When my kids were young, they loved sweet noodle pudding. Also known as sweet lokshen kugel in Yiddish, it’s a simple dish. The essential ingredients are noodles, eggs, dairy and something to sweeten the pudding. Of course you don’t have to be Jewish or know Yiddish to enjoy this casserole.
A lovely alternative to pasta with savory sauce, it’s a simple and delicious weeknight dinner paired with a salad. Sweet lokshen kugel is also great for brunch because you can bake the casserole the day before, refrigerate overnight, and reheat it in the morning. Because it contains dairy, sweet lokshen kugel should be refrigerated if you are not serving it immediately.
The version I made for my kids used just one type of canned fruit – pineapple. When Safeway asked me to contribute a recipe to celebrate National Canned Food month, I decided to fancy up the casserole with two more kinds: apricots and pears. I love using all this fruit (and the natural fruit juice from the can) because it provides both nutrition and a taste of warmer months while winter still holds sway outside. I also added a crunchy top. Not as rich as the topping on my friend Gail’s sweet lokshen kugel, this one still adds a nice touch visually as well as a great texture contrast to the soft pudding underneath.
While sweet lokshen kugel is traditional for Jewish New Year and the break-the-fast meal after Yom Kippur, we eat it year round.
This version is particularly easy to make when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare a meal because you don’t have to boil the noodles before putting them into the casserole. I know it sounds crazy, but it works if you add enough liquid and let the kugel sit for 5-10 minutes before baking it. It’s the same principle that that I used in my single serving mac ‘n cheese.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 60 minutes |
| Servings | |
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1 1/2 cups canned fruit in natural fruit juice chopped into small pieces
- 1 cup natural fruit juice reserved from the canned fruit
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 cups milk whole or 2%
- 3 cups cornflakes coarsely crushed
- 1/4 cup well-packed dark brown sugar
Ingredients
| |
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Smear about one tablespoon of the butter over the inside (bottom and sides) of a 9" x 13" casserole. Melt the rest and leave it to cool.
- Spread the (uncooked) egg noodles evenly in the casserole dish. Layer the chopped, canned fruit on top of the noodles.
- Whisk the eggs, sour cream, and melted butter together in a large bowl. Add in the cup of reserved fruit juice and the milk, whisking the mixture again until it is smooth. Pour it over the noodles and fruit. Leave the casserole standing on the counter for 5-10 minutes. (This rest give the noodles time to absorb some of the liquid and soften before baking.)
- Mix the crushed cornflakes and the dark brown sugar in a small bowl and scatter that mixture over the noodles, canned fruit and liquid.
- Bake the casserole for about 60 minutes. If you are using an oven-proof glass casserole, you should be able to see the bubbles on the side and a crust should form on the sides as well as the top. A knife inserted into the kugel should come out clean.
- Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares.
For the cup of fruit juice, I used a combination of apricot and pear. You can use any combination of the reserved fruit juices or just one of them if you prefer.
The easiest way to crumble the corn flakes is to put them in a clean paper or plastic bag, close it tightly and crunch them lightly with your hands on the outside of the bag.
I prefer the kugel warm, but it can also be served at room temperature.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Safeway. The opinions and text are all mine.
