Hanukkah Recipe: Noodle Kugel

By Stacey Snacks
The Yiddish translation of Kugel is any baked pudding in Eastern European Jewish culture. My favorite is a noodle kugel, also known as noodle pudding. There are two types of noodle kugel: a sweet kugel and a savory one (which has no sour cream or cottage cheese).

The sweet one (made with dairy) has to be served with a meal that is free of meat, and the savory one could be served alongside a meat dinner (making it kosher). If that’s confusing, just think of it this way: no milk with meat.

Most Jewish people serve this gorgeous kugel at Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) but it also can be served at Hanukkah. I also once made it for Easter for my husband’s family and everyone loved it. It’s also the perfect Christmas pudding. We like to mix up the cultures around here!

There are many different recipes for noodle kugel. Some people use crushed pineapple, or a cornflake topping or sliced almonds. I happen to be partial to this recipe–it is my grandmother’s.

Happy Hanukkah!

Noodle Kugel

Ingredients:
16 oz. of extra wide egg noodles
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup of sour cream
1 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of an orange
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of raisins or currants
1 medium sized apple, peeled and grated

Instructions:
Cook and drain your noodles. Rinse under cold water.
In a large bowl beat all the ingredients together until combined, then add your noodles. Grate in the apple at the end.

Pour into greased 9 x 13 casserole dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake uncovered at 375F for 30 minutes until top is golden and pudding is set.

Enjoy!
Notes and Modifications:
Kugel is quite heavy, so save up your calories. You can reduce calories and fat by using low fat sour cream and cottage cheese.
Submitted by Stacey Snacks: Stacey is a nice Jewish girl from NJ, who loves Italian food.