Passover is an eight-day spring festival celebrating freedom and the Jewish people’s escape from slavery in Egypt. Passover is also known for its dietary restrictions (no leavened bread!) and focus on eating matzah, the thin, hard, cracker-like bread the Jews ate during their 40-year exodus through the desert.
One of the highlights of Passover is the seder, a ritual dinner held on the first two nights (depending on your tradition). Many traditional seder foods tend to be delicious, but not necessarily healthy — think brisket, matzah ball soup, macaroons and candy fruit slices.
Luckily, since Passover is a spring holiday, there are also delicious and healthy ritual foods — such as charoset (a mixture of fruit and nuts meant to resemble mortar) and karpas (a green vegetable to represent spring) — and meal options that feature fresh produce. Many soups, salads and vegetable dishes are (or easily can be) kosher for Passover, including these spring and early summer recipes from the blog. Just note that there is a wide spectrum of observance for Passover, and for some people certain store-bought ingredients such as broth should be marked kosher for Passover — or you can always make your own stone stock.
- Asparagus soup
- Braised collard greens
- Roasted romanesco
- Asparagus revuelto
This spaghetti squash lasagna is a lighter vegetarian main dish that works for Passover — or any time of year. It is also simple to prepare for a hectic family meal. The spaghetti squash and sauce can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to assemble. Just add another 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time to make sure the lasagna is heated through.
Servings: 6
For the sauce:
For the lasagna:
To prepare the squash:
To make the sauce:
NOTE: To safely puree hot liquids, remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape and secure blender lid on blender. Then place a clean towel or pot holder over the opening in the blender lid to avoid splatters.
To assemble and bake the lasagna:
Serve hot and enjoy!