Shabbat Dinner Menus – Free Printable Master List of Ideas
I’m excited to share with you some of my favorite tried and true Shabbat dinner menus, including the basic formula I use for different circumstances. When you’re done, you can check out my Shabbat lunch ideas and menu plans too. This post contains affiliate links.
I absolutely love, love, love hosting Shabbat meals and often have friends and family over.
I wanted to share some fun menu plans and ideas. The truth is that I find it easier to share ideas for Shabbat lunch, just because there are more “rules” – so there’s an end in sight! With Shabbat dinner menus, the possibilities are truly endless.
For that reason, I’m going to start by sharing a basic formula I use when planning meals. I’m going to be honest: very often, I overdo it. I make a zillion extra little salads for the first course, just toss in that extra vegetable kugel or quick pickled beets that wasn’t part of the original plan.
So I’ll give you the advice that I need to hear: To avoid excessive leftovers and go easier on yourself, stick to your Shabbat dinner menus strictly! That means no last minute add-ons.
Now I need to turn that into a huge flashing sign to mount over my kitchen counters…
Before I start, I will inform you that I did create a “menu helper” – that is, a doc version of just the basic list of foods you can choose from. It’s editable in Google Docs or any document editor, so you can add your own favorites or remove what’s not relevant. It’s available for download at the end of this post.
The basic formula for making Shabbat dinner menus
Just us – 2 adults and 3 picky children + an eating baby.
- Appetizer – the “challah and dips” course. Usually we have 3-4 dips such as marinated eggplant dip, matbucha, hummus, and often a homemade option such as garlic confit or fire roasted eggplant (from the Peas Love & Carrots cookbook).
- Soup – My kids like to eat chicken soup, and I often make my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe for Shabbat dinner. You can also try making chicken soup in the Instant Pot. We usually use about half the pot and freeze the second half to use the next week. Noodles are made by the bag, separated into 3-4 bags, and frozen as well.
- Main Course – My two younger kids are usually asleep for this (during the summer) or don’t really participate. My basic structure is:
- 1 vegetable side – Usually a roasted vegetable such as broccoli or cauliflower
- 1 starchy side – Usually a potato or rice dish
- 1 main dish (protein) – Most often a chicken-based dish.
Sometimes when it’s just us, I make an all-in-one main dish. One of my favorites is similar to this recipe for crispy sheet pan gnocchi with Italian sausage and vegetables. The recipe I use has in it broccoli too, and I like to use mini gnocchi. I’ll include more ideas below.
Shabbat Dinner Menus for 2-3 additional adults
If we’re having additional adults, I usually try to make a little extra for each course. This will vary depending on how well I know said guests and what they’ll eat.
- Appetizer – I’ll make an extra side salad or two (such as Moroccan carrot salad or roasted beet salad), and depending on who it is, a fresh tossed salad too
- Main Course – If we have any guests, I stick to separate the main, vegetable, and starchy sides. Then, I’ll try for one or two extra sides. Sometimes it’ll be something like saucy pepper steak and rice, or a mixed dish like the gnocchi above.
- Dessert – When it’s only us, I don’t usually serve dessert formally – we just give the kids a small treat. With guests, especially those that tend to sit around and chat, I try to have a baked good (such as brownies), ice cream, some munchies like watermelon seeds and popcorn…
Shabbat Dinner Menus for 4+ additional adults/kids
I tend to go overboard when we’re more than doubling our family’s appetite.
I do the same formula as above but usually there is a nice sized salad for the first course, and at least two extra sides. Sometimes I even put in an extra main. The idea with guests is to offer more options since you don’t necessarily know what they like to eat.
So more guests doesn’t necessarily mean you need more options, but you’ll want to have more quantity. But if you are doubling your options, you don’t also need to double the quantity of each – and that’s where I personally go overboard with my Shabbat dinner menus. Just make a little more (1.5 is probably a good number) than you would for your family, especially with sides.
My Shabbat dinner menu with four or more adult guests will often include extras that are easy to put together or even ready made. Rice mixes or freezer kugels are a great option as an extra.
Mix & Match Shabbat Dinner Menu Ideas
Want to fill in your menu from a running list of ideas? Here you go! I linked recipes where I could, but you can also google an option that works for you.
