If you don’t celebrate Passover and have no need to make lasagne out of matzo, I am so sorry this post likely doesn’t appeal to you.  Although I must mention that our not-Jewish friend Matt had my matzo lasagne last year and keeps talking about it nonstop.  In fact, just the other day he invited himself over the next time I make it.  Why is it that the non Jews look more fondly upon Passover foods than Jews?  When we were growing up, my mother and grandmother used to buy 5 pounds of matzo when it came into the stores because they absolutely loved it with some Breakstone’s whipped butter in the morning.  I’ll admit, I liked it quite a bit, too.  Now that I am married to someone who actually celebrates Passover, the sight of matzo makes me cringe a little.  Is it because when you’re “forced” to eat something, it takes on a different feeling?  Probably.

My mother, who has also tasted my matzo lasagne and complimented me on it, called me the other day to tell me she once again bought her 5-pounds.  “Well, you’re ahead of me,” I told her, since I hadn’t bought a single unleavened product in preparation for the 8-day holiday.  Truthfully, I don’t love the packaged Passover foods and matzo isn’t exactly nutritious since it’s just wheat flour.  Although I am so grateful for the more healthful options from the last few years like organic matzo, gluten-free and spelt matzo.  Progress!

During Passover, I typically work around the no-grains and no-legumes rule by focusing on sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, winter squashes, spaghetti squash and my new fave, cauli-rice.  But I am always reminded by my husband that one of the attractive qualities I had going for me back in the day is that I can make pretty good Italian food (his favorite cuisine.)  So every now and then I break out something bathed in homemade marinara sauce, topped with a blanket of (organic) mozzarella cheese.  Matzo lasagne always hits the spot and quite honestly it feels just as decadent as “the real thing.”

Sorry to say I haven’t tried this with gluten-free matzo, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.  The technique is very straightforward and almost identical to making lasagne with pasta.  The only difference is that you have to soak the matzo very briefly in water to soften it slightly.  And then you layer ricotta cheese with egg, sauce and mozzarella, soaked matzo, ricotta cheese with egg, sauce and mozzarella, and finally soaked matzo, sauce and mozzarella.  Include some grated Pecorino for extra flavor, if you wish.  My husband and Mr. Picky prefer meat sauce and the girls and I like a veggie version, so I usually make 2 8 x 8 pans to accommodate everyone.  Feel free to adapt to your liking.  Basically, take your favorite lasagne, and adapt it with matzo.  For the veggie one in these images, I used Kite Hill vegan, almond milk-based ricotta.  If you can find their products, they are the best dairy-free cheeses out there.  Delicious and clean.  You don’t even need the mozzarella, I think.

People have been asking me for my other Passover favorites, so here are a few:

Tex-Mex Matzo Brei

Any grain-free muffin, like Chocolate-Banana-Chia Seed, Orange-Cranberry Almond Flour (which I adapt to blueberry, chocolate chip, raspberry, etc.), Banana-Carrot Almond Flour.  More of a dessert, but always a fave in this house is the grain-free chocolate zucchini cake , apple cake, and grain-free salted chocolate chunk cookies.

Matzo popovers stuffed with tuna salad or chicken salad

Basically any Paleo recipe is good for Passover and there is no shortage of those around.  Check out my Paleo Pinterest board for some inspiration.  I hope you all have a beautiful holiday!