Nothing says “Jewish holidays” quite like a delicious slice of kugel! This Pineapple Raisin Noodle Kugel is creamy and sweet, a delectable treat to be enjoyed any time of year. It’s very easy to make, and would be a perfect addition to a Shavuot table… or Hanukkah… or just because!
Kugel is a quintessentially Jewish dish similar to a thick noodle casserole. Kugels can range from sweet to savory, dry to moist, dense to fluffy. Some people like it topped with cornflakes. Others like no topping at all, preferring to let the top noodle layer brown and harden to a crunchy texture. This Pineapple Raisin Noodle Kugel is topped with a cinnamon sugar graham cracker crust, which happens to be my favorite topping.
No matter which way you enjoy your kugel, a good basic recipe is important. This recipe, a variation of lokshen kugel, is sweet (but not cloying), rich, creamy, and tasty. If you’ve never made noodle kugel before, this is a great recipe to start with.
I encourage you to use this recipe as more of a guide or technique . It can easily be adjusted to your tastes. Add a different variety of dried fruit to the noodle mixture, change the topping, or whatever you fancy. The only limit is your imagination!
Note: This recipe was previously called “Creamy Noodle Kugel.” I renamed it to make it more specific and removed the step of soaking the raisins (which I now find unnecessary). Otherwise the recipe remains unchanged. Enjoy!
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Pineapple Raisin Noodle Kugel
Ingredients
Kugel Ingredients
- 16 ounces wide egg noodles
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup sugar (use 1 1/4 cup for dessert level sweetness, or 3/4 cup for just slightly sweet)
- 1 pound lowfat cream cheese (2 bricks)
- 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup lowfat sour cream
- 16 ounces pineapple chunks in juice (1 can)
- 1/2 cup raisins
Topping Ingredients
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add egg noodles, stir, and boil until tender. Drain. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in the hot noodles and stir to coat.
- In a food processor or blender, combine eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream. Blend the ingredients until creamy.
- Add creamy mixture to the noodles in the pot along with the raisins. Drain the pineapple chunks and dice them into small pieces, then add them to the pot. Stir all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Pour the noodles into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl to form a crumbly topping.Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the kugel.
- Cover dish with foil and place in the oven. Bake the kugel for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more until the top is golden brown.May be served warm or cold. Refrigerate if you don’t plan on serving it the same day you make it. If you want to reheat your kugel, place it in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition
I love kugel, but sometimes find that there isn’t the right balance of cheese, sweetness and noodles. This one worked out fantastic! I made it with fine noodles instead of wide and to me it was perfect. The graham cracker crust was yummy and I added chopped pecans, which I thought added a great crunch. Thanks for the recipe!
Chopped pecans are a great addition! Glad you enjoyed it!