A Post-Passover Predicament: What To Do With All That Matzo?
NEW YORK — Passover ended a little over a week ago. The big question now is what do you do with all the leftover matzo?
That’s what many Jews are asking themselves now that the eight-day holiday — in commemoration of the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt — has passed.
While all those boxes sit inside the cupboards of many as we enter May, some have found creative ways to use up all that unleavened bread. Made with flour and water and used during Seders, matzo is a simple food that people can get creative with even after Passover comes to an end. Some had ideas how to use up all that matzo (sometimes also spelled matzah), proving that it’s more than just Jewish flatbread.
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“I just use it like crackers until I’m all done with it,” said Esther Cohen, 80. “You can put cheese on it and it works as a great appetizer or snack.”
Nicole Edelman, 41, said she prefers to make a dessert out of those oversized crackers.
“I just smear Nutella or peanut butter all over it,” she said. “I love it.”
Passover, in terms of food, includes the biblical narrative that recalls that the Israelites left Egypt in such a rush, they could not wait for their dough to rise. When baked along the journey, the result was matzo.
Experts have also chimed in on what can be done with leftover unleavened bread.
“Well, first of all, I crumble up matzo for my matzoh balls, but I also make matzoh pizza, matzoh macaroni cheese,” Joan Nathan, a cookbook author, told NPR in 2011. “I have this … a tarte flambee with matzo that Alsatians use. It’s like with farmer's cheese and creme fraiche and sauteed onions and usually with ham. But, of course, the Jews aren't going to use ham.”
Wikipedia Commons photo
It was recently that The New York Times wrote about matzo pizza.
Back in 2015, the noted food blog Epicurious had a post that took on the leftover matzo issue. Among the seven suggestions compiled by writer Matt Duckor was the Asian-inspired matzo scallion pancakes.
“This Passover-friendly version of the classic Chinese takeout dish is a perfect vehicle for spring onions from the farmer’s market,” he wrote. “Note: While many recipes featured here call for matzo meal, you don't need to buy the stuff — simply gently pulse your leftover matzo in a food processor until it reaches your desired consistency (rough and breadcrumb-like for topping dishes with, more finely ground if you're baking with the stuff).
In 2019, New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark took up the topic under the headline, “Matzo’s Next Life: Lasagna Noodle.”
“After the Passover Seder, the only thing we did with the leftover matzo (which is eaten during the holiday to commemorate the unleavened bread baked by the Jews as they fled slavery in Egypt) was to fry it with eggs for breakfast. As much as I adore matzo brei, it gets old after the third time in one week,” she wrote. “And eating buttered matzo with salt is never as good as saltines. With its cheese pulls and molten ricotta filling, matzo lasagna rounds out the usual post-Seder offerings in an especially appealing way.”
Clark added: “It grew out of a much older Sephardic tradition of Passover pies, or casseroles, called minas. Minas are composed of sheets of matzo layered with savory ingredients and baked. Some have ground lamb and tomatoes; others are made with spinach and cheese. They’re like a bit like burekas, except made with matzo instead of phyllo. Layering matzo with ricotta, tomato and mozzarella gives this Sephardic tradition an Italian slant.”
As with all matzo recipes and uses, arguments often end up directed at just which kind is the best.
“Manischewitz Original is what I prefer,” Cohen said. “I’ve been buying it for years.”
But Edelman said she prefers Yehuda Matzos because they’re baked in Jerusalem.
“It often costs more, but it’s worth it,” she said.
That’s a debate for next Passover. In the meantime, many are getting creative with the leftover matzo they do have.
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.