Lokshen Kugel (baked noodle pudding)

Lokshen Kugel
(baked noodle pudding)

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Happy Hanukkah! We celebrated the first night of Hanukkah this year with a delicious family meal.

Fortunately, my brother Bill was passing through town this holiday, on his way back to The Philippines. Along with sister Paula and chef/brother-in-law Ron, we cooked up a fabulous celebratory meal. Kudos to Paula and Ron for preparing the best latkes, ever. And kudos to Bill for assembling the most delicious kugel.

Sending our family’s warmest wishes to you at Hanukkah. May you be blessed with joy, good health, good food, and peace.

Noodle Kugel Recipe

Ingredients:

12 oz. wide egg noodles, cooked according to package with salt, drained and cooled

5 large eggs

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 c. cottage cheese

2 c. sour cream, divided

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 t. kosher grain sea salt

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. golden raisins

ground cinnamon to dust after baking

noodle kugel recipe

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack placed in the middle of the oven.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with a hand mixer. Slowly add sugar to dissolve.

Add cottage cheese, 1 1/2 c. sour cream (reserving 1/2 c. for topping), butter, salt, and vanilla. Mix with hand mixer until all ingredients are incorporated.

Fold in raisins and noodles with a spatula.

Pour mixture into a greased 9″ X 13″ baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour until set and the top is golden brown and getting crispy in spots. Do not overcook.

Remove kugel from oven and dust the top with ground cinnamon right when it comes out of the oven.

Let cool to warm (not hot) before serving.

Notes:

My kugel recipe is not as sweet as most. It pairs well with the dinner buffet, slightly sweet, but not overly so. It complements the other dishes as a pasta side would, and is not meant to be a dessert. If sweeter is preferred, add another 1/4 cup of sugar.

The kugel on our buffet was served warm. Take a generous scoop from the baking dish. It is heavenly with a little dollop of sour cream on top.

It is also fabulous when served slightly chilled or at room temperature and cut into squares. Try serving it at your next potluck. Noodle-y custard-y kugel will be an instant hit.

As for baking, the easiest way is to use a 9 X 13 standard baking dish. But since I have this adorable wavy rectangular baker, that is what I use. It also looks nice on the buffet. The wavy baker is slightly smaller and taller 8 X 12 X 3 than the standard dish so it took one full hour to cook. A wider shallower dish will take less time, just keep an eye on it.

Hanukkah Buffet

First Night of Hanukkah Menu

Appetizer

Potato Zucchini Latkes with Smoked Salmon (recipe here)

Buffet

Challah

World’s Most Tender Brisket (recipe here)

Noodle Kugel (this is it!)

Roasted Carrots with Honey, Herbs, Pine Nuts (recipe here)

Dessert

Vanilla Ice Cream and Halvah

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Artwork

Lokshen Kugel (baked noodle pudding)

We met artist Zion at Temple Ner Tamid’s Hanukkah Bazaar and Fundraiser earlier this month. Born and raised in Safed, Israel, Zion has been painting in oils for over 40 years. He hand-painted the beautiful menorah on ceramic tile in these images. His works include charming food (including jelly doughnuts) and drink on tile, plus gorgeous landscapes on canvas.

P.S. I found the little dreidels at the Bazaar too. 50¢ each!