Shabbat Dinner Ideas - Kosher Meal Plans (2024)

December 1, 2023

Sometimes easy Shabbat dinner ideas are all you need! In addition to being easy to make, these are also healthy and delicious.

This meal plan has around six servings but you can adjust the recipes as needed. We also included a grocery list to make it as helpful as possible.

Shabbat Dinner Ideas - Kosher Meal Plans (1)


how to use this meal plan:

This meal plan has an appetizer, a main, three side dishes, and a dessert. If you’d like a bigger meal, you can browse our recipe index and choose some more recipes. On the flip side, if you want a smaller meal you can leave something out.

Make sure to add Challah to your grocery list as well as any dips or drinks that you like. After that, you have your Friday night meal taken care of! Some of these dishes are great options for Shabbos lunch as well, so feel free to make a little extra.


shabbat dinner ideas:

Shabbat Dinner Ideas - Kosher Meal Plans (2)
  • Chicken Soup with Matza Balls
  • Chicken Paprikash
  • Baked Potatoes
  • Roasted Broccolini
  • Creamy Veggie Salad
  • Crinkle Cookies

Grocery List for shabbat dinner ideas:

The quantities listed here are for six servings but adjust if you’re doubling or halving the recipes. If you already have something on this list you can cross it off. If you don’t have something on the “most probably have at home list”, add it to the grocery list.

Non-Perishables:

  • 1 jar of smoked paprika
  • 1 container of low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 can of baby corn
  • 1 small package of slivered almonds
  • 1 small package of dried cranberries
  • 1 bottle of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 container of cocoa powder
  • 1 container of turbinado sugar
  • 1 bag of whole wheat flour
  • 1 bag of powdered sugar
  • 1 package of Manishewitz matza ball mix


Perishables:

  • 1 pound of chicken bones
  • 2 pounds of chicken legs
  • 1 carton of eggs


Fruits & Veggies:

  • 3 carrots
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 package of celery
  • 3 onions
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 small bunch of dill
  • 1 small bunch of parsley
  • 6 russet potatoes
  • 2 pounds of broccolini
  • 1 pound of romaine lettuce
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes


Things you most probably have at home:

  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Mayonnaise
  • Honey
  • White flour
  • Baking powder
  • Vanilla extract
  • Baking soda


easy shabbat dinner ideas:


chicken soup with matza balls:

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Ingredients:

for the chicken soup:

  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
  • 1 zucchini, cut up
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, sliced in half
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Small bunch of dill
  • Small bunch of parsley
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 pound of chicken bones


for the matza balls:


Instructions:

for the chicken soup:

  1. Place everything in a pot except for the chicken bones and cover with water.
  2. Bring to a boil and then lower the flame.
  3. After around 30 minutes add the chicken bones to the soup and cook for around 40 minutes.
  4. Remove the chicken bones from the soup and discard.
  5. Remove any fat from the top of the soup as well.
  6. Lower the flame to a simmer and cook for around two hours.


for the matza balls:

  1. Cook the matza balls according to package instructions.


chicken paprikash:

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Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds chicken legs
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium vegetable broth


Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Sauté for around five minutes.
  2. Add the chicken skin side down and cook until the skin has browned, around four minutes.
  3. Flip the chicken over and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
  4. Add the garlic and broth to the pan, cover and bring to a boil.
  5. Lower the heat and simmer for around two hours or until the chicken has softened.


baked potatoes:

Shabbat Dinner Ideas - Kosher Meal Plans (5)


Ingredients:

  • 6 russet potatoes, washed and cut into halves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt


Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the potatoes on a lined baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over them.
  3. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on each potato as well.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes become brown and crispy.


roasted broccolini:

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Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds broccolini
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
  • Fresh lemon
  • Salt and pepper


Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the broccolini and tomatoes on a lined baking sheet.
  3. Add the minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to a bowl. Mix well.
  4. Pour the oil mixture over the broccolini and massage it in well making sure they’re all thoroughly coated.
  5. Roast for around 15 minutes or until the broccolini is slightly charred.
  6. Squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice over the broccolini.
  7. Serve with lemon wedges.


creamy veggie salad:

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ingredients:

  • 1 pound of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
  • 1 small container of cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 can of corn
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries


dressing:

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey


instructions:

  1. Place all of the salad ingredients in a bowl and pour the dressing on top.
  2. Mix & serve.


crinkle cookies:

Shabbat Dinner Ideas - Kosher Meal Plans (8)


Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar


Instructions:

  • Add the oil, vanilla extract, sugar and eggs to a bowl. Whisk until combined.
  • Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to a bowl and mix.
  • Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and mix well.
  • Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for around four hours or overnight.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Meanwhile make around 16 cookies by rolling out the dough into even-sized balls.
  • Dip each ball into a bowl of powdered sugar and place on a lined baking sheet.
  • Bake the cookies for around 15 minutes and allow them to cool fully before serving.


