ISO simplest most basic pesach menu

amother

Tanzanite

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:41 pm

amother OP wrote:

Ever
Any ideas ?
Also for baking & desserts.
I want to keep it easy & basic but don’t want to disappoint my kids & grandkids coming

Any tips or ideas welcome
Thx

You can do what my mother in law does and serve the same exact food for every single meal. Desert can always be cut up fruit.

amother

Offwhite

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:44 pm

amother Tanzanite wrote:

You can do what my mother in law does and serve the same exact food for every single meal. Desert can always be cut up fruit.

lol are we sister in laws? My mil can make yom tov in 2 days and she wants to know what takes me a week….

amother

Navyblue

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:48 pm

For dessert- I do sorbets & I put in 4 oz dip cups with lids. It's also great for an afternoon snack that the kids could just pull out.

Any bag of frozen fruit
1 c orange or pineapple juice
Up to 3/4 c of sugar ( I do the full amount for things that are more tart like strawberries and less for things like mangoes)
Sometimes I'll put in a splash of grape juice for added flavor.

Blend & freeze

#BestBubby

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:51 pm

Simplest is to cook your traditional shobbos menu

Gefilte fish
Salmon
Chicken soup
Potato kugel

Chulent is crockpot chicken and/or beef and potatoes with diced onion and spice.

A beef roast with roast vegetables:
potatoes, zuchinni, sweet potato, eggplant

A Lettuce salad

Egg salad

Chopped liver

Schnitzel (crumb chicken cutlets. I use crushed potato chips for the crumbs)

oneofakind

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:52 pm

Seder and night meals (add gefilte fish for Friday night and different entree last 2 nights)the same menu. Change things up by day. Yapshick or cholent Shabbos lunch).
Desserts: one bowl brownie, applesauce, sorbet
Anybody who is disappointed can help cook

amother

Navyblue

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:55 pm

Another tip I have is to try to cook once, use it twice. For example, I make meatballs for erev yt. So I make extra and then I use the meatballs for an appetizer for one meal.

When I make potato kugel, I'll use some to make one in a sheet pan and then you could either cut squares or circles with a glass cup and that's a perfect base for an appetizer either with the meatballs or if you have extra meat and you turn into pulled beef.

I'll fry extra lokshen and stuff it with the extra mashed potatoes, mixed with extra meat if I hv and there you have blintzes.

I also cook simple, fresh ingredients.

amother

DarkRed

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:55 pm

I like to make things like one pan meals- I cut up some veggies and put them under my protein (usually chicken). That way I'm making a main and a side at the same time. I do minimal cooking in advance, and make a lot of salads. In general I cook very simply, but season well and present nicely. Roast a variety of veggies, make some into salads, some into platters. If you use quinoa, make a batch and season it differently for different meals. Ex. Add your roasted veggies and a balsamic dressing, or add some cucumber, tomato, onion and parsley and make a taboulleh style salad. Repurpose your mains- make salmon for a meal and then shred and plate with avocados/oranges/beets and greens for a beautiful presentation. Grill chicken and use as a main for one meal and add to a salad for the next. Using lots of fresh produce will make everything exciting even when it's basic. Good luck!

amother

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:58 pm

amother DarkRed wrote:

I like this!
Thx !

amother

Bisque

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 7:59 pm

I make mini sweet potato "pies" in little foil ramekins. No crust and they are very popular especially with the kids.

I find that in general anything made in little portion cups or ramekins is more desirable, like mini kugels vs a slice of kugel. So I spend an extra few minutes putting the kugel batter into little foil pans instead of into one big pan. It's also easy to serve or take as a snack.

I also keep a big bag of hard boiled eggs in the fridge for anyone who is hungry.

Like the poster above, I also make ices in mini portion cups. I make lemon italian ices with strong lemonade, grape juice ices (watered down grape juice with sugar added), and frozen applesauce. Having lots of those on hand for whenever anyone needs a snack or treat is great.

Every morning I cut up a few melons or other fruit and leave the chunks in the fridge for people to take.

I make a lot of simple food. We don't use too many ingredients on Pesach so that's what works...

A big pot of chicken soup with tons of vegetables, and sometimes chicken balls (ground dark meat, just make little balls with wet hands and toss into boiling soup) is helpful to have on hand.

I prefer easy salads like cucumber salad, avocado salad.

Fish patties (just make small balls of defrosted fish roll with wet hands and flatten onto parchment paper) are delicious and very popular.

amother

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 8:00 pm

amother DarkRed wrote:

You sound like a great cook !

amother

Black

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 8:05 pm

I do same meals the nights and same the day.

Alternate salmon and gefilte at meals (cooked in the same pot)

Make chicken soup and cream of chicken soup together and alternate the nights

Chicken at night, roast by day

Lettuce salad as a side . Mashed potatoes if you can. Sautéed zuchinni in tomato sauce. Roasted sweet potato wedges.

Cut fruit and chocolate for dessert.

amother

Maple

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 8:09 pm

Here are the simplest most basic menu items I can think of for me- I think the easiest things are the ones where you aren’t stuck over a stove and don’t have tons of dishes to wash after.

Roast made in the oven or crockpot (spices and wine/sauce) takes no time or energy at all.
Roast bags of frozen broccoli and cauliflower with spices in the oven.
Make mashed potatoes in a 9x13 pan in the oven- still requires peeling, but no dishes to wash.
There are 9x13 recipes on between carpools for dessert, and I like to get chocolate bars and cut up fruit for dessert

imanotmommy

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 9:38 pm

Simplest menu I can think of:

Both sedarim: soup with vegetables and chicken (good for families that don't want a whole huge meal+serving and cleanup by that time of night)
Day meals: a roast with spices and wine, roasted potatoes (think that's easier than kugel or mash), and kind of easy vegetable ( sliced zucchini, frozen broccoli... with some oil, spices
Chicken+potatoes (one pan with spices), also an easy vegetable or salad

deserts-to me the easiest are cake and applesauce. sorbet and cookies are more steps.

amother

Diamond

Tue, Apr 02 2024, 9:48 pm

Make a huge batch of potatoes kugela and freeze, make corned beef s and pastrami roasts that dnt need any spicing ..and each meal u pull out a roast and a kugela and add either roasted broccoli, roaster peppers, quinoa, or cauliflower as a side