These are ideas without quantities that you can plug into the template I shared above. They are also meant to just be ideas, so that you can skim and find inspiration.
Tip: you can download my free printable Shabbat menu planner and shopping list for a fun place to write down what you’re doing!
Challah, Dips, Salads first course
Of course, you don’t need to do a big first course, but if you do, here are ideas. On Shabbat dinner menus, we typically skip the fish that is often served.
We purchase 2-3 dips that are easily found in the deli aisle of the supermarket. That’s very individual. We like things that don’t have mayo, such as Spanish eggplant, matbucha, hummus, Turkish salad, eggplant liver, etc. More options include babaganoush, tehina, onion/jalapeno/pickle mayo dips…
Homemade Dips & Spreads
- Tomato dip – Make this in minutes in your food processor
- Garlic confit – try this herby tomato garlic confit for a kick or make an easy garlic confit in the oven.
- Fire roasted eggplant – This is a new favorite – the smoky flavor is incredible! I use stovetop drip trays to make cleanup easier. It’s always a hit with guests, and since it’s much better served warm, it’s perfect for Friday night.
- Roasted red pepper dip – I first made this for Passover and it’s begging to become a new go-to in our home.
- Olive Tapenade – My kids love olives and LOVE this dip. I can not keep up with their consumption!
Salads
I like having a few marinated or cooked vegetable salads, and salads that can sit in the fridge for a few days and be pulled out for multiple meals. Eating a tiny sampler of each with the challah and dips course lets us sample different flavors, giving a luxurious restaurant feel in honor of Shabbat, and is so wholesome.
Again, I make these usually when I have guests.
- Moroccan carrot salad – you can make a raw version using grated carrots, or a cooked version. The trick to getting the cooked version to be perfect: bring the water to a boil, add carrots, when boiling again set an 8 minute timer. It should be perfectly tender but not mushy at that point. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Beet salad – I use vacuum sealed beets to save time and season lightly with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Or, try this roasted beet salad recipe.
- Green beans drizzled with teriyaki and sprinkled with your favorite spice.
- Israeli salad – while I usually do this by day, there’s no reason it can’t be served for Shabbat dinner. We make it with cucumber, tomato, and pepper diced small. I sometimes split it in half. Add pickles to one half for a version that my kids like. Add bulgur, chickpeas, shallots, and a good lemony olive oil dressing to the other half.
There are of course leafy green salads – any one goes! Some favorites (these aren’t exact recipes, as any that I ‘ve used I tweaked a lot to suit my needs. I recommend googling one that works for you – this is just a starting point.)
- Beet arugula salad
- Spring Mix and roasted squash salad with seeds or nuts
- A simple light tossed salad with a Romaine base, avocados, and whichever vegetables I have handy
- Romaine with avocado, grape tomatoes, something crunchy and something sweet (such as candied nuts, crushed veggie chips and candied nuts…)
Soup appetizer course
I usually make a traditional Jewish chicken soup for this. Even when I do, I try to keep it to brothy soups, rather than blended soups with one exception on this list.
When it’s just us, we sometimes make a meat version to serve over couscous. I’m having a hard time finding a good recipe to link, so if you’re ready to wing it: Saute/soften onion, celery, squash, carrot, parsnip, or any other veggies you like. Brown beef stew meat, add. Add water, season well, simmer for a while.
We serve over real couscous – not what Americans call couscous but is really petitim. The tiny stuff. And we ditch the rest of the meal.
Another great soup option for Friday night is a sauteed veggie soup – using any vegetables you’d like! I use celery, onion, carrot, sometimes leek, parsnip or turnip, broccoli, zucchini – all cut as small as I can. I finish it off with water and seasoning and it’s so flavorful!
Blended chicken soup (or a parve cream of chicken soup) is delicious, and more filling. The recipe I based my process off of (which I can’t find, of course) says to cook a chicken breast in the soup, remove it before blending, and cube it and add it back before serving.
And if you’re feeling fancy, a beef onion soup is a real treat!
Main course
The main course can be the sole part of the meal, or skipped if you’re filling up on earlier courses. When mixing and matching elements, even if not cooking it as a single dish, think about what goes well together.
Chicken breast goes well shredded into rice. Meatballs, even if not saucy, work perfectly with any hot grain, such as rice or quinoa.
