Yom Tov Meal Plan

This yom tov (holiday) meal plan is simple and easy and can be made in under two hours. If you want to have a nice meal, but don’t want to be in the kitchen for days, this one’s for you!

The grocery list below includes everything you need, and it is followed by the list of recipes. Add whatever else you may need to complete your meal (wine, challah, dips, desserts, etc.) to the grocery list and in one trip you’ll have everything you need for the holiday.

This meal plan includes six dishes: two mains, two kugels, one carb side, and one vegetable side. You can double the recipes or pare them down depending on what you need for your family. Enjoy!

Suggested meals:

Grocery List:

This list is for around eight servings. You can adjust the amounts if you are adjusting the serving sizes. At the end of the list you will see a section that is for things you most probably have at home. If you don’t, add them to your list. If you have anything on the rest of the list already you can cross it off.

Fruits & Veggies:

• 8 sweet potatoes
• 2 big honey crisp apples (or any apples you’d like)
• 2 big bartlett pears (or any pears you’d like)
• 4 carrots
• 2 onions
• 3 potatoes
• 3 zucchinis
• 3 bunches of garlic

Non-Perishables:

• 1 box of orzo
• 1 bag of pecans
• 1 bag of walnuts
• 1 bottle of red wine (cooking wine or regular wine is fine)
• 1 bottle of white wine (cooking wine or regular wine is fine)
• 1 container of beef broth
• Cooking string

Perishables:

• 1 whole chicken – around 3 lbs.
• Top of the rib – around 3 lbs.
• 1 carton of eggs

Things you most probably have at home:

• Lemon juice
• Cinnamon
• Olive oil
• Brown sugar
• Honey
• Flour
• Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Mustard
• BBQ sauce
• Ketchup

Recipes:

As we mentioned before if you’d like to add another recipe to this meal plan feel free to browse our recipe index for lots of great options.

garlic & onion whole roast chicken:

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 10 cloves of garlic
• 4 onions (quartered)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups semi-dry white wine (or white cooking wine)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the chicken in a big roasting dish.
2. Stuff the chicken with as many onions and garlic that fit and tie the legs together with cooking string to keep everything inside.
3. Sprinkle spices and oil all over both sides of the chicken and rub them in well all over.
4. Place the rest of the onions and garlic around the chicken and pour the wine into the roasting dish around the chicken.
5. Cover and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the chicken has registered 165 degrees.
6. Uncover and turn the oven to broil. Broil for around 10 minutes or until it has the color you like.

Soft & Juicy top of the rib:

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds top of the rib
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 onion, cut into circles
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (BBQ sauce or ketchup will work too)
• 2 cups red wine
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water

Instructions:

1. Season the meat generously with salt & pepper. Smear mustard (or whatever condiment you are using) all over the meat.
2. Heat oil in a big pot over medium-high heat and sear the meat on both sides until it’s browned (around 5 minutes per side).
3. Remove the meat from the pot and place it on a lined plate. Add the onions to the pot and sauté them for around 10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and sauté for around a minute. Mix everything well.
5. Add the broth and red wine to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for around 10 minutes allowing the wine to reduce.
6. Add the meat back to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a low flame, cover the pot, and let it cook for at least four hours.
7. Check to see if you can easily slice through the meat, otherwise continue cooking. The longer you cook it the softer it will be.
8. Save the liquid from the pot to pour over the meat when serving.

Apple & pear Crisp:

Ingredients:

• 2 honey crisp apples, sliced thinly
• 2 soft pears, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Wash and slice the fruit. Place it in a round or 8X8 baking dish.
2. Add lemon juice and cinnamon to the fruits and mix well.
3. Combine the nuts, honey, olive oil, and salt in a food processor. (You don’t have to use a food processor; you can chop the nuts and mix everything by hand. You can also use ground nuts if you prefer the convenience, but the texture is not as good as if you use whole nuts.)
4. Cover the fruit with the nut mixture and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the nuts are golden brown.

VEGetable kugel:

Ingredients:

• 4 big carrots
• 1 small onion
• 3 potatoes
• 3 zucchinis (not peeled)
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup oil
• 3/4 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the eggs, oil, flour, salt, and black pepper in a big bowl.
3. Add a few vegetables at a time to a food processor and process them on the medium shredding blade.
4. Transfer the vegetables to the egg mixture and mix well.
5. Pour into a lightly greased 9X13 dish and bake for one hour.

orzo:

Ingredients:

• 1 box of orzo, cooked according to package instructions.

Sweet potato halves:

Ingredients:

• 6 sweet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes in half the long way
3. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Rub them together to cover them all in oil.
4. Place the sweet potatoes in a baking dish or aluminum pan and cover them with foil. Roast for around an hour or until you can easily stick a knife through them.

Notes:

And that’s it! Everything can be stored in the fridge for around four days and can be frozen for around two months. Enjoy, and have a beautiful Yom Tov!