Several years ago I was visiting my niece Margaret and her husbands Grandma Sarah lived with them. Sara was Jewish and Hanukkah was approaching, so she was telling us about the Dreidel she played with as a child. One thing lead to another and we ended up on the subject of food. Sarah mentioned a dish that she was particularly enjoyed called Noodle Kugel, something that I had never heard of. So, I decided to surprise Grandma Sara with a tray of noodle kugel. I called my friend Hannah and she shared this recipe with me. Grandma loved it and so did everyone else at the table.

I sometimes like to switch things around and I want to mention that occasionally when I make this dish, I add a small can of crushed pineapple (drained) and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. It’s a nice variation although not traditionally found in a Kugel.

Noodle Kugel

Recipe by Diane Becker

Servings

servings

Ingredients

8 oz. pkg. egg noodles (large)
6 T. room temperature butter
6 eggs, separated
½ c. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 T. sour cream
16 oz. cottage cheese (small curd)
1/8 tsp. salt
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Topping
4 T. butter, melted
¼ c. sugar
1/3 c. graham cracker crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9×13” glass baking dish.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the egg noodles until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain and stir in 6 T. softened butter.
In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with ½ c. sugar and the cream cheese.
In a separate bowl, whip the cottage cheese until creamy.
Add to the cream cheese mixture, along with the sour cream and salt.
Gently stir in the noodles.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the noodle mixture.
10. Transfer mixture to the prepared 9×13” pan.
11. In a small bowl, combine the 4 T. melted butter, ¼ c. sugar and the graham cracker crumbs.
12. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the noodle mixture.
13. Bake for 1 hour.