Tzimmes Recipe

When I want a taste of comfort food, I prepare classic dishes such as roasted root vegetables, garlic mashed potatoes and this simple, yet totally satisfying tzimmes. Have you ever tried tzimmes? If not, you’re totally missing out. This dish combines root vegetables with dried plums and apricots to make a sweet and savory side dish that the whole family is sure to love. It pairs perfectly in a meal to celebrate the Jewish holidays alongside other favorites such as my matzo crack, charoset recipe, matzo ball soup and noodle kugel.

Tzimmes Ingredients

This recipe consists of sweet potatoes, carrots, dried plums (prunes), dried apricots, orange juice, water, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter.

How do you make tzimmes?

Start by placing pieces diced and peeled sweet potato and carrot in a baking dish. Add dried plums and apricots, then stir to combine. Pour a mixture of orange juice, honey, brown sugar and cinnamon over the fruit and vegetables. Cover the pan, then bake it for one hour. Uncover the pan, and add slices of butter or margarine on top. Bake for another hour, or until potatoes are tender and sauce has thickened. Add some orange zest for garnish if desired, then serve and enjoy!

Tips for the perfect dish

Cut your sweet potatoes and carrots into similar sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate. I typically use orange sweet potatoes, but the less sweet yellow variety will also work just fine. Freshly squeezed orange juice tastes best in this recipe, but store bought juice can also be used with good results. I prefer to use light brown sugar as I find that the molasses flavor in dark brown sugar can be overpowering. This dish can be assembled up to 8 hours before you plan to bake it. Store the pan covered in the fridge until you’re ready to heat it up. You can also make tzimmes in the slow cooker. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, then cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or until the sweet potatoes have softened. My favorite way to serve this dish is as an accompaniment to a whole roasted chicken.

Flavor Variations

While this dish is great as written, you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.

Vegetables: Feel free to add other hearty veggies such as butternut squash or parsnips. Fruit: Swap out the plums and apricots for raisins, cranberries or even dried cherries. Flavorings: Amp up the flavor by stirring in orange zest, fresh or crystallized ginger, or a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.

You don’t need to wait for the holidays to serve up a steaming hot pan of tzimmes. This one is great all year round!