Protein-Rich Pumpkin Kugel
I mean, who isn't looking for some home-cooked noodle kugel this time of year? Kugel is a traditional Jewish noodle casserole (not to be confused with Kegel, a pelvic floor exercise). In honor of the Jewish New Year and in celebration of all things Fall, add pumpkin to pump up the nutrition and make this fall favorite Fall Fabulous! With 9.3 grams of protein per serving, what's not to love?
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. of wide egg noodles 16 oz. cottage cheese 1 cup sour cream
1 cup pumpkin (fresh is best!) 6 eggs 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted Directions:
If using fresh pumpkin, chop a pie pumpkin (less than 6" in diameter) into quarters, and remove seeds. Boil the pumpkin quarters until it's soft enough that you can easily poke through the "meat" with a fork. After it has cooked through, take it out of the water, allow it to cool, the carefully peel away and discard the skin. You'll have way more pumpkin than you need... but that just means you can make extra kugels later! You can freeze the excess cooked pumpkin.
If you're feeling lazy, skip step 1. Open a can of pumpkin puree and measure out one cup.
Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and set aside.
Cook the egg noodles in some gently salted water, according to the directions on the noodle package. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients -- including eggs and cooked pumpkin -- to this bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Pour the contents of the mixing bowl into the 9 x 13 casserole dish, and spread until the mixture is of uniform height in the casserole dish.
Place the casserole dish in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the kugel is well set and the noodles on top begin to turn golden-brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!