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
Tori, I am looking for a recipe to use at a buffet party. When you say let it rest a few hours before slicing…. does that mean you serve this cold?
Thanks!!
Hi Amy, you can serve it warm, at room temperature or cold depending on preference. The directions specify letting it rest 15-20 minutes; it will still be warm, but it will hold together better than slicing it hot straight out of the oven. You can also slice it right away and serve hot, but the slices won’t cut as neatly and may fall apart a bit when you serve. Still tasty, though. 🙂
I made your Kugel for a pot luck supper, and everyone raved. I usually don’t like to try new recipes when cooking for friends, but this recipe did not disappoint. I made it with pineapple cottage cheese and a cup of chopped pineapple. Delicious. Several people requested the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. I will be making it again soon.
Thank you so much, Tori.
Joan M
Great Joan! 🙂
Is this something that could be prepped the night before baking? Debating making the noodles and the filling, storing separately, the combining and baking the next day–any thoughts?
Ilonka, the trouble with making the filling ahead is that it will thicken in the refrigerator. You will need to let it soften before integrating it with the noodles and baking. Good luck!
Hi
Very similar to my usual recipe but I thought I would just try yours instead. I substituted coconut cream for the sour cream and yoghurt for the cream cheese and just used a little bit of cottage cheese, maybe a table spoon (we try to avoid dairy). I also replaced the sugar in the mixture with maple sugar, it gave it a really pleasant flavour.
Thanks so much!
A
Maple sugar is a beautiful idea A!
Trying this tonight. Sounds just like my Grandma’s recipe. I know it’ll be amazing.Just one question…What do you mean by “turn once” during the baking? Do I disturb the kugel? or turn the pan? Other recipes don’t mention doing this.
thanks Tori L’shana Tova
Hi Janet, just turn the dish around 180 degrees. Ovens have different pockets of heat throughout, this helps for the kugel to heat more evenly. Enjoy!
Thanks Tori, I understand now. A good tip. The kugel was AMAZING! Used half the sugar and it was still quite sweet. Perfect for a sweet New Year.
So happy you liked it!
My mother made a Kugel with eggs, schmaltz and cooked hot noodles. I don’t want all the other things in it . Can you help???
Dorothy I don’t currently have a kugel like this on my website, but I’m sure if you Google “savory noodle kugel” you’ll get some results. Good luck!
This is a fabulous dish, but I’m looking for a wonderful and creamy parve recipe to accompany a meat meal. Any recipe ideas?
Tori – I have a Jewish friend whose family fled Poland one step ahead of Hitler. They were unable to gain entry into the USA but were allowed into Mexico. She was raised in Mexico City, which had (has?) a large Jewish population. She shared this recipe with me which, while similar to my Russian Jewish mother’s, I find easier to make and very delicious. It is very sweet but everyone loves it! We have always jokingly called it our Mexican lokshen kugel:
8 oz wide noodles 1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 pint large curd cottage cheese 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
2 1/2 cups milk cinnamon
3 eggs
Place UNCOOKED noodles in a 7×11 Pyrex pan. Melt butter and pour into mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients except cinnamon. Pour mixture over noodles. Sprinkle cinnamon over top.
Bate at 350F for 1 hour. It should look brown when done; a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let set for 10 minutes before slicing.
Thank you for sharing Glenda!
looks fabulous. No pasta for me. I am low carb, and have done it so long I can’t digest it. Looks luscious. Do you use apricot jam?
delish!!!
I love kugel. I have the soul of a Jewish grandma.
yum! I make this when I have company, always a hit!
I love this recipe, and make it for parties all the time.
Great recipe!
J’adore, je le fais régulièrement
This recipe gave me the “in” to my in laws!
Best thing. I have ever put in my mouth! Your recipes are amazing!
I have to make separate ones for each of my kids. If you do not eat it quick, they will raid the fridge.
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for for kugel. The one from my childhood memories! Thank you.
My grandmother used tsimmering on hers.