Main course one-dish or mixed dishes
- Chicken cooked over potatoes with broccoli
- Chicken cooked over rice with zucchini
- Orzo with roasted vegetables and sausage
- Stir fry: chicken or beef with broccoli, pepper, other veggies served over rice.
- Vegetable quiches (made parve usually with oat or nut milks)
- Stuffed Zucchini – or other vegetables
- Moussaka (make it dairy-free)
Main course main dishes (proteins)
- Chicken on the bone with spices
- Marinated chicken breast (grilled or baked high and fast to retain juices.)
- Shnitzel – cook as close to Shabbat as possible, and leave the lid of the pan a bit open while keeping it hot so that it retains crispiness until you eat it.
- Capons or boneless skinless chicken legs
- Corned beef
- Meatballs – I love cranberry chili sauce meatballs (I make the balls from scratch and do it in the oven).
- Pepper steak
- Any roast/brisket
Main course veggie sides
- There is a kugel for every veggie (almost)! I love this mixed vegetable kugel.
- Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Cauliflower pastrami kugel
- More vegetable kugels: broccoli, spaghetti squash kugel, savory cabbage kugel
- Sweet chili string beans (from Dinner Done)
Main course starchy sides
- Rice – plain/lightly seasoned, Persian, rice with Mushrooms, fried rice, Spanish rice…
- Orzo – there are LOADS of recipes out there to dress up orzo, but one of my favorites is a simple burst cherry tomato sauce, minus the cheese.
- Potato kugel
- Potatoes: refer to your Passover menu for LOADS of ideas! Roasted is a favorite – just season generously with your favorite spices and herbs. I love it drizzled with a bit of hot honey, and roasted with leftover oil from the garlic confit.
- Sesame noodles or similar Asian-inspired pastas
Sample Shabbat Menus that we’ve actually done
I always try to include a few sample menus for you to refer to. These are tried and true menus HOWEVER I did remove a few items that were excessive so that you can have a better gauge for what to make!
Just us: 2 Adults, 3 Kids (+ eating baby)
- Challah and hummus, olive dip, eggplant dip
- Chicken soup and noodles
- Corn flakes crumb coated chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli
Just us: 2 Adults, 3 Kids (+ eating baby) – Summer
- Challah and dips
- Chicken drumsticks with bbq sauce
- Gnocchi with vegetables
The kids have the chicken early and older kids join for Challah and dips as well. I usually chop up veggies for them to have with the chicken too.
Just us: 2 Adults, 3 Kids (+ eating baby)
- Challah and dips (sense a pattern here?)
- Mushroom rice
- Cranberry, Sweet chili meatballs
- Roasted Zucchini with shallots
Guests: 6 adults, 5 kids total (+ eating baby)
- Challah and WAY too many dips, Moroccan carrot salad
- Chicken soup with noodles
- Boneless rib roast
- Grilled capons
- Roasted potatoes with hot honey drizzled on
- Roasted broccoli with shallots
- Cauliflower pastrami kugel
Note: I also made a mixed orzo/veggie dish but it was almost untouched so I removed it from the menu.
Guests: 4 adults, 8 kids, 1 eating baby
- Challah and dips
- Chicken soup & noodles
- Broccoli Kugel
- Honey roasted potatoes
- Duck sauce Chicken
- 1 pot kielbasa orzo (from Whisk by Ami magazine)
- Mushroom pastrami quiche (from Whisk by Ami magazine)
- Tossed salad
This menu was very generous, with lots of leftovers and 1-2 dishes can easily be nixed, but there was nothing that was really untouched.
Guests: 6 adults (1 gluten free), 3 kids + 2 toddlers
- Challah and dips
- Beef French onion soup
- Potato kugel with pastrami
- Stuffed zucchini
- Rice
- Salad – lettuce, pepper, avocado, veggie sticks salad topper
- Gnocchi w veggies, sausage
- Chicken drumsticks
Got any Shabbat dinner menus or ideas to add to the list? Comment below! Make sure to include what worked, what didn’t, and who it was designed to serve.
Need to whittle down your Shabbat cooking to much less time? Check out my tips for making an easy Shabbat in an hour! Yes, I’ve done it both ways!
Download the free printable Shabbat dinner menu helper!
This editable document can be uploaded to Google docs or used in any document editor to help you plan your menu.
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