Shabbat is coming in at a more manageable hour, but many still find themselves rushing to get ready. As a kitchen coach, I often hear how stressful Shabbat prep can be. The key? Planning ahead!Â
Here are my favorite shortcuts for a smoother, calmer Shabbat prep.
- Menu plan early: Plan your menu at the start of the week to make shopping and prep easier. Spreading tasks over several days prevents last-minute chaos.
- Multipurpose ingredients: Use ingredients in multiple ways. Extra challah dough? Make rogelach. Roasted veggies? Perfect for a side dish and a salad.
- One-pot wonders: Simplify with one-pot meals. A roast with vegetables in the same pan means less effort and fewer dishes.
- Set the table early: Set the table on Thursday or early Friday for one less thing to worry about before Shabbat.
Try these shortcuts and feel the difference – Shabbat prep doesn’t have to be stressful. With a little planning, you can enter Shabbat feeling calm and ready to enjoy the beauty of the day.
Round roast dinner
Besides this being a one-pot wonder, this pot roast is festive enough to impress your guests for any occasion, and it has such a rich, warming flavor. I use fillet medumeh (No. 6 in Israel), but you can use any chuck roast and always get amazing results.Â
This is great to make in a deep stovetop pan, where you start braising it on the stove, add the rest of ingredients, then cover and move it into the oven for baking. You can also just continue cooking it on the stove for 3 hours, or in a Crockpot for about 12 hours of slow cooking.
Yields 4 servings.
- 1 fillet medumeh No. 6, about 1-1.5 kg.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 6 baby potatoes, halved
- 1-2 cups red wine or beer
- 2-3 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 tsp. sweet paprika
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh herbs like cilantro and dill
Prepare the fillet medumeh by removing as much of the outer membrane as you can, or have the butcher do it for you. Heat a large pan on the stove with a drop of olive oil, and place the meat in the pan to sear for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. This seals in the natural juices during the cooking process.
Once seared on both sides, add the chopped onions, garlic cloves, carrots, celery, and baby potatoes, placing them around the meat in the pan. Pour the wine and water or chicken stock over it, then add the spices, bay leaves, and fresh herbs.
Make sure that more than half of the meat is submerged in liquid; if not, add more water or wine, as this cut of meat needs to cook in liquid to stay tender.
Cover the pan, lower the heat, and continue cooking for about three to four hours, then check to see if it’s tender. If it’s not, let it cook another 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can cover the pan and bake it in the oven at a low temperature of 150°C for the remaining three or more hours.
Once the roast is tender, remove it from the pan, discard the bay leaves, and let it cool, before slicing and returning it to the pan. Serve warm with the vegetables and gravy, or save some gravy to freeze and use later over mashed potatoes.
Sam’s veggie stir-fry
Another way to make Shabbat prep smoother is to get your family involved. In our home, my wonderful husband (he may be reading this, so I have to be nice!) does a lot of the chopping and cooking. He also puts up the candlesticks and sets the table with our daughter.Â
She gets involved by making cookies and braiding the challot – and I have to brag for a moment. She’s only 10, but she braids like a pro! So much so that when her class did a challah bake last week, her teacher had her demonstrate how to braid with six strands. Oh, the nahat….
But back to Shabbat prep. One of my husband’s specialties is these amazing veggies that pair perfectly with any Friday night meal. Most of the time, he cooks them in a pan on the stove, but we’ve also prepped them ahead and roasted them uncovered in the oven. Either way, they always turn out delicious!
Yields 6 servings.
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 colored peppers
- 1 large or 2 small zucchinis
- 1 red onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 inch (2.5 cm.) ginger, grated (or 2 frozen minced ginger cubes)
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup honey or silan
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. parsley flakes
- Dash of crushed hot red pepper
To prep: Dice the onions, peel the garlic cloves, grate the ginger, slice the peppers into strips, and cut the zucchini into half-circles. Place the peppers and zucchini in a large bowl. Pour in the orange juice, honey, grated ginger, and soy sauce, then add the spices. Mix everything well, cover, and let marinate for at least 20 minutes – or overnight for deeper flavor.