Notes:

Everything will stay fresh in the fridge for around four days. Enjoy and have a beautiful Shabbos!

Shabbat Dinner Ideas - Kosher Meal Plans (2024)

FAQs

What food to bring to shabbat dinner? ›

This ritual includes plenty of food, wine, songs, and conversations with loved ones. Challah, matzo ball soup, and roasted chicken are among some of the traditional Jewish Friday night dinners. However, you can build your Shabbat dinner menu with more modern options including Cajun drumsticks and scalloped potatoes.

What is cooked for the Shabbat dinner? ›

The menu consists of slow cooked beef and potatoes with caramelized onions, stuffed onions and grape leaves, crispy chicken with panko and za'atar roasted sweet potatoes.

What is required at each Shabbat meal? ›

The meal is usually a festive one, with family and friends gathered around the table. Traditional foods served at Shabbat dinner include challah bread, chicken soup, and roast chicken. The meal ends with a blessing over two candles, which are lit before dinner.

What are the two main things at a Shabbat dinner table? ›

Shabbat day generally features a fish course and then a meat course containing a hot stew called tcholent.

What to bring to someone's house for Shabbat? ›

DO bring a house gift. A pretty set of dish towels or hand soaps, or a delicious scented candle are all lovely. DON'T bring flowers. Fresh flowers are usually a go-to house gift, but on Shabbat, religiously observant people cannot put the flowers in water.

Can non-Jews go to Shabbat dinner? ›

It is permitted to host a non-observant Jew for a Shabbos meal, especially if the invitation may result in bringing the guest closer to yiddishkiet. But it is forbidden to invite him for a meal if the guest will desecrate the Shabbos due to the invitation.

Can you flush the toilet on Shabbat? ›

It goes without saying that flushing a toilet is permitted on Shabbat. There is some discussion, however, whether it is permissible to flush a toilet that is equipped with a disinfectant device that colors the water as it is flushed.

What are the three meals of Shabbat? ›

It is proper to eat three meals with bread on Shabbat: the Friday night meal, the Shabbat midday meal, and one meal toward the end of the day just prior to sunset, called Seudah Shelish*t, or the Third Meal. 1. Try to leave room when eating lunch, so you'll have an appetite for the Third Meal.

What does a Shabbat dinner entail? ›

In addition to challah and wine, most Shabbat meals include salads, fish, meat, an abundance of sides, and dessert. But what those food choices are are as varied as the Jewish people and range from excessive grease and starch to the staples of Mediterranean eating.

How to host a Sabbath dinner? ›

Before serving the meal, light the Sabbath candles and recite the blessing. Many people then say a blessing (kiddush) over the wine, ritually wash their hands and then say another blessing over the challah (hamotzei). In between washing hands and hamotzei, some people refrain from speaking.

What do Jews eat on Friday evening? ›

Shabbat traditionally includes three required meals: Friday night dinner, Saturday lunch, and the third meal in late afternoon. For non-Orthodox Jews, Friday night dinner is the most popular Shabbat meal. Typical Shabbat foods include challah (braided bread) and wine, which are both blessed before the meal begins.

Can you eat cheese on Shabbat? ›

Similarly, other Shabbat side dishes usually include grilled vegetables, cereal dishes, and salads. According to Jewish recipes, desserts in Shabat's diet should be moderate. This means that dairy products and meat products cannot be included.

What are common Shabbat foods? ›

Moroccan Jews traditionally start their Friday nights with spicy fish, while stuffed vegetables and grape leaves are popular with many Sephardi cooks. Meanwhile, for traditional Ashkenazi families, matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, and roast chicken are served year-round.

What do you say for Shabbat dinner? ›

Prior to eating the bread, the following blessing is recited. Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has brought forth bread from the earth.

What is traditionally eaten on Shabbat? ›

Typical Shabbat foods include challah (braided bread) and wine, which are both blessed before the meal begins. Eating meat is traditional on Shabbat, as Jews historically considered meat a luxury and a special food. However, vegetarians can also enjoy Shabbat foods.

Can you carry food on Shabbat? ›

You may not carry items in your mouth outside a private domain or an eruv on Shabbat. EXAMPLES: Outside a private domain or an eruv, you may not carry food in your mouth that you were eating when you left your house.

What is the food blessing for Shabbat? ›

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha–olam ha-motz-i lechem min ha'ar-etz. Blessed is the Oneness that makes us holy and brings forth bread from the earth. The blessing for the bread covers all the food in your meal.

Can you give gifts on Shabbat? ›

90:9 One person may not give another a gift on Shabbos unless it's something actually needed for Shabbos. Similarly, it is forbidden to give someone collateral for a loan on Shabbos unless it's something needed for Shabbos or to perform a mitzvah.

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