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
NOTES
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.
Nutrition
My mom used to prepare this dish and it was really good, she would sprinkle mashed or finely chopped walnuts/pecans on top, was a good combination, not to mention the good fatty acids and omega/3 or /6
I made this for my neighbor the first time as a gift and the second time for her while she was recovering from foot surgery. She wanted comfort food. She loved it and said it tasted like her grandmother’s. I discovered when I made it the first time, my “large” food processor was not large enough and it spilled over. This time I placed the cheeses and sour cream in the processor and once the mixture was smooth, I transferred the ingredients to my stand mixer. I added the remaining ingredients to mix together, and it worked perfectly.
I have been making this dish when I came across it. My Mom made her version every holiday. This tastes so good. Easy to make , leaves plenty of leftovers. Yum!
Made this About three times already and the family loved it.. thank. you Tori for this genius recipe. This is very similar to a kugel made by My Jewish Grandmom. I Just made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit thank you so much!!
Excellent recipe, reminds me of Safta’s!!
I made this for the holidays and everyone was impressed! The kugel turned out rich, moist and the perfect balance of sweet. I especially loved reading and repeating the history behind the kugel, thank you for including that information
My brother-in-law swooned after eating a piece.
In fact, I had to freeze the couple of pieces left over to save them for myself.
EVERYBODY absolutely LOVED it.
Thank you so much!
Hi, I made the kugel, baking right now, so easy, looks and smells so delicious, can’t wait to try it. Thank you.
I’m a ER Nurse, I need simple recipes. No time or energy for lengthy meals.
Great recipe. My Husband wanted me to make this sweet Kugel after tasting it in Shul. I put 3/4 cup of sugar (next time will try with even less ), mixed dry raisins and cranberries and added vanilla extract. Did not top with sugar/ cinnamon – I think there is enough sugar 😉
I have a question about the raisins. I recall an old recipe from my bubbe. The recipe called for dried dates soaked in hot water and maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. I don’t recall what the baking soda did but apparently it had something to do with softening the dates.
Hmm, not sure about that… baking soda does help to break down the skins of beans, so it would probably do the same for dates if they’re very dry. I’ve never tried it, though!
This was wonderful! I made a half portion using 9 ounces of gluten free noodles snd also added a chopped apple and 1-1/2 tsp of vanilla, sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top, wow! Both adult kids and husband loved it! Gluten free and couldn’t even tell. Undercooked noodles so weren’t mushy and extra noodles gave more body to dish.
I’ve made this 5 years in a row.This yer I reduced sugar to a 1/4 cup of raw brown sugar – much better for my family with less suga. Excellent. Thanks Tori
can peaches be added into the mix?
Peeled peaches, yes – or canned, but they should be well drained.
Delicious! When I miss my Bubbie I make this recipe and it makes me feel better because kugel was one of my favorite dishes that she would make.
I am Jewish and it is hard to find recipes that I had when I was young, like your Kugel. I also have Celiac Disease, so I have to cook gluten free. I was doing brunch for the family and found your smoked white fish salad recipe. Everyone loved it! Now that is my new once a month brunch menu, with gluten free bagels.
Thank You
I’m an older black guy who has always had a love of different cultures. This site has become my “go to” for great Jewish recipes. (This is where I learned to make a great babka). I had never had kugel and decided to make it during this holiday season, so I made a half recipe. Had great results and the kugel was delicious. Thanks for your knowledge of Jewish cooking and great recipes.
Thank you for your kind comment Steve! Glad you enjoyed the kugel, the babka, and other recipes you’ve tried.
Have you ever made this with spaghetti squash? I would love to sub out the noodles for a healthier take in this.
Thanks!
Elise
It was amazing! I mixed in a combination of chopped dried fruit. I recommend checking the center with a fork as it took 20 minutes longer to finish cooking than recommended… awesomely delicious
Needed a recipe for noodle pudding for a woman in assisted living. I used diced peaches instead of raisins, but followed rest of recipe completely. She raved and said it belonged on 5th Avenue in NYC. She said better than her own! (94 years old) So thank you so much. If you have a suggestion for a streusel topping I would love it!
I love this recipe. I add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and use ricotta instead of cottage cheese. Always use craisins and just cinnamon sprinkled on top omitting the sugar. I think it’s sweet enough without the added sugar on the top. I love it and use this recipe all the time.
I found your site several years ago and this is my GO TO noodle Kugel. I usually make several batches to give as gifts during the holidays. Last year a friend of mine served it to her son-in-law who happens to be Jewish and a chef in New Orleans and he said it was “THE BEST” Kugel he has ever had.