6 recipes and cooking essentials you need to host a perfect Passover Seder

Every spring on the Jewish holiday of Passover, a ritual dinner called a “Seder” is held. What’s a Passover Seder? It’s a choreographed, ritualistic dinner experience to commemorate the ancient, biblical tale of Jewish people leaving Egypt and moving toward freedom.

This holiday is often seen as one of the most important days of the year in the Jewish calendar. But like many holidays, the cultural tradition of Passover has become about more than religion—it’s also an opportunity to bring loved ones together and eat an absolutely delicious, home-cooked meal.

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What goes on a Passover Seder plate?

On Passover, a Seder plate is placed on the dinner table with six symbolic items: a green herb, a fruit/honey dip, horseradish, a shank bone, a hard-boiled egg, and matzo (yeast-free crackers).

Each one of these refers to a different piece of the Passover story so you’ll want to consult a guide on making a Seder plate.

For example, matzo represents the unleavened bread that Jewish people took with them while wandering the desert, and the hard-boiled egg is a symbol of rebirth and spring.

If you don’t have a Seder plate on hand, you can use any big dinner plate. However, if you plan to host a Seder more than once, it might be worth it to invest in a stylish Seder plate that you can reuse every year.

Pro tip: You’ll likely be using a lot of fresh herbs on Passover, so we also recommend this herb stripping tool to have on hand.

Now, onto recipes for dinner!

Traditional Passover recipes

1. Matzo ball soup

Growing up, no matter whose home I was in, there was always matzo ball soup on the table at Passover.

What exactly is matzo? The story goes that people didn’t have time to let their bread rise on their journey out of Egypt, so they quickly baked the “unleavened” version, which we call matzo. The dough is used to make a big ball that goes right in the center of your bowl of matzo ball soup!

My favorite recipe for matzo ball soup comes from a Syrian Jewish chef.

You’ll definitely need a big stock pot or Dutch oven to make matzo ball soup.

Pro tip: If you make your chicken broth from scratch, you can simply use the bone for your Seder plate. And for a vegetarian/vegan friendly option, you are more than welcome to use vegetable stock instead!

2. Charoset (fruit and honey dip)

While most of your Seder plate ingredients can simply be placed on the table without any cooking involved, charoset is one of the items you’ll need to do a little extra prep work on. My grandmother from Egypt made charoset with dates, similar to this charoset recipe.

While there are many recipe variations, the most common recipes for charoset usually incorporate a fruit like apples, apricots, or dates, and a nut like walnuts or almonds. Then, it all comes together in a reliable food processor.

Pro tip: Honey is also a crucial ingredient in charoset, but it’s easy to get your fingers sticky and messy. Try out an eco-friendly glass honey jar with a built-in, no-drip spoon.

3. Yabrak (Stuffed romaine leaves)

I love incorporating recipes from the Jewish populations from North Africa and the Middle East, known as Sephardic Jewish cuisine. (It differs from lot of traditional American Jewish cuisine, which comes from the Ashkenazi Jewish populations that hailed from Central and Eastern Europe.)

This recipe from a French-Tunisian chef is for Yabrak, a traditional Jewish-Tunisian dish consisting of meat-stuffed romaine lettuce wraps.

Yabrak includes aromatic spices like turmeric, paprika, and saffron, as well as fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, and mint. Your house will smell so good!

It’s jam-packed with flavor and super easy to prepare. Just make your mixture, stuff your rolls, and place them directly into a Dutch oven for steam cooking.

4. Brisket

Traditional kosher laws forbade Jewish people from eating pork, and even particular cuts of beef—including anything from the hindquarters of a cow. Not all Jewish people keep kosher, necessarily, but if you want to make sure your dinner follows tradition, opt for a savory brisket, which is a traditional Jewish holiday food for its kosher-friendly cut and shareable size. Plus, your house will smell amazing!

Brisket's tough texture means it takes a while to cook and become tender, but it can easily be braised using a crock pot or slow cooker.

5. Fried artichokes

One of my favorite things about Passover taking place in the spring is getting to cook with seasonal vegetables like artichokes.

This Carciofi alla Giudia, also known as a Roman-Jewish fried artichoke, is one of my favorite recipes, incorporating the lesser-known history of Roman Jews. In fact, the tradition of frying certain foods in various Jewish cuisines can be traced back to the history of Jews in Rome in the 16th century.

When it comes to frying small, delicate food like artichokes, a reliable spider scoop is a must-have for easily (and safely!) removing the crispy food from hot oil.

6. Matzo streusel dessert

If you’ve ever been to a Passover Seder, you know that matzo will always be on the table for snacking. But you might be surprised to learn that matzo also makes for delicious desserts!

It can be used to whip up a delicious treat of streusel topping in just 20 minutes, like in this recipe for berry crisp with matzo.

You’ll want to make sure you have a sturdy cast-iron skillet on hand for baking.

That’s a wrap on your dinner! But don’t forget to grab bottles of some kosher red wine—symbolic for joy—and a set of beautiful, budget-friendly wine glasses for your guests.