The only traditional foods for Sukkot are kreplach (stuffed dumplings) and for some, stuffed cabbage. However, Sukkot meals are generally inspired from the harvest origin of the holiday (Festival of Ingathering), including fresh fruits and vegetables and other harvest-related ingredients. Of course, as on all Jewish holidays, challah is a must and chicken soup and kugels can be found on the table. Let’s embrace some harvest-related culinary creativity—here are some kosher fall recipes to add some excitement to your sukkah’s table!
Butternut Squash Soup
Perfect for the nippier days in your sukkah, wrap your hands around a warm mug of Butternut Squash Soup and watch the leaves fall. Adapted from thebusybaker.ca. Time: ~35 minutes. Makes 8 servings; 113 kcal per serving.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil.
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper, and thyme, and sauté until the onion is soft and transparent.
- Add the cubed butternut squash and toss in the onion mixture.
- Add the vegetable stock and stir to combine (You might need to add a little more or less stock, depending on the size of your squash. The liquid level should be just slightly lower than the squash).
- Add the lid to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the soup reaches a boil reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the butternut squash is very tender when you pierce it with a fork.
- Remove the soup from the heat and add the coconut milk.
- Puree with an immersion blender, or puree in batches in a regular counter-top blender.
Serve immediately with a garnish of coconut cream or yogurt, roasted pumpkin seeds or nutmeg.
Tzimmes
Tzimmes is a traditional Jewish stew eaten on various festivals, but particularly during Pesach and Rosh Hashanah. Carrots and honey are found in all tzimmes recipes, but after that there may be sweet potatoes, apples, dried fruit (apricots, prunes, raisins) cinnamon, etc. Here is a simple recipe adapted from www.chabad.org. Time: ~60 minutes.
Ingredients
| 1 large onion, cut in half or quarter rounds | ½ lb. sweet potato, cubed | ½ cup honey |
| ¼ cup oil | 10 prunes, diced | ½ tsp. cinnamon |
| 1 lb. carrots, sliced in ½-inch rounds | 1½ cups orange juice | ½ tsp. salt |
Instructions
- Sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 hour, until vegetables are tender. Serve warm.
We hope these recipes bring you almost as much joy as the Festival of Booths. Chag sameach!
For more Sukkot articles, check out our Sukkah Building Guide and our post on the Four Species.
This post was written by MJTI Academic Dean Rabbi Dr. Vered Hillel.
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