Favourite late summer salads for a Rosh Hashanah menu

These delicious late summer salads are perfect for Rosh Hashanah, whether it’s a festive YomTov lunch or celebratory family meal.

In 2023, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) occurs on 15-17 September. The exact date of the festival in the Western calendar varies from year to year. This is because the Jewish calendar and the Gregorian calendar don’t exactly line up.

Although Rosh Hashanah moves about by a few weeks relative to the Western calendar, it always falls at this time of year. Typically we think of it as being an Autumn festival, but this year it is closer to late summer.

How is the Jewish calendar calculated?

The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, with each month being one lunar cycle. There is a complex system of leap years, which add in an extra month seven times in every 19 years. This corrects the calendar to ensure that the months and the seasons continue to ‘line up’.

Without the correction, the months would ‘drift’ through the year. This means that any given month would gradually move through the seasons until it eventually returned to the starting point. (This does happen in other calendar systems. For instance in the Islamic calendar the Holy month of Ramadan gradually moves through the year. It occurs in Summer, Autumn, Winter or Spring depending on where you are in the cycle.)

Wikipedia has a much more in-depth explanation of the Hebrew Calendar.

Late summer Rosh Hashanah

Personally, I quite like it when the calendars/seasons align as they have in 2021.

Celebrating Rosh Hashanah at the end of the summer provides the opportunity to enjoy the remaining days of warmth and sunshine. With luck, we’ll be able to have some of our YomTov meals in our garden!

(It also means that Succot is earlier in the Autumn, and so less prone to being freezing cold and soaking wet, which is also a bonus!)

Summer menus for Rosh Hashanah

Of course, celebrating Rosh Hashanah earlier in the year means that hot and hearty traditional dishes like soups, tsimmes and dense kugels are not necessarily what you feel like eating. I suggest putting them off till Succot and planning a Rosh Hashanah menu of lighter dishes instead.

I like to serve a range of cold dishes and salads, with maybe one or two warm or hot dishes as well.

I’ve made a list here of my favourite salads that are perfect to serve at an end-of-summer Rosh Hashanah lunch or dinner.

There are filling grain-based salads, easy and delicious fresh vegetable salads, and tasty prepare-ahead cold dishes of cooked vegetables. You can serve these alone or in combination, to create a fabulous Rosh Hashanah meal.

Festive summer meals

Of course, you can also include these tasty salads in any other festive late summer meals you may be planning! Whether that’s a Shabbat lunch or a special family occasion, these tasty salads will be right at home.

A rainbow of salads!

Just a quick word about healthy eating (sorry). I find it easy at YomTov to fill up on calorie-dense, nutrition poor foods like cakes and desserts, processed carbs, and fat and sugar heavy sauces. Although I enjoy eating them, and I do strongly believe that we should eat everything in moderation, I sometimes feel a bit bleh after that kind of meal.

Adding brightly coloured, crunchy and appetising vegetable salads to the menu means that tasty, nutrient-rich foods are given a chance to shine. They ensure that making healthier choices is altogether easier, even at a YomTov meal.

So, without further ado, here are my top 10 summer salads to add to your Rosh Hashanah menus.

10 Rosh Hashanah salads for a late summer menu

1. Roasted veg and barley salad
   This delicious main-course salad combines savoury roasted vegetables and filling pearl barley. The tahini-based dressing is creamy and full of flavour.

2. Freekeh tabbouleh salad
   Classic tabbouleh salad is given an update with nutty, smoky freekeh grains. Tons of fresh herbs and lemon give it a bright and zingy flavour.

3. Herby giant couscous salad
   Giant couscous, also called Israeli couscous or ptitim, makes a hearty and filling salad. Crunchy nuts add texture and are packed with minerals and micro-nutrients.

4. Avocado, orange and watercress salad
   One of my favourite salads! The combination of zesty orange and creamy avocado is match made in heaven, while black olives and red onion add colour and pops of flavour.

5. Easy beet carpaccio
   Quick to make and so delicious! Just a few basic ingredients combine to make this beautiful and tasty salad. Use golden beets or classic red beetroot, whichever you prefer.

6. Classic French carrot salad
   Carrots are a traditional and symbolic food for Rosh Hashanah. This easy French recipe couldn’t be simpler, but there’s a reason it’s a classic! Fresh and tasty, it goes well with just about anything.

7. Heirloom tomato salad
   End of summer is the perfect time to enjoy fresh, ripe, and flavoursome tomatoes. A simple dressing, some herbs and spices, and you’ve a wonderful, colourful salad.

8. Strawberry spinach salad with cucumber
   Another opportunity to enjoy what’s left of summer’s bounty! Fresh strawberries and cucumbers, plus tasty spinach and the crunch of nuts and seeds.

9. Beetroot and pomegranate salad
   Two traditional Rosh Hashanah ingredients, one delicious salad! This tasty beetroot and pomegranate salad is made with vacuum-packed cooked beets, so it’s quick and easy as well as flavoursome and beautiful.

10. Autumn slaw with honey yogurt dressing
    Everyone loves coleslaw right? Kick it up a notch with this crunchy and delicious version made with carrots, beets and leeks, combined in a creamy, spicy, honey-yogurt dressing.

• Bonus! Greek-inspired black-eyed peas with leeks, spinach and pomegranate
  These delicious Greek-inspired black eyed peas are combined with spinach, caramelised leeks, fresh pomegranate and loads of zingy fresh herbs. Perfect for Rosh Hashanah or any celebratory meal.

More Rosh Hashanah Recipes

OK, so you’ve sorted the salads but what about the rest?! Check out all of my Rosh Hashanah recipes here, including starters, soups, main dishes, sides, desserts, and baked goods.

There’s even a special Rosh Hashanah breakfast!

Shana Tova – a Sweet New Year!

Whatever Rosh Hashanah recipes you choose, I hope you have a wonderful YomTov and a very sweet New Year.