Savory Simmered Matzo Farfel Recipe for Passover

By
Giora Shimoni
Giora Shimoni
A kosher food enthusiast and home cook with hundreds of published recipes, Giora Shimoni has worked in online publishing for over 20 years.
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Updated on 01/13/22
Savory Simmered Matzo Farfel Recipe for Passover in a bowl

The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
318 Calories
14g Fat
39g Carbs
9g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 318
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 497mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 25mg 2%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 109mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Looking for a simple, kid-friendly side dish for weekday Passover meals? This matzo farfel couldn't be easier to prepare, and it makes a nice change from plain, unadorned matzo. Serve it alongside a saucy dish like this Chicken with Prunes Tsimmes, so you can use the farfel to sop up the sauce. Add some Ginger Roasted Broccoli, and you've got a simple, satisfying family meal.  But you can serve it anywhere you'd want a starchy side dish during Passover, and it will work.

Farfel is an Ashkenazi Jewish egg pasta similar to spaetzle or nokedli, and sometimes referred to as "egg barley." This may sound confusing, but pasta isn't kosher for Passover, so this recipe for matzo farfel, which is simply crushed up matzo crackers, takes its place. You can buy commercially prepared matzo farfel, but it's just as simple to break up sheets of matzo on your own, as in this recipe. 

Ingredients

  • 5 matzo sheets

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1/2 cup matzo meal

  • 3 tablespoons oil

  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Savory Simmered Matzo Farfel Recipe for Passover ingredients in bowls

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  2.  Break the matzo sheets into medium pieces in a bowl.

    Broken matzo sheets in a bowl of water

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  3. Pour just enough warm water over the matzo to dampen it, and then drain after a minute or two.

    Water and broken matzo sheets in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  4. Add the beaten eggs and matzo meal. Mix well, breaking matzo into even smaller pieces.

    Matzo sheets, beaten eggs and matzo meal mixture in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  5. Heat oil in a large, deep pan or skillet. Saute the matzo until the egg is set and the matzo begins to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

    Matzo Farfel cooking in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  6. Add the broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until most of the broth has been absorbed.

    Savory Simmered Matzo Farfel cooking in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  7. Transfer to a serving dish or platter, and serve immediately. 

    Savory Simmered Matzo Farfel in a bowl with a spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

Variation

  • Use water or beef stock instead of chicken stock.
  • Add some chopped fresh mushrooms into the saute pan before the broth is added and cook them down until they release some liquid.
  • If you don't like mushrooms, finely diced onion is delicious and make this a more savory dish.
  • Try a little bit of garlic powder or onion powder in the pan with the matzo meal before you add it and the beaten eggs to the farfel.
  • Make this dish completely gluten free by purchasing gluten-free matzo meal and matzo crackers.

How to Store Matzo Farfel

Leftover matzo farfel will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days. Reheat it in a saucepan over medium low heat until completely hot. You can freeze matzo farfel, but the texture won't be the same upon reheating. It's a quick dish to prepare, and better if you make it from scratch rather than reheat defrosted leftovers.