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25 recipes to fill your Seder table this Passover

Matzo Ball Soup, braised brisket and more delicious dishes for kitniyot and kitniyot-free feasts.

Matzo Ball Soup, braised brisket and more delicious dishes for kitniyot and kitniyot-free feasts

Samantha White · CBC Life ·
A split screen of 3 images side by side placed on a light blue background. Left: A large bowl of matzo ball soup on a table set with a white tablecloth and water glasses. Middle: An overhead shot of blue plates, each with a mini pavlova topped with berries and lemon curd on top. Right: A large serving bowl filled with quinoa salad with raisins and apple.
(Photo, left: Leila Ashtari; middle: CBC Life; right: David Loftus)

This article was originally published April 11, 2022 and was updated April 17, 2024.

Despite its deep entrenchment in tradition, Pesach is the kind of holiday that requires a certain amount of ingenuity — particularly when it comes to cooking. Whether or not you rid your entire home of chametz, avoid kitniyot as many Ashkenazi Jews do or serve it on the Seder table as is common in Sephardic and Mizrahi traditions, there is always some level of strategy involved. To put together a delicious arrangement of foods that aren't off limits, sure, but also to find a balance between the beloved recipes that have travelled, handwritten on scraps of lined paper, through generations and that dish that you saw on Instagram recently that you've been dreaming about tasting ever since. 

With that in mind, we've rounded up a collection of recipes to pick and choose from to help fill out your Seder menu, whatever it may look like this Passover. They are curated to suit meat- or dairy-based meals with options for vegetarian and fish mains included. Some propose a different method for approaching a fussy favourite, such as Amy Rosen's from-scratch gefilte fish that's made in an easy-to-slice loaf, whereas others take their inspiration directly from the Seder plate. 

While most sides that we've included are free of dairy to allow for maximum pairing options — aside from a few instances where butter can be subbed out for margarine — some of the vegetarian entrees do include cheese. 

**Certain recipes also call for packaged goods, such as icing sugar or mayonnaise, that are traditionally chametz, kitniyot or both; we've made note of the recipes where you may want to seek out a kosher for Passover version of a product.  

Starters

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

A split screen of 2 images. Left: Matzo ball soup with lokshen noodles in a bowl overtop a matching plate. Right: Close up of lokshen noodles with herbs in them.
(CBC Life)

Gefilte Fish Loaf

An overload shot of a plate with a slice of gefilte fish loaf topped with chrain on it.
(Photography by Ryan Szulc)

Passover Board with Sweet & Smoky Deviled Eggs**

An overhead shot of a platter covered with smoked salmon, hard boiled eggs, matzah, celery, parsley, tomatoes and fresh flowers.
(Photography by Lisa Dawn Bolton)

Without kitniyot

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.
(Photography by Debi Traub)

Baked Salmon with Fennel and Blood Orange

Overhead shot of a mint green serving platter with baked salmon, fennel, orange slices and green olives on it.

BBQ Chimichurri Chicken

Close up of chicken covered with chimichurri sauce cooking on a grill.
(Photo credit: Adrian Harris and Jeremy Inglett)

Mahi — 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.
(Photography by Betty Binon)

Charoset Quinoa

Closeup on a bowl of nut and grain-filled quinoa salad.
(Photography by David Loftus)

No-Fry Eggplant Parmesan**

overhead shot of a white baking dish with eggplant parmesan in it. it's on a wooden table. a slice is missing from the dish and is sitting on a white plate behind the baking dish.
(Credit: Allison Day)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

An overhead shot of a dish with roasted sweet potatoes topped with fresh herbs.
(CBC Life)

Roasted Heirloom Carrots

Roasted heirloom carrots on a white serving platter.
(CBC Life)

Eggplant Borani

overhead shot of a white plate on a dark blue surface. the plate has eggplant borani on it, with a base of tomatoes, slices of eggplant, a layer of yogurt and topped with pomegranate arils.
(Photography by Leila Ashtari)

With kitniyot

Maple Tamarind Glazed Salmon**

Close up of glazed salmon on a white plate with a salad on the side.
(Photography: Barry C. Parsons)

Khorak Bademjoon — Eggplant Stew

Overhead shot of Khorak Bademjoon (Eggplant Stew) on a white serving dish, with small bowls of limu omani (dried Persian lime) and mint leaves next to it.
(Photography by Betty Binon)

Broccoli Walnut Slaw

Overhead shot of a blue bowl of broccoli walnut slaw on a table with blue and white decor.
(Photography by Debi Traub)

Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

A bowl of lentil salad with chunks of sweet potatoes in it, and topped with microgreens and pomegranate arils. Small bowls of pomegranate arils and salad dressing sit next to the salad.
(Photo: Shayma Owaise Saadat)

Sabzi Polow — Fragrant Herbed Rice

Overhead shot of a large blue plate of Sabzi Polow (Fragrant Herbed Rice). The rice is in the shape of a circle and the top of the rice is golden brown and crispy.
(Photography by Betty Binon)

For dessert

Raspberry Jam Torte

overhead shot of a cake cut into squares, cooling on a baking rack on a marble countertop at the top of the image. a slice of cake on a white plate sits below it. a ramekin of raspberry jam and a cookbook titled "A Treasure for my Daughter" sit on either side of the plate.
(Photography by Kat Romanow)

Mini Pavlovas**

Overhead shot of mini pavlovas topped with lemon curd and fresh berries on blue dessert plates. A bowl of berries, pavlovas on a cooling rack and a bowl of the lemon curd sit next to the plates.

Matzo Brittle, Three Ways**

side by side of two images. left: closeup on chocolate matzo brittle covered in marshmallows, sprinkles and nuts. right: a woman standing in a kitchen holding a plate of the chocolate matzo brittle.
(CBC Life)

Chocolate Mascarpone Pudding**

An overhead shot of a tray with small dishes of chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and chocolate pieces.
(Photo credit: Jackson Roy)

Mango Vanilla Mousse**

Coupe glasses filled with mango mousse on a countertop.
(Credit: Nassima Rothacker)

Flourless Lemon Ricotta Cake with Almonds**

Overhead shot of a cake topped with almond slices and drizzled with white icing. It's sitting on a white marble cutting board on a white table. 2 slices are cut from the cake and one slice is sitting on a white plate next to it.
(Photography by Michael Gozum)

Two-ingredient Chocolate Mousse**

Chocolate mousse in a tall glass topped with coffee beans.
(CBC Life)

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