Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Life

24 festive recipes for your Rosh Hashanah feast

Smaller-batch gefilte fish, apple noodle kugel and more dishes fit for celebrating the New Year.

Smaller-batch gefilte fish, apple noodle kugel and more dishes fit for celebrating the New Year

Samantha White · CBC Life ·
2 images side by side. left: overhead of small plates with Gefilte Fish Loaf; right: a hand spreading icing on top of a cake sitting on a cake pedestal.
(Photography, left: Ryan Szulc; right: David Loftus)

This article was originally published Sept. 15, 2020 and was updated Sept. 25, 2024.

Many Jewish holidays are invariably tied to the festive foods eaten to mark their occasion, but Rosh Hashanah may bring out the best menus of them all. Both a joyous celebration to signify the start of the Jewish New Year and an opportunity for deep reflection and intention setting, Rosh Hashanah inspires meals that feel special, abundant and nostalgic — to put it plainly, they just hit different. Maybe it's that first sip of steaming chicken soup after a humid summer, or the influx of fall harvest vegetables. Or maybe it's the lush, pillowy challah that's served in place of the matzah eaten on Passover. Whatever it is, one thing is certain — there will be enough apple-and-honey-scented dishes served to wish you a sweet New Year and then some.

Below is a collection of recipes you can pick and choose from to fill out your menu  — whatever it may look like this year. They are curated to suit a meat-based meal, and are almost entirely dairy-free, aside from a butter glaze that can be subbed with margarine, a few Parmesan garnishes that can easily be left off, and a couple desserts that make use of cream and butter. There are simplified takes on staples like challah, brisket and gefilte fish, and plenty of nods to symbolic ingredients, like apples, honey, beets, pomegranate and dates. The majority are built to serve between four to eight people, so they're ideal for a pared down feast, but can easily be doubled or halved to suit your celebration's needs. Pair them with a batch of Bubbe's chicken soup and you're all set. Shana Tova! 

Starters

Braided Challah

A loaf of braided challah topped with sesame seeds on a wooden cutting board.

Gefilte Fish Loaf

An overload shot of a plate with a slice of gefilte fish loaf topped with chrain on it.

Matzo Ball Soup

A table with 2 blue bowls of matzo ball soup, and a soup terrine next to it.
(Photography by Leila Ashtari)

Herb-filled Lokshen

three images side by side. left to right: a closeup on a plate of noodles, a woman standing at her kitchen counter smiling at the camera, a closeup on a bowl of noodle soup

Minty Pickled Celery with Apple and Beets

A toasted sandwich with pink pickles and white cheese on a pink background.

A Really Good Kale Salad

Closeup on a plate of kale salad with cheese, apples, dried cranberries and almonds.

Mains

Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs

Overhead shot of dark green Dutch oven with a batch of Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs in it. Chunks of pineapple are visible. A wooden spoon sits in the dish. It's sitting on a wooden cutting board on a beige countertop with water glasses and a kitchen towel.
(Photography by Carmen Cheung)

Wine-Braised Brisket with Pomegranate Seeds

Overhead shot of a rectangular serving dish with brisket and mini potatoes with pomegranate arils on top. The decor on the table is blue and white.

Celebration Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Dates

Closeup, overhead shot of roasted sweet potato chunks, dates, chicken thighs and drumsticks on a sheet pan.

Sea Bass with Cilantro and Walnut Relish

Overhead shot of 2 whole, roast sea bass topped with herbs. They're on a turquoise serving platter on a grey surface.

Cider and Mustard Braised Lamb Shanks

Overhead shot of braised lamb shanks sitting on a bed of roast vegetables on a plate. The plate is on a table that's set for a meal and a plate of roast potatoes sits next to the lamb shanks.

Honey Curry Salmon Plank with Coconut Sauce

Overhead shot of roasted salmon on a wooden plank on a blue table.

Sides

Spy Apple Noodle Kugel with Dried Cherries

Overhead shot of a white, rectangular serving dish with a noodle kugel. The decor on the table is blue and white.

Perfectly Roasted Heirloom Carrots

A white serving platter of roasted heirloom carrots on a wooden table set for a dinner.

Farro and Mushroom Salad

Overhead shot of a serving platter of mushroom and farro salad on a bed of greens. It's sitting on a white table set for dinner.

Lemon Dijon Snow Peas

Overhead shot of a light blue plate of sautéd snow peas.

Make-Ahead Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Overhead shot of a white bowl of roasted sweet potatoes.

Desserts

Cinnamon-Honey Cake

Closeup on a bundt cake drizzled with honey and topped with pink flowers. It's on a green cake plate held by two hands and the person is wearing a navy blue shirt.

Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese & Honey Frosting

Closeup on a single-layer cake sitting on a white cake stand. A hand holds the side of the stand and a spatula spreads white icing on top of the cake.

No Bake Orange, Honey & Pistachio Trifle

An orange-topped trifle in a clear trifle dish.

Triple Berry No-Bake Tart

overhead shot of 3 small tarts topped with fruit.

Red Wine-Poached Crabapple

Closeup on a poached apple topped with edible flowers.

Orange-Scented Date Crumb Bars

Three date squares on a marble surface. More of the squares sit in the background.

Tartes Tatin

Overhead shot of a circular apple tart sitting on a plate on a white cloth napkin on a table. A fork sits on the left of the plate.

Related Stories

Add some “good” to your morning and evening.

From life's little projects to its big questions; the latest in food, style, relationships, work and money, home, wellness, pets and travel delivered directly to your inbox each week.

...

The next issue of CBC Life Newsletter will soon be in your inbox.

Discover all CBC newsletters in the Subscription Centre.opens new window

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply.