What each person or family or community eats during Passover is always so interesting. It’s a days-long dive into our history and personal preferences, bound by the very real rules and challenges of keeping kosher. One family may be eating a vast array of historically consumed foods, while another group may end up going on an all-tuna salad diet. Eat and let eat.
Thankfully, in today’s information-heavy world, if so inclined, we can all find new things to try and twists on the standards. If we have the time. Well, I do have the time, and this year I took on livening up the tried-and-true matzah pizza. It’s quick and easy and a favorite for a reason, but it was also rife and ready for some improvements.
The version we all tend to think of is a simple cheesetopped pizza recipe. Matzah, pizza sauce, melted cheese. Nowadays, you can even add plant-based pepperoni because we live in wild culinary times. Then with those ingredients and no more than 10 minutes of your time, you can be biting into a delicious and filling treat.
This is not going to be a news flash: While the dish is, in fact, worth every crunchy nosh, many of us end up a bit over it about halfway through the holiday. Along with all the other foods, at about day four, everything we’ve been eating suddenly needs a fresh new take. Or is that just me?
So for the last few years, I’ve tried a zillion new things, to varying degrees of success. I will always enjoy my matzah toffee and almond cake, but I’ve also added quinoa risotto and Cuban spiced koftes, while my Instapot goes into heavy rotation with an array of springtime soups. That’s how I keep it interesting.
It was with some thought, a lot of research, a copious amount of fiddling and a healthy dose of chutzpah that I came up with six options this year, and I’ll for sure put them into heavy rotation. These recipes use easy-to-find ingredients and don’t take longer than a few minutes to put together. They’re geared to the beginner cook and are kid approved. OK, the kids I served these to liked them anyway. That counts as an endorsement, as far as I’m concerned.
I also wanted to make something for everyone, so these are all dairy/vegetarian and can be made with gluten-free matzah and nondairy cheese. No limits here!
All of these recipes make four entrée servings unless noted. The ingredients can all be found marked Kosher for Passover, but always make sure to double-check the labels.
A few final tips: Avoid using thin matzah — it just isn’t going to hold up. Also, don’t overload your pizzas, or they’ll collapse. Be restrained. You can always have seconds, zisskeit.
So here are the six contenders for your Passover-week meals. Enjoy!
Pesto Pizza
The pesto pizza may not be the first thing that pops to mind, but it’s simple and pretty and tastes so vibrant. I go easy on the cheese so that the basil flavor really comes through. The fun fact here is that
pine nuts are actually seeds. Did you know that? Fun facts!
Ingredients
4 pieces of unsalted matzah
1 cup pre-made pesto sauce
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Large handful of basil leaves
Directions
- Preheat your broiler.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange four matzah on the parchment.
- Gently spread equal amounts of prepared pesto over each matzah. Get as close to the edges as you can.
- Top with equal parts of Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and sliced garlic.
- Spray lightly with pan spray to avoid burning.
- Bake for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. Allow to cool slightly before topping with basil leaves and serving.
Sun-Dried Tomato White Pizza
This is a rich, vegetarian take on the classic Italian pasta carbonara. Serve it topped with a bit of wild arugula or another bitter green to cut through the buttery toppings. In keeping with the theme, use egg matzah. To make this really over the top, add a few dollops of your favorite creamy salad dressing when it’s done. Ranch, Caesar or lemon Parmesan work well. If you’re going to go for it, go for it!
Ingredients
4 pieces of matzah
2 cups shredded Italian cheese
1/4 cup sun-dried tomato, diced
Coarse ground black pepper to taste
1 cup premade salad dressing
A large handful of arugula, washed
Salt to taste
Pan spray
Directions
- Preheat your broiler.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange four matzah on the parchment.
- Gently spread equal parts of the shredded cheese over each matzah. Get as close to the edges as you can.
- Top with sun-dried tomato and lots of fresh cracked black pepper.
- Spray lightly with pan spray to prevent burning.
