Celebrating Pesach/Passover

Passover invites us to think deeply about what freedom means and how our choices reflect our values, explains Rachael Ashmore from the Jewish Vegan Society. 

The Seder table is more than a meal; it is a place where memory, ethics, and tradition meet. As we retell the story of liberation from Egypt, many of us are also asking how the principle of herut (freedom) can guide the way we eat today. Choosing plant-based dishes for Pesach is one way to honour core Jewish values including preventing animal suffering and performing acts of loving kindness.

This Potatoes Arrabbiata recipe offers a vibrant and satisfying addition to a plant-based Pesach table. Simple ingredients come together to create a dish full of warmth and flavour, reminding us that meals rooted in compassion and sustainability can also be joyful and abundant. As we gather to celebrate liberation, dishes like this help ensure that our celebration of freedom does not come at the expense of other living beings or the earth we share.

Potatoes Arrabbiata

Ingredients

• Handful of baby potatoes (skin on)
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• Olive oil
• Pinch of dried chili flakes
• 200g passata
• Handful of spinach
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Drain.
2. Pan-fry the sliced garlic in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for a few minutes until it starts to brown, then add the chili flakes, passata and cooked potatoes.
3. Season generously with salt and pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the spinach and simmer for a further minute until wilted, then squash each potato with the back of a fork. Remove from the heat and serve.

At Shulchan Orech, when the Seder meal is finally served, our valu es become tangible through the food on our plates. A dish like Potatoes Arrabbiata shows how a Pesach meal can be both traditional and compassionate and environmentally conscious.

Passover teaches that freedom is not only something remembered but something practiced. Each choice we make at the Seder table, however small, can reflect our desire to reduce harm and increase kindness in the world. By embracing plant-based dishes during Pesach, we align our celebration of liberation with the enduring Jewish call to care for creation, protect the vulnerable, and build a more compassionate future.

The Jewish Vegan Society (JVS) is an international organisation dedicated to promoting a kinder, more sustainable world. We explore the intersection of Jewish ethics and plant-based living, helping our community protect the earth and all its inhabitants.

Bring compassion to your Seder table! For more plant-based Passover recipes, educational resources, and to join our community of conscious eaters, please visit our website at www.jvs.org.uk.

Photo credit: Dan Jones/Headline Home via The Guardian.