It’s never too early to start planning your Passover-week meals (seriously, it will be here sooner than you think). Since every family tackles “kosher for Pesach” differently, you’ll know best what works for your traditions and diets. If you’re not sure about the difference between kosher and “kosher for Pesach,” use this guide from MyJewishLearning.com to learn the basics.
Aside from stocking up on matzah and the trimmings for your seder plate, you’ll also need breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas to carry you through Passover. And sure, Passover is a great time to indulge your sweet tooth, but one can only live on matzah-toffee for so long (three days, tops). Use these tips and suggestions to grocery shop for Pesach with ease.
Shop Your Own Pantry First
While you may feel like you need to throw out everything in your cabinets and buy a whole new set of condiments, cooking oil, and spices, you may already have some items that are “safe” to keep on hand through Passover. You might, for example, have an unopened bottle of balsamic vinegar in your pantry that just happens to have a kosher for Pesach symbol. Many varieties of packaged tea are also kosher for Pesach. Plus, there are a number of foods that are okay to enjoy during Pesach that don’t need a special label. Fresh and frozen fruits, some vegetables, eggs, and extra virgin olive oil, are generally fine to use during Pesach. If you’re not sure what to look for, you can find online guides at Kosherquest.org and Kashrut.com.
Fresh Items
Here’s a quick list of produce and fruit to stock up on ahead of Pesach:
- Apples
- Oranges
- Bananas
- Cherry tomatoes
- Carrots
- Cucumbers, for salads or to make cucumber cups for egg salad
- Pickles and olives
- Potatoes
- You can bake or fry them or add potatoes to soups as a thickening agent
- Lettuce, to make lettuce wrapped burgers or cold cut “sandwiches”
- Spaghetti squash or courgette to make veggie noodles to eat in place of the real thing
Packaged Foods
As you can see from the video above, kids love the special treats available only at Pesach. So go ahead, stock up on Pesach cake mixes, macaroons, biscuits, and mixes. It’s a once a year thing. Other easy to grab snacks for Pesach include potato sticks and veggie chips, granola, and crackers.
Dairy
For easy breakfasts, grab a few kosher for Passover yoghurt cups. String cheese and sliced cheese make great snacks when paired with an apple or a few carrot sticks. And don’t forget to enjoy your cream cheese and salmon on matzah this year! You can also purchase a bit of ricotta for matzah lasagna and delicious matzah breakfast crisps.
April 15, 2019