Have fun with your matzo this Passover: make matzo nachos! Thanks to Cabot Creamery Cooperative for sponsoring this Passover recipe.
Like many of you, my family is facing another pandemic Passover. Who could have imagined at this time last year that, a full year later, we would still be wearing masks and social distancing to stay safe from COVID-19?
The good news, as we all know, is that there is hope on the horizon in the form of the vaccine. We approach this coming spring – and the Passover holiday – with gratitude and hope for better days to come, while still feeling very sobered about the terrible toll that this pandemic has taken on our country and indeed the world.
With everything that is going on in our world and the prospect of another Seder with just the four of us, my children are not looking forward to Passover. I can hardly blame them. The best part of Passover is being with family and friends for a big Seder. The rest of the holiday is just a very long week with no pasta, pizza or cookies!
So I am determined to make Passover fun this year. And what is more fun than nachos? Probably nothing. Hence, after years of resisting, I am all about the matzo nachos this Passover. (Matzo nachos = machos? Discuss.)
I want these matzo nachos to be as uncontroversial as possible, so I have made them vegetarian – that is, no mixing dairy and meat. I have also decided not to add beans because beans are considered kitniyot. (Kitniyot is a Hebrew word meaning legumes. Many Ashkenazi Jews avoid not only wheat and other grains during Passover, but also rice, beans, corn and other foods that fall under the label of kitniyot. This rule has been relaxed somewhat recently, but many famililes prefer to stick to their long-held traditions.)
What these matzo nachos do have is fresh pico de gallo, crunchy Mexican-style pickled vegetables, a cooling avocado crema and – wait for it – tons of melted, ooey-gooey Cabot CHEESE.
As you know, Cabot is the only cheddar I buy. Happily, the farm families who own Cabot Creamery don’t stop at making cheddar. They also make several other varieties of cheese, so that when I am looking for a cheese with a Mexican or southwestern flavor to make amazing, restaurant-style nachos, I pick up some Cabot Pepper Jack.
Cabot Pepper Jack is a medium on the spice level, so it adds a kiss of heat while still keeping these nachos family-friendly. When combined with the Seriously Sharp Cheddar, the Pepper Jack adds the perfect flavor to these matzo nachos. And Cabot Pepper Jack is lactose-free, just like the Cabot cheddars, which is great because every Jewish family I know has at least one member who is sensitive to lactose! (Ahem, my daughter, ahem.)
These matzo nachos come together very quickly and need just 5 to 7 minutes in a hot oven to turn into a tray of melted cheese goodness. You can make the avocado crema in advance – but even that only takes a few minutes in the blender. And once the matzo nachos are out of the oven, add the toppings and dig in. How fun would a tray of these matzo nacho be for lunch during Passover? It might even get your kids to smile.
Happy Passover everyone!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados, halved and pits removed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- Pinch kosher salt
- 6 to 7 boards matzo
- 8 oz Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese. grated
- 8 oz Cabot Pepper Jack, grated
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- Juice of one lime
- Pinch kosher salt
- 3/4 cup sliced black olives
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 1 can escabeche (pickled jalapeños and carrots) (optional)
Instructions
- To make the avocado crema, combine the avocado halves, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside. (May be done up to one day in advance. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.)
- To make the matzo nachos, preheat the oven to 350.
- Break the matzo into pieces about the size of a tortilla chip and spread the pieces evenly over a large half-sheet pan.
- Top the matzo pieces with the grated cheese making sure that every piece of matzo has cheese on it. Place in the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes.
- While the nachos are baking, combine the diced tomato, onion and jalapeño pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and salt and stir to create a quick pico de gallo.
- Once the cheese is completely melted, remove the nachos from the oven. Top with pico de gallo, sliced olives, scallions, and pickled jalapeños, if using. Drizzle with the avocado crema.
- Serve warm.
Full disclosure time: Cabot Creamery Co-operative sponsored this post and I received compensation for my work. All opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
