I have been wracking my brain, trying to invent a reason to share my Ultimate Dairy Kugel recipe with you, and this week I actually have a pretty good one. It is Shavuot, a Jewish holiday that is lesser known to some people(we have a lot of those). I don’t really understand why we don’t talk more about it, because it definitely tops my list of favorite holidays due to the custom of consuming delicious dairy-laden foods such as Blintzes, cheesecakes, and such. The holiday actually commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai and the counting of weeks from Passover until that event. Shavuot means “Weeks”, and there are some interesting ideas about why we eat dairy, but let’s just say it is “Tradition, tradition!” And sing it in your loudest ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ voice while baking my favorite food in the world.
Click here to jump straight to the recipe for this dish!
Seriously, this would be a side dish to my last meal on Earth if possible. It is kind of like an upside down cheesecake but with buttered noodles in it. There are non-dairy versions, savory versions, matzah versions for Passover, but none hold a candle to the dairy kind (in my humble opinion). This is the best one I have ever made. I have tweaked a few other recipes to create this one. It is very forgiving- you can take out the raisins, you can take out the pineapple, you can do a cornflake crust on top if you wish, but please don’t go fat free dairy on me! It is a special treat, especially cold for breakfast the next day! Enjoy.
Lauren’s Shavuot Ultimate Dairy Kugel
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First, boil the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and coat with 1/2 stick of butter. Pour it all into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
This is optional, but I like to soak my raisins a bit in hot liquid (water, rum, bourbon, or in this case I used the pineapple juice that I drained from the crushed pineapple).
Next, in a blender, combine the cottage cheese and the cream cheese (room temperature, please). If you have a vitamix or a large blender, feel free to add the sour cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. If you have a small blender, add the rest by hand, whisking or blending to get a smooth texture.
Then mix the drained pineapple, drained soaked raisins, and the cream cheese mixture into the noodles, straight into the pan. Stir everything around gently to evenly distribute the good stuff.
To make the crumb topping, just mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until it resembles sand.
Then, just sprinkle the goodness on top of the kugel. This is a large amount of crumb topping, because I like it that way. You can cut the amount in half if you wish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and firm to the touch.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes. I love this slightly warm, at room temperature or cold in the morning for breakfast- Don’t judge.
Ultimate Dairy Kugel Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) package wide egg noodles, cooked
- 1/4 cup butter
- 8 ounces cottage cheese
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 6 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup sugar (can reduce by 1/4 cup if desired)
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained well
- 1/2 cup raisins (I prefer Golden raisins)
For the Topping:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or gingersnap crumbs!)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Boil noodles according to package, drain.
- Return to pot with the butter and stir until butter melts and coats noodles.
- Pour into a 9x13" baking pan prepared with non-stick cooking spray.
- Blend cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar until smooth (either in a large blender or by hand).
- Add in drained pineapple and raisins.
- Stir and pour over the buttered noodles.
- Combine all topping ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Sprinkle evenly over top of kugel.
- Bake for 15 minutes,
- reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 35-45 minutes more until golden brown and firm to the touch in center.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve slightly warm, room temperature, or cold the next day.