When you’re ready to cook, heat olive oil in a skillet or fry pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic cloves and mix well. Next, add the marinated vegetables to the pan, stirring well. Let them cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.Â
Feel free to make it your own – swap in your favorite veggies or leave some out.
Hot plate-baked salmonÂ
Yes, you read that correctly – I cooked salmon on the hot plate before Shabbat, and it turned out delicious! The hot plate provides enough heat to cook salmon perfectly, without drying it out or burning it.
A month ago, I thought I had everything ready for Shabbat – until I spotted the raw salmon in the fridge with no oven space left. My neighbor Chaia had once mentioned cooking salmon on the hot plate, so I gave it a try. I placed the pan on the hot plate, went to shower, and by the time I was ready, so was the salmon – cooked beautifully.
You can use any salmon recipe with this technique, but my sister-in-law Hindy – who, is an incredible cook – makes something similar, and it works great for cooking on the hot plate.
Yields 4-6 servings.
- 4 slices of salmon fillet (with skin)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 stalks celery, fine diced
- Fresh dill and parsley, chopped
You can use a Pyrex dish or an aluminum pan lined with a baking sheet.
Drizzle 1 Tbsp. of olive oil on the baking sheet and place the salmon pieces in the pan, leaving space between them. Sprinkle salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper over the salmon, then drizzle on the lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Place the celery and fresh herbs on top of the salmon and cover the pan with foil.
Put the pan directly on the hot plate and let it cook for about 30 minutes. If the hot plate is already heated before placing the salmon, it may only need 20-25 minutes. You can check by cutting through one of the center pieces to see if it needs more time. Some people prefer it more pink, but I found that 30 minutes was the perfect amount for it to be cooked through without drying out.
Challah dough rogelach
We love making our own challah, and now that my daughter is a pro, it has become an exciting part of our Shabbat prep together.
Recently, we had some extra challah dough, and my niece Fraidy had the idea of using it to make rogelach for dessert. So one recipe equals challot and rogelach – how much better can it get?
You can use any challah recipe, but I’ll share mine, plus the recipe for the fillings.
Yields 2 large challot, 2 dozen rogelach
Dough:Â
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 10 cups flour
- 2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup oil
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 egg for egg wash
Chocolate filling:
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ icing sugar
- 1/3 cup oil for smearing
Cinnamon filling:
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup ground cinnamon
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1/3 cup oil for smearing
To make the dough: In a mixing bowl, add salt first, then flour, yeast, sugar, honey, oil, and water. Mix with a dough hook or sturdy spoon until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add warm water if too dry. Take a piece for Hafrashat Challah (consult a rabbi for details). Cover and let rise for 90 minutes, then punch down and let rise for another 30 minutes. Roll, braid, and shape the challahs. Place on a lined baking sheet and let rise for 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 170°C/350°F. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with seeds, and bake: 30-40 minutes for large challahs, 20-30 minutes for small ones.
After you’ve made challot, set aside the extra dough. You can keep it in a large plastic bag overnight in the fridge, or freeze it until 3 hours before prepping the rogelach. Preheat the oven to 175°C and line a cookie sheet or large baking pan with baking paper.
Divide the remaining dough into two parts and use a rolling pin to roll one piece of dough onto a floured surface and roll it out into a thin circle (as you would for pizza).
Pour oil on the dough and spread it evenly, using an egg brush.
Take half of the chocolate or cinnamon filling mixture and sprinkle that over the dough until it’s coated. Use a knife to cut 12 triangles (pizza pie style). Roll each triangle, beginning from the wide end toward the tip, and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat until the baking sheet is full.
If desired, brush rogelach with egg wash, or skip it to keep these rogelach vegan.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, let cool, and enjoy!
I HOPE these recipes and tips help you have smoother and calmer Shabbat preparations. Sometimes, just a few small tweaks can make all the difference between chaos and calm.
Wishing you a cozy and peaceful Shabbat filled with joy and delicious food! 
The writer is a kitchen coach who teaches women how to meal plan and cook, so they get dinner on the table and prepare for Shabbat and holiday on time. www.inthekitchenwithhenny.com On Instagram: @inthekitchenwithhenny
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