Sweet Noodle Kugel
The following recipe and photography is courtesy of Lauren Schulte. To see more of her bites and meals, visit her Instagram @TheBiteSizePantry.
You won’t want to skip this sweet dish. Traditionally served during the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, this sweet noodle dish is much like French toast or a casserole.
It can be made ahead of time and is perfect for get-togethers. There’s nothing better, or more important than family, friends and fun memories, and food is usually at the center of all of them. What better way to gather everyone together than with a sweet, big batch, “grandmother approved” recipe. Whether you celebrate Yom Kippur or not, this is a dish you’ll want to make for all the holidays to come. Whatever holidays you celebrate, good food simply knows no bounds.
Sweet Noodle Kugel
Ingredients
For the Kugel
- 12 oz. bag of egg noodles
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
For the Streusel Topping
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cinnamon sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and prep a 9×13 baking dish (see step 4 for a simple tip.)
- In a large pot, bring enough water to a boil to cook the entire bag of noodles. Add 2 tsp. of salt to the water. Cook the noodles for 6 to 8 minutes, according to package instructions, until tender. Strain and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, 2% Greek yogurt and cream cheese until there are no lumps left. Next, add the milk or heavy cream, sugar, salt, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk until completely smooth.
- Before adding your noodles and egg mixture to your baking dish, here’s a tip for greasing your baking dish. Cut your butter and set it aside for your streusel topping. Take the butter wrapper and use the remaining butter on it to grease your pan.
- Add your cooked noodles to your greased baking dish and pour the egg mixture over top.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- While your Kugel is cooking, make your streusel topping. In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, spices and salt and whisk together. Add your butter and use your fingers to cut the butter into the mixture. You want the mixture to look grainy with small chunks.
- After cooking for 35 minutes remove the noodles from the oven and discard the foil. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top of the noodles. Make sure all the noodles are covered with the streusel mixture.
- Bake for another 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from your oven and let cool before cutting. This will ensure that the noodles are completely set and you achieve clean cuts.
Make-Ahead Tip: If you want to make this dish beforehand, the kugel and topping can be assembled and stored separately in the fridge up to a day ahead of time and baked before serving. You can also cook the kugel ahead of time and store in your fridge before baking with the streusel topping when you’re ready to serve. Simply preheat your oven to 325°F and while your oven is heating up, place your pre-baked kugel on the middle rack to bring it back to an even temperature when you add the topping so that it cooks evenly. After your oven is preheated, remove the kugel and add your topping. Continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes, or until warm throughout and crisp on top.
