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.
zooey111 says
This little old Methodist lady has been making kugel for many years, since I ran across a recipe in an old cookbook. But yours sounds even better! I can’t wait to try it out…..
Eunice Jones says
Thank you Tori. I plan to cook this Friday evening. If I have an aluminum baking dish, is that okay
Tori Avey says
Yes Eunice that will work fine.
SharonH says
I’ve probably tried a dozen or so recipes and this I think is my favorite. Soul satisfying comfort food.
Marcy says
Can this be made the day before and baked the next day?
Tori Avey says
Marcy– yes, however you should keep refrigerated and any toppings should be added just before baking, otherwise they’ll get soggy.
Julie says
Made your recipe for my book club. We just read The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, by Michael Chabon, in which kugel figures in a pivotal scene. My very first kugel and it came out great. Everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for a great recipe and if you haven’t read that book…it’s terrific. The kugel in the book is “rumored” to have ginger in it as well as sultanas. I used sultanas; next time will try adding some ginger.
Margaret Benhamu says
Hi Tory, Love this recipe! How far in advance can i make it and if I freeze it should it be raw or baked??
Tori Avey says
You can make it up to 2 days ahead. It will last longer than 2 days but for freshest results, it will taste best in the first two. Freeze it baked, then reheat in the oven before serving. I often bake it 80% done, then freeze, then finish the baking off when reheating to make the crust golden brown.
Alison F. Hecht says
That looks lovely and very delicious too, but I need a recipe that is lighter and …. I’ll just say it, easier. I’m just starting to heal from my mastectomy and promised I’d make a kuggle. It’s been years, but my recipe was very easy. I don’t remember cottage cheese or sour cream, we were always on a diet, so somewhere down the line they probably removed the best and fates ingredients. Hope you know I’m just kidding with you. Could you see what you can do and send me an easy recipe. Thank you ever so much.
Maria says
Made for Shabbat for kids and guests. I put some rum on dark raisins and craisins mix and topped with crashed grahams. Everybody loved it!
Thank you!
Sue H says
Your recipe looks great!
I’m wondering, can it be frozen??
I’d be grateful if you could get back to me ASAP (holiday fete approaching!). Thanks.
SEHH
Tori Avey says
Hi Sue! I answered this question to a previous comment, but here it is again for your reference: Bake it almost completely, and take it out about 10 minutes before it’s fully baked. Let it come to room temp, cover with plastic wrap and foil, then freeze. When you reheat it, bake it at 350 from frozen until the center is set and the tips of the noodles turn golden. Enjoy!
Denise says
I made this on Sunday. It was the very first kugel I have ever made. I added a drained can of pitted bing cherries to it. I saved the juice from the cherries and thickened it slightly with cornstarch and served it over kugel. This recipe is absolutely delicious, the only thing I would change is next time I would add two cans of cherries! Thank you so much for a recipe I will make again.
Malcolm Shaffner says
i love your blog I will let you know I am sure it will be 5starr
Mara says
Hi there. This recipe looks great and I’m planning on using it this weekend. How many adults is it meant to feed? Thanks!
Tori Avey says
Mara, this makes 12-15 servings of kugel as a side dish or dessert. Enjoy!
Rel Katz says
This kugel is amazing! I made two batches with crushed graham cracker on top for a family brunch. One with pinapple and one without. Both were huge hits.
I was wondering if you thought it would freeze well? I’m hoping to make it again a few days before Shavuot and freeze the kugel, but I’m nervous it won’t defrost well.
Tori Avey says
Hi Rel, kugels generally freeze very well. You might want to reheat and crisp it up in the oven a bit before serving for best results. Enjoy!
Anne Steele says
I made this because I’m in a play (“Flowers for Algernon”) and my character is the owner of a bakery and one of the lines was about the “noodle pudding” she sold to someone not having enough raisins. So I decided I had to try it. It was a hit – with my husband, our priest, the cast, my co-workers…very yummy! The only thing I did different was to use the full 16 oz. bag of noodles instead of 12 oz. And I added a dash of vanilla. I will definitely be making this again.
Lori V says
Made your recipe yesterday,it was delish! Thanks,
Lori V.
Phoenix says
Duh . . maybe I am totally overlooking the place in the recipe to add the pineapple. I have read it several times, but cannot find where the pineapple is incorporated to the other ingredients.
Tori Avey says
If you are substituting pineapple for raisins, you would add them in the place where the raisins are added.
Susan says
Why is no milk or vanilla extract in the recipe? I did not know which one to make.
Tori Avey says
Susan, you do not need milk or vanilla to make noodle kugel. You can certainly add vanilla if you like, but milk will make the recipe too watery.
Stef says
This kugel is fabulous. I got rave reviews, and a proposal of marriage out of it (despite the fact that I’m already married). I did add vanilla, and it was a wise choice.
Amanda says
I’m not jewish, but I really love this! Making this for Christmas today. I want to experiment on this next time I make this, by adding the ectra cream cheese and pineapple. Thanks for this recipe 🙂
Brian says
This is very tasty! I will be taking it my family gathering for thanksgiving. Pineapple was a wonderful addition.