- Bake for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Let cool slightly, then add a few dollops of dressing and scatter with some arugula.
Spicy Mushroom Pizza with Harissa Sauce
For years, I thought that the round matzah my sister mysteriously procured from Brooklyn was the absolute best thing ever. Or at least the best thing ever for Passover. Now I can buy it in the kosher market in Los Angeles and, to be honest, it’s still the best thing ever. For this recipe, I thought it would be ideal for pizza, because it’s the right shape and all. Paired with mushrooms and some spicy harissa, it becomes a perfect bite.
Ingredients
2 round matzah
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 small shallots (about 2 ounces), peeled and sliced
1/2 cup fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups pizza sauce
1/4 cup harissa, more or less to taste
2 cups shredded pizza cheese
Pan spray
Directions
- Preheat your broiler.
- In a medium bowl, toss the mushrooms, shallots and thyme leaves with ¼ cup of olive oil. Season with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Broil until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from the broiler and set aside.
- Stir the harissa into the pizza sauce and set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange matzah on the parchment.
- Top each matzah with equal parts mushrooms and shallots.
- Sprinkle cheese over the mushrooms and shallots, making sure to cover all the way to the edges.
- Spray lightly with the pan spray to avoid burning.
- Bake until the cheese is melted, which will take about 3 minutes.
Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Eat Your Vegetables Pizza
Passover is the gateway to springtime. There are so many flowers and vegetables bursting forth, and it’s revelatory. For this pizza, it’s all about the bright, verdant flavors of the season. is mixed with asparagus, peas and a hint of fennel is pretty incredible, but feel free to add
or subtract to your liking. Garnish the finished pizza with assorted soft herbs.
Ingredients
4 pieces of matzah
Olive oil
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
4 stalks thin asparagus, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup peas in the shell, sliced
1/2 cup haricot vert, trimmed and sliced
1 small orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 small bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Assorted herbs for garnish
Directions
- Preheat your broiler.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange four matzahs on the parchment, drizzle with olive oil and
top with dollops of ricotta cheese, the vegetables and a scattering of fennel seeds.
- Drizzle with a touch more olive oil to prevent burning.
- Bake for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the broiler, let cool slightly, top with soft herbs and serve.
Artichoke, Olive And Feta Pizza
This is an absolute burst of flavors that will take you to your happy place. It comes together in a snap and will have everyone clamoring for more. Rich olives, salty feta and tart lemon juice bring this all together. Thhe topping, if pureed until mostly smooth, can also double as an incredible dip. Two for one!
Ingredients
4 pieces of matzah
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and divided
1 can pitted green olives, drained and divided
1 clove garlic, peeled and trimmed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves
Olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 cup feta cheese
Directions
- In a blender or food processor, combine ½ of the artichoke hearts, 1/2 the olives, garlic clove, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup parsley leaves,
2 tablespoons olive oil and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Then blend until chunky.
- Spread equal parts of the artichoke-olive mixture on the matzah. Top with sliced artichoke and olives.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange four matzah on the parchment.
- Spread equal parts of the artichoke mix onto each matzah. Top with the additional artichoke hearts and olives.
- Drizzle with additional olive oil and bake for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is browned.
- Remove from the oven and top with the remaining parsley and lemon zest.
Margherita Pizza
Since we are talking about pizza and all, it seemed prudent to include the A number 1 option. The old-fashioned margherita. It’s good to have a solid version in your repertoire, and this for sure is it.
Ingredients
1 cup premade pizza sauce
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
½ cup mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and red pepper flakes to taste
Large handful of fresh basil leaves
Directions
- Preheat your broiler.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Arrange four matzah on the parchment.
- Top with equal parts pizza sauce, a scattering of mozzarella and a few tomato slices. Season with dried oregano and salt to taste.
- Lightly spray with pan spray to prevent burning.
- Bake for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Let cool slightly, then add a touch of red pepper flakes and fresh basil leaves.
Take your holiday matzah pizza to the next level and keep these around for years to come.