cold water over them; drain immediately.
Beat eggs with honey and butter.
Add matzoh to egg mixture and mix well.
Spread half of egg/matzoh mixture in greased square baking dish. Arrange sliced bananas on top. Sprinkle with nuts. Top with rest of matzoh.
Dust top with cinnamon.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Potato Puff

6 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Combine the potatoes, sour cream or yogurt, cottage cheese, onion, salt and pepper, and place into a greased 2-quart casserole.
Pour on melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until puffed and golden.

Applesauce Matzoh Kugel

This is one of the few recipes we have adapted from a regular year-round recipe. We like this kugel with both matzoh and noodles and love to have a special occasion so that we can make it.

Beat together:
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring (optional)
3/4-1 cup sugar

Crumble four matzot into a colander. Run under water and drain. Fold the matzoh into the egg mixture.

Spread half of egg/matzoh mixture in greased 9x9 pan.
Pour 1 jar applesauce over the top.
Top with rest of egg/matzoh mixture.

Dot with butter or margarine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

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