10 Ingenious Recipes You Can Make With Matzah

During the Jewish holiday of Passover, observers give up all leavened foods for eight days and eat matzah like their ancestors. No bread, no pretzels, no cookies. Many grains aren't even allowed. It's harder than it looks.

Matzah brie, matzah balls, and matzah pizza get boring pretty fast. But there are some lesser-known, and incredibly tasty, ways to use this loved and loathed holiday cracker.

Here are 10 creative ways to have your matzah and enjoy it, too.

Matzah Tiramisu

Windell Oskay of Evil Mad Scientist uses layers of matzah soaked in espresso in place of those trayf-y ladyfingers.

Oskay recommends letting the finished "tiramatzah" sit in the fridge for at least three hours before serving to let the matzah soak up enough espresso and lose its crunchiness.

Get the recipe here »

Jewish Chilaquiles

Chef Matt Gandin of Berkeley, Calif.'s Comal came up with a delicious version of everyone's favorite Mexican brunch dish by replacing the fried tortilla pieces with Matzah.

It's just like matzah brie only a thousand times better, since it contains things like salsa, queso fresco, and diced serrano chili on top (may we also suggest a healthy dollop of guac?).

Get the recipe here »

Chocolate Caramel Matzah "Crack"

Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman swears this stuff, which she calls "chocolate caramel crack," is addictive.

With stick-to-your-teeth coatings of caramel and semi-sweet chocolate and a liberal dusting of toasted almond slivers, we don't doubt that it is.

Get the recipe here »

Matzah Granola

Sorry, oatmeal lovers, but oats are not kosher for Passover. But you know what is? Matzah.

Leah Koenig posted a recipe for matzah granola with pistachios and dried apricots to Chow.com that blends the sweetness and chewiness of granola with the satisfying crunch of matzah to create your new, favorite go-to breakfast - for the next eight days, at least.

Get the recipe here »

Matzah Lasagna

When it's covered with creamy ricotta, a fresh tomato sauce, and layers of cheese, meat, or veggies, matzah is pretty indistinguishable from lasagna noodles.

Danya Weiner and Deanna Linder of Matkonation made their matzah lasagna two ways - one with a creamy, cheesy white sauce, and one with a succulent red sauce - so you can mangia more matzah!

Get the recipe here »

Matzah Crepes

If you've got a food processor, a blender, or time and elbow grease, you're just a step away from making your own matzah meal - a versatile ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes. Like crepes, for example.

Cara Lyons of Cara's Cravings stuffed her crepes with spiced lamb and eggplant, but you can do yours with fresh fruit, jam, or, our personal favorite, banana and Nutella.

Get the recipe here »

Matzah Crunch Ice Cream

Big Girls Small Kitchen food blogger Cara Eisenpress, and author of "In the Small Kitchen," made a variation of matzah crack and one-upped it by crumbling it into a batch of homemade vanilla ice cream. Ditch the spoon and use a larger piece of matzah crack to shovel it into your mouth.

All you need is an ice cream maker, and you're in business.

Get the recipe here »

Brisket & Matzah Breakfast Bruschetta

Business Insider's operations coordinator and The Crepes of Wrath blogger Sydney Kramer paired homemade matzah with soft-scrambled eggs, tomato, and sliced brisket to make a fabulous Jewish breakfast bruschetta.

Get the recipe here »

Deep Fried Matzah Balls

A holiday's not a Jewish holiday unless you dunk something in hot oil and fry it golden. And while matzah balls are typically cooked by boiling them, Amy Kritzer of What Jew Wanna Eat fries hers like falafel and serves them hors d'oeuvres-style with a wasabi cream dipping sauce.

Matzah balls are not just for soup!

Get the recipe here »

Matzah Fried Chicken

Bruce and Eric Bromberg, the brothers behind the Blue Ribbon restaurants and authors of "Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook," are known for their award-winning juicy and extra-crispy fried chicken wings and legs. The secret? Matzah meal, which gives it that additional crunch.

The Brombergs combine matzah meal with all-purpose flour when they coat the chicken, but you can leave the flour out during Passover to achieve similar, Pesach-friendly results.

Get the recipe here »