When I was young, I always imagined my older self as someone who laid a linen tablecloth across a long dining room table. I could see the silverware placed just so beside my grandmother’s china, and I would pour myself a (very expensive) glass of champagne.
In reality? Sometimes I come home and there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch, turning on any episode of “Salt Fat Acid Heat” and eating my dinner out of a giant bowl balanced in my lap while Samin Nosrat shows me how to make focaccia. There’s something inherently comforting about the bowl — maybe it’s because of what we tend to put in it, or maybe it’s the high walls (unlike a plate) that keep the food contained so we can sit cross-legged under a blanket without worrying about spills.
Worse yet, we are approaching one of the most somber periods of the year (no, not Yom Kippur!). Early December through January is the time of the year when most breakups occur.
So if you’re still not fully in your “formal dining adult” era, or if you’re in need of something soothing to hear your brokenheart, we’ve got you: here are 70 Jewish bowl foods — soups, stews, dumplings, pasta, even dessert — to slurp while watching your comfort show — whether that’s “Gilmore Girls,” “Broad City” or “The Great British Baking Show.”
If these recipes heal your broken heart (or just improve a bad day!), share the love by rating the recipe. This helps other readers find us, and enhances our community.
Soups
Matzah Ball Pho
Jewish and Vietnamese food meet in one delicious bowl.
Crockpot Lentil Soup
An edible tradition that goes back to the Bible.
The Best Vegetarian Matzah Ball Soup
A steaming bowl of Jewish comfort, no chicken necessary.
Tunisian Spiced Squash Soup
A classic autumnal soup with a North African twist.
Crockpot Beef Barley Mushroom Soup
A simple, set-it-and-forget-it soup to cure your winter blues.
Ina Garten’s Chicken Soup
This liquid gold will transform your cooking.
Polish White Borscht
Tangy, smokey and hearty.
Carrot Tahini Soup with Za’atar Challah Croutons
A simple warming soup with a bit of challah crunch.
Filipino Matzah Ball Soup
This chicken soup mash-up is filled with Filipino flavors.
Creamy Irish Potato Soup with an Ashkenazi Twist
Based on a combination of Irish potato soup and Ashkenazi kartoffelzup, this dish can be garnished with crispy beef or lamb.
Tomato Noodle Soup With Kibbeh (Meatballs)
This hearty soup is our current weeknight therapy.
Egyptian Golden Potato Soup
A spectacular Shabbat soup from the Egyptian Jewish community.
Matzah Ball Ramen
A love letter to Japanese and Jewish cuisine in one delicious bowl.
Sephardic Chicken Soup With Lemon and Egg
A Balkan twist on the ultimate comfort food.
White Bean Soup with Zhug
A luxurious soup with a little extra spice.
Mushroom Jalapeño Matzah Ball Soup
A Mexican-inspired way to enjoy your favorite Jewish soup.
Overnight Yemenite Chicken Soup
Comforting, mildly spiced sunshine in a bowl.
Hearty Cabbage and Meat Soup
Caramelized, rich and warming.
Gail Simmons’ Matzah Ball Soup
A tried-and-true, perfect recipe from the Jewish “Top Chef” judge.
Dill Pickle Soup
The best Ashkenazi soup you’ve never heard of.
Moroccan Harira Soup
This hearty soup is brimming with vegetables and tastes even better the next day.
Stews
Moroccan Lamb and Artichoke Tagine
Celebrate culinary abundance with this easy main.
Easy Vegetarian Moroccan Tagine
This all-vegetarian tagine will transport you to Morocco, if only just for dinner.
Cholent Pot Pie
Shabbat stew with a modern twist.
Bukharian Jewish Meaty Rice Dish Crockpot Meal
This traditional, slow-cooked dish is comforting and seriously crave-worthy.
Latin-Inspired Vegetarian Cholent
Add some meat-free spice to your Shabbat.
Spicy Mexican-Inspired Cholent
Slow-cooked Shabbat stew with a modern touch.
Tfina Pkaila
A slow-cooked, spinach-based North African stew that’s packed full of flavor.
Koofteh (Persian Meatballs) in Tomato Turmeric Broth
Aromatic meatballs blended with split peas, rice and an abundance of herbs.
Decadent Hungarian Goulash
A slow-braised, hearty, beefy stew.
Kik Alicha (Ethiopian Yellow Split Pea Stew)
An easy, flavorful, healthy stew.
Easy Balkan Vegetable Stew
Ghiveci or guvech is a delicious, rustic dish.
