How To Make The Perfect Passover Seder Meal For Two

Even without family around, these recipes will make your partner’s mouth water like the Red Sea.

By Alexandra Churchill — Updated on Apr 03, 2023

Photo: MilanMarkovic78 / Shutterstock

Passover is nearly here, and though the holiday is one when people tend to hold large gatherings, many couples will be spending their seder meals without their extended families.

This year (2023), the first seder will be on Wednesday, April 5 and the second seder will be on Thursday, April 6.

For those who can’t spend either the first or second night of Pesach with family, we’ve got you covered.

Before you ransack your kitchen pantry in desperation, there are plenty of easy-to-whip-up dishes perfect for a traditional Passover dinner, even if it’s for no more than two. Just follow the recipes below and you’ll be on your way to serving up a mouthwatering meal that’s sure to impress your sweetheart as you share the festival holiday together, cozy at home.

If there’s one thing Passover is about, it’s food — but, of course this isn’t your typical romantic dinner.

The seder is a ceremonial meal held on the first (and second if you don’t live within Israel) night of Passover. In Hebrew, seder means “order”, and refers to the step-by-step ritual leading up to the meal itself.

As explained by Chabad, “During the course of the evening you will have: four cups of wine, veggies dipped in saltwater, flat, dry cracker-like bread called matzah, bitter herbs, often horseradish (without additives) and romaine lettuce, dipped into charoset (a paste of nuts, apples, pears and wine), and a festive meal that may contain time-honored favorites, like chicken soup and gefilte fish.

“Each item has its place in a 15-step choreographed combination of tastes, sounds, sensations and smells that have been with the Jewish people for millennia.”

Here’s our Passover seder menu with recipes for two, so you can celebrate with a salmon filet glazed with date honey and orange, a matzo ball soup, a sweet charoset dessert and a cocktail inspired by the meaning of the holiday itself.

Simple Passover Seder Menu for Two

The Drink: Maror by The Sipping Seder

Ingredients

3 oz (90 ml) Belvedere Vodka1 Small Golden Beet, raw, peeled1 Slice Fresh Horseradish, peeled, about the size of a quarter (25 x 25 x 2 mm)Fresh Red Beet, raw, peeled, for garnish

Directions

Cut the golden beets and horseradish into small pieces and muddle thoroughly in a mixing glass with half an ounce (15 ml) of the vodka.Add the remaining vodka to the mixing glass and fill 2/3 full of ice. Shake vigorously.Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a chilled cocktail glass.Garnish with a stick of red beet (about 1/8″ x 3″ or 80 x 5 mm) at the moment of serving.

Notes: Use freshest, juiciest red beet possible for a dramatic color transformation. We suggest slipping the beet garnish into the cocktail as you serve it. The red color will begin to bleed out into the yellow liquid immediately. Leave it to your guest to observe or agitate the process as they see fit.

For those concerned with kashrut (i.e., keeping kosher): As Sipping Seder says, “Because of the grains used to distill the spirits in the recipes, the cocktails in The Sipping Seder are not kosher for Passover. However, a few of our drinks can be adapted easily to meet the requirements. Or, you can enjoy any of these cocktails to get into the spirit of the holiday as Passover approaches.”

The Appetizer: Matzo Ball Soup by Elana Horwich of Meal And A Spiel

Start this recipe the day before you plan to serve it. If it is already too late, plan on chilling the matzo ball mix for at as long as you can, three hours at least.

Ingredients

1 cup matzo meal4 eggs4-5 tablespoons duck fat or schmaltz, at room temperature4 tablespoons (homemade) chicken broth1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus more for salting cooking water1 teaspoon pepper1/4 teaspoon dried ginger (don’t worry, they won’t taste like ginger … it just adds a taste of freshness to the matzo balls)1-2 tablespoons chopped herbs (celery leaves and/or parsley and/or chives and/or cilantro and/or dill)1 quart homemade or boxed chicken broth1 carrot1 piece of celerySome parsley or dill to throw into cooking waterHomemade chicken broth for serving

Directions

The Day Before:

In a small pot, add the 4 tablespoons of homemade chicken broth and set over medium flame until it is reduced in half to 2 tablespoons. Pour into a glass and set in fridge until it reaches room temp.Whisk eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, ginger and chopped herbs in a bowl until well mixed.Stir in matzo meal and reduced chicken broth.Add duck fat or schmaltz and stir in well.Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge overnight.

The Day Of:

In a large pot, set 5 quarts of water along with the boxed or homemade chicken broth, carrot, celery and parsley or dill over a high flame and cover until it comes to a boil.Add a small handful of salt to the boiling water/broth as if it were pasta water … it should taste salty like the sea.Using wet hands, form the matzo meal into imperfectly shaped balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.Place each one in the boiling water/broth. Stir to make sure they don’t stick.Cover and cook for 50 minutes.Cut one open to make sure it is fully cooked. If not cook them for a few minutes more.Lift out of water with a slotted spoon and place one or two in a serving bowl.Ladle homemade chicken broth into each bowl.Optional: garnish with a little chopped parsley or dill.

Note: If you are not serving them immediately, just keep drained matzo balls in a covered glass bowl until you are ready to use them.

The Main Dish: Salmon Filet Glazed with Date Honey & Orange by Executive Chef Andreas Marinkovits of Inbal Jerusalem Hotel

Ingredients

Salmon

800 g Salmon fillet, cut to 4 equal sized pieces, with the skin on or off as you prefer.Oil for searing

Date Honey & Orange Glaze makes 240 ml or 1 cup)

80 ml or 1/3 cup of Silan (Date honey)80 ml or 1/3 cup of Orange JuiceZest of 1 Orange1 small clove of garlic peeled and choppedSmall pieces about 1 cm of fresh Ginger peeled and chopped1 teaspoons of cornstarch

Directions

Mix all ingredients of the glaze except the cornstarch in a saucepan.Heat the saucepan over low heat until glaze begins to bubble.Mix cornstarch with a little water. Add to the glaze in the saucepan and stir until it thickens. Then remove from heat and let glaze cool.Marinate the salmon with half of the glaze about 2-4 hours, or overnight.Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.Heat up nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a few drops of oil and sear the marinated salmon until nicely browned, about 1 to 2 minutes.Brush the seared salmon with some of the remaining sauce and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked through.Remove from oven and drizzle remaining glaze over the salmon. Serve immediately.

The Dessert: Apple-Walnut Charoset by Medifast

Ingredients

3 medium Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks*1 1/2 cups walnut halves, lightly toasted and cooled*1/2 cup sweet red wine (e.g. Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga) or grape juice1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Directions

Give walnuts a quick pulse in the food processor.Add apples and remaining ingredients, and process till just blended and spreadable, but not too mushy.Store, covered, at room temperature until ready to serve, or refrigerate.

*If not using a food processor, dice apples fine and nuts coarse.

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Alexandra Churchill is a digital editor based in New York City whose work has been featured on numerous sites including The Huffington Post, Her Campus, USA TODAY College, and Northshore and Ocean Home magazines.

Source: YourTango