Yes folks, it’s official… I’ve got dairy on the brain! Shavuot is right around the corner, a Jewish holiday that celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. On Shavuot we eat dairy foods.
There could be a number of reasons for this tradition. There is a verse in the Song of Solomon (4:11) which says that the Torah is like “milk and honey under your tongue,” which might indicate a connection between the Torah-centric holiday and dairy foods.
Some believe that on the first Shavuot, because the Israelites had not yet received the kosher laws, their foods did not follow kashrut. When they received the Torah, they read the new laws of kashrut and realized their meat dishes were not kosher, so they opted to eat dairy dishes only. Still others say that Shavuot occurs during the fertile spring period, when animal mothers produce lots of fresh milk.
Whatever the reason, I love dairy foods, so this is my kind of holiday! As I was flipping through my recipe archives, I suddenly realized that I’ve never shared my basic recipe for a Sweet Lokshen Kugel. Gasp! How did that happen??
Kugel is a Jewish dish similar to a casserole or pudding. The dish originated over 800 years ago in southern Germany and became a staple with Jewish families throughout Eastern Europe. Jewish immigrants brought the kugel with them to the United States, where it continues to be a popular holiday dish today.
There are many kinds of kugel, all made with three basic ingredients: eggs, fat, and starch. The starch used to make kugel varies; I’ve seen kugels made with matzo, matzo farfel, noodles, bread, or rice. They’re all yummy in their own way, but my favorite is noodle kugel.
The word lokshen is Yiddish for noodle. A lokshen kugel is a kugel made with noodles. There are endless variations on the noodle kugel theme; they can be made savory or sweet, topped or untopped, with dried fruit or nuts or seasonings.
Sweet lokshen kugels tend to be the most popular in the U.S., with good reason! They are simple and affordable to throw together with just a few ingredients. They can be easily transported, making kugel a good choice for potlucks or family get-togethers. Most importantly, they are delicious.
This is a great basic dairy kugel recipe– moist and creamy, with a nice crunchy noodle topping. My family likes it exactly as written. You can feel free to adapt it to suit your taste, kugel is very forgiving.
Raisins can be substituted with another dried fruit, like cherries or chopped dried apricots. Nuts and spices can be mixed in before baking. Add a topping if you’d like. The kugel will taste best when made with full fat ingredients, but if you’re watching your figure you can use lowfat dairy. It will still taste great.
Enough chit-chatting, time for a slice of kugel. Shabbat Shalom!
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Sweet Lokshen Kugel
Ingredients
- 1 cup raisins (optional) - you may substitute other fruits like craisins, dried chopped apricots, or chopped drained pineapple
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles
- 6 large eggs
- 1 pound sour cream (2 cups)
- 8 ounces cottage cheese (1 cup)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened - OR farmer's cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Cinnamon and sugar for dusting
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Cover the raisins with hot water and let them soak to plump while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles to the pot, bring back to a boil, and let them cook until tender (not overly soft), about 5 minutes. Drain and return the cooked noodles to the pot.
- In a food processor or blender, blend together the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, melted butter, and salt.
- Pour the egg mixture over the cooked noodles in the pot and stir until well combined.
- Drain the raisins. Stir them into the noodles.
- Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking oil. Pour the noodle mixture into the dish.
- Top the kugel by sprinkling generously with sugar and lightly with cinnamon. Alternatively, you can use your favorite kugel topping (streusel, crushed graham crackers, cornflakes, etc.).
- Bake the kugel for about 60 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, till the center of the kugel is set and the tips of the noodles turn golden brown. Remove from the oven.
- Let the kugel rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Kugel can be served warm or cold.
NOTES
Nutrition
Very good
Golden Raisins and the pineapple will add more taste as well as vanilla
Hey that’s my uncle on the other side of the country! My son doesn’t like fruit at all and it is still delicious!
Can I add vanilla to this recipe?
Yes, 1 teaspoon is fine.
Can I prep it and keep it in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning, or will it get too mushy?