Persian Herb Stew with Dried Limes
Chorosh sabsi is pure comfort food.
Vegan Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Stew)
A fragrant, herbaceous Persian stew.
Vegan Cholent
This is a perfect, hearty stew for winter.
Moroccan Couscous and Chicken
A hearty dinner easy enough for busy weeknights.
Indian Jewish Meat Curry
With fall-apart meat and a flavorful sauce, you’ll see why my family makes this time and time again.
Lamb Stew with Pomegranate
A luscious yet easy lamb stew perfect for Rosh Hashanah or anytime you need a pick-me-up.
Khoreshte Beh (Persian Beef and Quince Stew)
A sweet-tart, savory stew to celebrate the High Holidays.
Fesenjan (Persian Chicken Stew)
Flavored with walnuts, lime and pomegranate juice, this one-pot meal is a total treat.
Dafina (Moroccan Stew)
An iconic slow-cooked Moroccan stew served especially on Shabbat.
One-Pot Syrian Meat Stew
Fasulye is the meaty, saucy Shabbat side you’ve been craving.
T’becha Afuna
A stew so good you’ll be fighting over the first bite.
Dumplings
Matzah Ball Casserole
It’s like a Jewish version of chicken and dumplings.
Gondi
These chicken-and-chickpea-flour dumplings are the Persian dish-of-choice to welcome Shabbat. With their light texture, gently spiced interior and golden hue, it’s easy to see why.
Kubbeh Selek
Beloved in Kurdish and Iraqi Jewish communities — and increasingly further afield — these beef-stuffed semolina dumplings in a vibrant, beet-based broth are pure comfort food.
Cherry Vareniki
These half-moon dumplings straddle the line between sweet and savory. When made with sour cherries, in the precious few weeks they’re in season each year, they make a fabulous main; or top with sour cream and cherry sauce for dessert.
Beef Manti
Manti are popular in Jewish and non-Jewish communities across Central Asia and Eastern Europe, but this is how we like them best: pillowy, meat-stuffed dumplings in a broth-y tomato sauce. Bonus: Instead of making the dough from scratch, use wonton wrappers to simplify the process.
Lox and Schmear Rangoon
A fried version of a favorite bagel breakfast.
Kreplach
There’s no need to be intimidated by these iconic triangular dumplings — let us walk you through the process and prepare for the best chicken soup of your life.
Dushpara (Bukharian Meat-Filled Dumplings)
These safta-approved Bukharian ground-beef-filled dumplings taste like a hug after a bad day.
Chicken Pelmeni
These simple dumplings were popular across the former Soviet Union, and can be made with any sort of meat or mushrooms. This recipe uses ground chicken and is utterly delicious.
Pasta
Brisket Pad Thai
This dish hits all the right notes: sweet, savory, spicy and totally satisfying.
Classic Kasha Varniskhes
Buckwheat with bowtie noodles is the ultimate Ashkenazi dish.
Fried Cabbage and Noodles
This dish is rooted in Eastern Europe, but the traditional dumplings were replaced by egg noodles when Jewish immigrants came to the U.S. This recipe is easy, quick and comforting.
Cuban-Style Kasha Varnishkes
Old-world food gets a bold, colorful twist.
Roasted Tomato and Labneh Pappardelle
Italy meets the Middle East.
Noodles and Cottage Cheese
The Eastern European answer to boxed mac and cheese — and so much tastier!
Hungarian Poppy Seed and Walnut Noodles
A savory take on a classic, sweet Hungarian noodle dish.
Lightened-Up Kasha Varnishkes
A healthier twist on the classic buckwheat and bowtie pasta dish, without sacrificing flavor.
Easy Chicken and Pasta
Comforting, fragrant treya is ready in 45 minutes.
Desserts
Non-Dairy Banana Tahini Ice Cream
A healthy frozen treat to enjoy all year.
Malabi with Salted Caramel Sauce
A sweet & salty take on this popular Middle Eastern dessert.
Classic Jewish-American Rice Pudding with Raisins
This sweet treat is a bowl of comfort for many traditions around the world.
Sephardi Rice Pudding
I’ve loved quick, creamy sutlach since childhood.
Eggnog Challah Bread Pudding with Spiced Rum Caramel Sauce
Decadent, delicious and super easy to make.
Labneh Ice Cream
Don’t forget the crumbled halvah topping!
Apple Tahini Crumble
Tahini is the perfect, unique addition to this modern apple crumble.
Stewed Fruit
While this recipe may be a blast from the past, it’s still delicious to this day.
