Recipe Review

10 Simple & Flavorful Passover Side Dishes

updated Mar 17, 2021
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(Image credit: Emily Han)

Passover is almost here — do you know what you’re cooking yet? Most likely, you’ve got the main building blocks set: classics like matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, brisket and roasted chicken. But when it comes to sides, there’s lots of room to mix and match with seasonal vegetables and Passover-friendly starches like potatoes and quinoa.

Here are ten delicious, vibrant side dishes to adorn your Passover table.

To help simplify your holiday menu prep, here are 10 side dishes that are simple to prepare (many can be made ahead) and fantastically flavorful. Delight your seder guests by breaking out of the kugel-and-roasted-asparagus routine, and inviting some new tastes to the table.

1. Pureed Carrots with Orange and Ginger – Saveur
This colorful side dish of cooked carrots whipped with citrus, garlic, and fresh ginger would add brightness and sunny flavor to a plate of brisket.

2. Sweet & Smoky Eggplant Spread – The Kitchn
Need something delicious to spread on all that matzo? Roast eggplants until soft and smoky, then mix the creamy flesh with tomato, caramelized onions, and plenty of fruity olive oil.

3. Spinach Farfel – The Forest Feast
Blogger Erin Gleeson’s mother-in-law taught her the recipe for this delicious, quiche-like Passover side that mixes eggs, spinach, and matzo farfel. Having a vegetarian seder? Serve it as part of the main course!

4. Potato and Leek Galette – The Kitchn
This gorgeously layered potato and leek tart looks complicated, but it comes together surprisingly quickly.

5. Herbed Lemon Quinoa – Saveur
Botanically speaking quinoa is a seed, not a grain, which makes it a

Passover-friendly starch

6. Kale Salad with Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon – The Kitchn
This bright salad of thinly sliced kale and colorful blood oranges would liven up any Passover seder.

7. Roasted Mushrooms with Herbs – The Kitchn
Roasting mushrooms highlights their meaty texture. Dressed up with fresh herbs, they would hold their own next to a beautiful roasted chicken. (Kosher keepers serving a meat meal can simply omit the sour cream.)

8. Roasted Asparagus, Avocado, and Arugula Salad – Shiksa in the Kitchen
Creamy avocado, bitter arugula, and earthy asparagus pair in this spring-friendly salad. A showering of toasted pine nuts and bright, fresh basil make it festive enough for a holiday meal.

9. Fennel, Beet, and Orange Salad – The Kitchn
Impress seder guests with this fresh salad featuring sweet oranges, jewel-toned beets, and licorice-scented fennel. A bit of flaky sea salt and orange zest amps up the flavor even more.

10. Asparagus Ribbons – The Kitchn
Celebrate the flavors of spring on the seder table with this crisp salad of shaved asparagus and slivered almonds.

What are you serving at Passover this year?