12 surprising dishes you can make with matzo

Matzo is an essential part of a Passover Seder.

Besides being the afikoman, it's a reminder that when the Israelites fled Egypt, they didn't have time to let their bread rise.

That's why during Passover Jews forgo eating leavened bread, which symbolizes pride, in favor of unleavened bread, which symbolizes humility.

But matzo can be used in dishes besides Passover staples like matzo ball soup and kugel. And it can be used all year, not just during Passover.

In honor of Passover starting on March 27, here are 12 surprising ways to cook with matzo.

Matzo brei is essentially scrambled eggs with pieces of matzo thrown in. The key to a good brei is rinsing the matzo under some cool water so it's soft by the time you add it to your pan.

Once added in, the butter and eggs coat the matzo in a similar style to French toast. It's great with salt and pepper but sprinkling sugar on top is also a tasty way to enjoy the dish.

This simple recipe from The New York Times' Melissa Clark will have you cooking up matzo brei in no time.

This recipe from the St. Louis Dispatch starts with making a filling of sauteed onions, mushrooms, carrots, and spices. Then add your brisket and broth and let the mixture simmer.

Instead of topping with mashed potatoes, whip up a quick matzo brei — or use some leftovers from breakfast — and spread it onto the brisket mixture.

This is a great way to reimagine leftovers when you're on day three or four of eating Passover dishes.

This one seems like it wouldn't work, but The Spruce Eats writes, "You won't even believe this lasagna is made with sheets of matzo instead of pasta! The Passover-friendly crackers have a tender noodle-like texture once they are baked in this delicious casserole."

Instead of the traditional red sauce and noodles, this lasagna uses sheets of matzo and a white sauce. Because you don't have to cook any noodles, this recipe also takes less time than a traditional lasagna.

This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket, especially if you have kids, and you're looking for a quick, low-fuss snack or meal. Plus, it's pretty customizable and can fit whatever you have lying around the fridge and cupboards.

This recipe from SkinnyTaste uses crushed tomatoes, black olives, mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, red onion, and a bit of oregano. Just put it in the oven for five to six minutes at 375 degrees and you're all set.

The Food Network's Molly Yeh advises soaking your sheets of matzo in warm water before laying them down as the base of your pie. Pour in your beef mixture and potatoes and then top the mixture with another layer of soaked matzo.

Press the edges of the matzo together to seal the pie and bake until brown (about 30 minutes). Let it cool for 10 minutes then invert it onto a plate and top with parsley.

There's no better spring pastry to pair with a cup of tea than a lemon cake. This recipe from Epicurious shows you how to make a delicious one using matzo meal and almonds as the base for a shortbread crust.

Chocolate-covered matzo is the dessert you didn't know you needed in your life.

This Martha Stewart recipe courtesy of Phillip Guttmann calls for just five ingredients: matzo, coarse sea salt, unsalted butter, brown sugar, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

You melt the brown sugar into a toffee, coat the matzo, bake for 10 to 20 minutes, take it out of the oven and sprinkle on some chocolate chips, spread the chocolate once it's melted, and top with salt.

You can also top with crushed peanuts or walnuts for some added crunch.

Making granola with matzo is about as simple as it gets. According to a recipe from Martha Stewart, all it takes is mixing together matzo, walnuts, oil, sugar, honey, and salt, spreading the mixture on a sheet, and baking it at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. When it's finished, add in some dried fruit.

The Spruce Eats has a recipe for kosher oven-baked chicken breasts using matzo breading that is perfect for Passover or any time of the year if you don't have breadcrumbs handy. The best part? It only calls for five ingredients and including prep, only takes 40 minutes.

A recipe from Epicurious calls for mixing two sheets of egg matzo — crushed into half-inch pieces — with suteéd onions, fennel, celery, and raisins and spices to make a delicious filling for a stuffed turkey breast.

This is a great recipe if you want to try something different for this year's Seder or you feel like using up some of that leftover matzo once the holiday is over.

This one is pretty self explanatory — just use matzo instead of graham crackers. Follow this recipe from Martha Stewart if you want to spice it up and drizzle some melted chocolate on top.

If you're craving a hot stack of pancakes during Pesach or just want to use up that matzo that's been sitting in the cupboard, The Spruce Eats has an easy recipe that only takes 23 minutes total.

By mixing matzo cake meal, tapioca starch — you can substitute potato starch — and baking powder that is Passover-friendly, you can make a batter that will yield fluffy pancake.