Should be ok if you cover it tightly. However, if you are using Passover noodles (which I bring up because of the time of year you’re asking your question), I can’t promise the texture will be good– I’ve never made this with Passover noodles, and their texture may be different.
I love kugel with crushed pineapple. Cherries always go great with pineapple… so I put 1/2 in the baking dish, then scatter on some chopped cherries, and pour the rest of the mix on top… I had never had this until a couple yrs ago when I went to the Jewish food fair in town. OMG Now I make this ever yr. Having diabetes I only allow myself some once per yr. lol
I’ve made this recipe now about 10x. The noodle size and fruit can be changed up. I use skinny noodles and load it up with pineapple but the custard recipe itself is where it’s at. My house smells INCREDIBLE when I make this. Someone needs to make a candle or wax melt to mimic it.
Anyway, I’m taking 1/2 of this puppy to Purim services tomorrow for my Bestie… and get between her and my kugel and you might get hurt. Lol
This is as close to my grandma’s recipe as I have seen so far. Thank you. Bigtime.
You’re welcome Sheri!
Happy Hanukkah
Omg I have been looking for this gorgeous recipe, can’t wait to try it! Thank you.
I am a geriatric nurse and I would love to bake this for my Jewish patients.
In mine I substitute ricotta cheese for cottage cheese.
Thank you,noodle krugle a friend’s child hood dish. Wishes to make noodle krugle with matzos and pineapple
I make noddlr pudding with apple rasins and cherries with eggs and sugar
Any tips on how to add some nuts to the dish? Should they be mixed in with the fruit or put on top? What kind of nuts would be best? Thanks.
Hi Sarah, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I think walnuts or pecans would be nice, and they can be mixed in or placed on top, whichever you prefer. Just be sure that they don’t burn if you decided to put them on top.
Can I make lockshen pudding with pasta?
Yes– the texture will vary from pasta to pasta. Certain noodles work better than others. For example, I wouldn’t use spaghetti pasta in a Lokshen Kugel, but you can definitely use farfalle or rotini. I’ve found that flat egg noodles and rotini work best.
Fyi . i used whipped cream cheese instead of those heavy rectangles. Mixed easier.
I made and baked this kugel according to your recipe. Then I froze it, planning to reheat it for an upcoming Chanukah party. My concern is that when I baked it, the kugel pulled away from the sides of the pan. Now I am concerned that it will be dry and tough when I reheat it for my party. Should I start over, or can I salvage the kugel that I’ve already made? Thanks!
For freezing kugel, I always recommend baking it only to about 80% done before freezing, then reheating and “finishing” in the oven before serving.
I made this for Rosh Hashanah at it was a huge hit! My friend requested I make it again for a Shabbos dinner she is hosting. If I halve the recipe, does that change the baking time?
I have a similar recipe :
1b egg noodles
Sour cream large container
cottage cheese large container
Cream cheese 8oz
Sugar 1C
Milk 3/4 C
9 eggs
Cinnamon
I am making this, but substituted full fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I hope it works. I am eager to try this dish.
I was hoping that you could answer the about preparing the kugel today and baking it tomorrow. Thanks!
Yikes! I generously sprinkled the graham crackers on top and it covers the whole top, almost like a crust! Think it will cook/ come out okay?? Wondering if I should scrape some off….
Hi Karen, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I would try to remove some of the graham crackers if possible.
Can I add apples ?
I just had it with apples in it and it was great. It was a gift, so I can’t help with recipe.
Yes! Delicious with apples.
Can I cook it 50% covered on Thursday and refrigerate not freezer, then bake uncovered the other 50% right befoire serving dinner on Saturday? 2-3 days
If you plan to do this I would bake it 80% done so it is almost done. Cooking it 50% of the way and refrigerating may lead to spoilage.
Can fresh apples be used instead of raisins? How many apples and should the be sliced or chopped?
Hi Jodi, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Keep in mind that apples would introduce extra moisture to the kugel, but if you’d like to use them I would dice them very small or shred them and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. We haven’t tried this, so I’m not entirely sure how well it will work, but I think it’s worth a try!