Passover Can Include Granola and Lasagna Too

Passover evokes certain foods such as charoset, gefilte fish, and brisket. Of course, there's also matzo, the staple unleavened bread of the holiday, which leaves its mark on many dishes, from matzo ball soup to matzo brei and matzo farfel. The festival wouldn't be the same without these iconic foods, but let's be honest: eating the same dishes week after week, year after year, can feel a bit redundant.

That's where author Leah Koenig comes in to save the day. Her cookbook, "Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes and Customs for Today's Kitchen," is filled with recipes for both year-round and Passover-specific Jewish dishes, breaking the stereotype that Jewish food is boring or bland. We're particularly fond of her recipes that use matzo, from flavorful jalapeño-scallion matzo balls and caramel-chocolate matzo bars to the completely untraditional granola and lasagna recipes that use matzo sheets.

We asked Leah how she came up with such innovative uses for matzo. Her matzo granola was born partly out of necessity: "Passover breakfasts can be particularly challenging because most breakfast foods—cereals, oatmeal, toast, pancakes, muffins, bagels—are forbidden. I invented matzo granola to fill the Passover 'breakfast gap,'" she told us. "It's crunchy, nutty, and slightly sweet like any good granola, and I'd happily eat it with yogurt year-round."

She also discovered that if you soak matzo sheets briefly in water, they soften and take on a texture very similar to lasagna noodles. This discovery inspired her to create a lasagna that she describes as "a bit of magic for Passover." She added, "I layer it with lots of cheese and spinach, making it a hearty and nutritious main dish for a vegetarian Passover seder or a weekday Passover dinner."

Below are her recipes for matzo lasagna and matzo granola.

Spinach and Mozzarella Matzo Lasagna
In the past decade, matzo lasagna has quickly and forcefully entered the mainstream of Passover. Its rise is partly due to it fulfilling the need for a staple during the week-long holiday. What's another reason for its popularity? It's incredibly delicious. Softened matzo provides a convincing noodle-like base for creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, rich marinara sauce, and tender spinach. I like to imagine that fifty years from now, my future grandchildren will swear that Passover isn't Passover without spinach and mozzarella matzo lasagna.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 large yellow onions, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, chopped

• 5 ounces (140g) baby spinach

• 4 cups (910g) whole-milk or low-fat ricotta cheese

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 cups (200g) grated mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 cup (10g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 9 sheets of matzo

• 4 cups (960ml) high-quality marinara sauce

• 1/4 cup (20g) grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. Pour the olive oil into a medium skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and turn slightly golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and spinach and cook, stirring with tongs, until the garlic is fragrant and the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup (50g) of the mozzarella, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

4. Pour water into a shallow baking dish. Dip 3 sheets of matzo into the water and soak for 1 to 2 minutes. (Don't soak them too long—you want the pieces to feel soft but not mushy or soaked through. They should still hold their shape.) Spoon half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) baking dish. Shake off any excess water from the softened matzo pieces and lay them in the baking dish, breaking them as needed to fit. Pour about half of the ricotta mixture over the top and then spoon half of the spinach mixture over the ricotta. Repeat the layers with the remaining marinara sauce, 3 more softened matzo sheets, and the remaining ricotta and spinach mixtures.

5. Soften the remaining 3 matzo sheets and lay them on top. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the top and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1 1/2 cups (150g) of mozzarella and the Parmesan.

6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until cooked through, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let it rest for a few minutes. Serve hot. Serves 8 to 10.

Leah Koenig's Walnut and Coconut Matzo Granola
Walnut and Coconut Matzo Granola
Breakfast can be tough during Passover. With toast, bagels, cereals, waffles, muffins, oatmeal, and almost every other starchy breakfast staple off the menu, options are limited. Try this granola instead. It uses crushed matzo instead of the typical rolled oats, which are toasted to a fragrant crisp in the oven and then sprinkled with chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, and raisins. I can't promise it will become your new breakfast year-round. (Almost nothing compares to a perfect stack of pancakes.) But I can promise it will make Passover infinitely sweeter.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil

• 1/3 cup (115g) honey

• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 5 sheets of matzo, crushed into 1/2-inch (12mm) pieces

• 1 cup (115g) walnuts, chopped

• 1/2 cup (45g) unsweetened coarsely shredded coconut

• 2/3 cup (105g) dark raisins

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Add the crushed matzo and stir to combine.

3. Spread the granola mixture out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Add the walnuts and coconut, stirring to combine. Bake, stirring once, until the matzo is browned and the walnuts and coconut are toasted, 10 to 12 minutes more. (The mixture will look wet; don't worry, it will crisp up as it cools.)

4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately transfer the granola to a large heatproof bowl. Stir in the raisins. Let it cool completely, stirring occasionally to break up any large clumps. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Serves 6.