Passover Lasagna – Not a Myth but a Reality

My Canadian friend has submitted this recipe for Passover. She said something about passover lasagna and I got curious... So now you can enjoy a non traditional Passover meal thanks to Shira.

Passover Lasagna – Not a Myth but a Reality

I am not sure how many individuals who read this celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover, but for those, like me, who are forced into eating what amounts to “stale crackers” for a week, this is for you. Possibly the most aggravating thing about the holiday is giving up some food staples we often take for granted – bread, rice, and pasta. Other than being a great diet for week, it can be a severe pain.

The trick I have learned over the years while banging my head against a wall thousands of times while trying to come up with something other than the ever popular “meat and potatoes,” is to reorient my thinking. Although many of us tend to focus on the things we can’t have (my walk everyday past the donut joint is going to be a killer for a week), you need to focus on what you do have in order to make delicious, appetizing substitutes.

Possibly one of the biggest substitution tricks I have learned when it comes to Passover is making Matzah Lasagna. If you want to be creative, this is just the ticket. It is your garden variety of lasagna but you substitute lasagna noodles with matzah. You will also need to use cottage cheese instead of ricotta unless you can find kosher for Passover ricotta. (As a little science note – a common ingredient in ricotta is grain vinegar, though often called something like “catalyzer” on the ingredient list.)

This is a recipe good for two people but you can increase as need be!

• 2 pieces of matza
• Either jarred tomato sauce (or you can make your own like I like to do and freeze the rest for a post-Passover spaghetti and meatball fest)
• Cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (as much or little as you like)
• Parmesan cheese
• Optional: Vegetables (I either like to sauté mushrooms or slices of zucchini to layer in my lasagna)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the egg with one cup of cottage cheese and parmesan cheese. In an 8X8 pan, spread a layer of tomato sauce, but keep it thin. Place down your first piece of matzah. On top of the matzah, place another layer of tomato sauce and then a layer of the cottage cheese mixture. If you are adding vegetables, put them on after the cheese mixture is placed. Then put on a thin layer of tomato sauce and cover with the matzah. On top of the matzah, place more sauce as well as your shredded mozzarella. Place the lasagna into the oven and cook until the mozzarella on top becomes brown.

Obviously, you can add more layers if you like, but this is basic.

So for this Passover, I am telling you to be creative with your food and make something new and interesting. The week will go by much faster when you have good food planned!