A perfect cheese lokshen kugel! Rich sweet custard surrounds tender noodles and tangy blueberries to make a gorgeous dessert that’s great for Shavuot or anytime.
For the first 20 years of my life, there was only one sort of lokshen kugel (noodle pudding) and this was it – a simple baked dish of noodles, sugar, eggs and dried fruit.
My Mum made the best version of it, naturally, and we enjoyed it pretty often as part of our Shabbat meals. Because these meals were invariably meaty, the kugel in question was always parev – that is, made with neither meat nor milk ingredients, so it can be eaten with both.
Something new everyday!
So imagine my astonishment when at the age of 21 I discovered that there IS another sort of lokshen kugel! And it’s not parev!
This gorgeous, sweet, custardy, noodle pudding was served up by my friend’s flatmate, while I was living in Jerusalem. According to the scrawl in my recipe notebook, the original recipe is from “Jessica’s Aunt Ruthie” – whoever she might be…
Milchig vs. Parve Lokshen Kugel
Anyway, 20 years of indoctrination means that as delicious as this sweet cheese lokshen kugel is, I tend still to favour the other, parve kind. This one is saved for special occasions, most notably Shavuot, when sweet, cheesy, dairy, custardy puddings are pretty much compulsory.
This noodle kugel is, in my opinion, much easier to make than a cheesecake, but dangerously also lighter and more easily devourable. One slice of cheesecake is about my limit, but I could happily consume this entire kugel in a single sitting. Uh-oh.
Blueberry and cheese lokshen kugel ingredients
To make this delicious creamy lokshen kugel you will need the following:
- Lokshen – of course! Wide noodles like tagliatelle are perfect
- Cottage cheese
- Natural yogurt – plain, unflavoured and unsweetened
- Milk
- Egg
- Sugar – I used golden caster sugar but regular white sugar is also fine
- Blueberries – juicy and delicious!
- Vanilla – Not essential but yummy.
- Nutmeg – Completely optional, but I like to grate a little over the top
- Butter – to grease the baking dish
Tweaks and adjustments
This noodle kugel recipe does vary quite considerably from the one Jessica’s Aunt Ruthie provided. I’ve increased the ratio of noodles to custard, subbed yogurt for soured cream, and added flavourings of vanilla and nutmeg.
The original lokshen kugel recipe also called for raisins or sultanas. However I’ve gone with blueberries, which explode into juicy mouthfuls of sweet-tart yumminess that perfectly complement the cheesy custard.
The other big change I made to this cheese lokshen kugel recipe, was to scale down by a factor of 3! This still makes enough for 4-6 servings. If you need kugel for a crowd, feel free to multiply back up. You can find buttons on the recipe card below that will automatically scale up by 2 or 3 times as required. Click the ‘print recipe’ button for even more scaling options.
You can serve the blueberry & sweet cheese lokshen kugel warm or at room temperature, but don’t be tempted to serve it straight from the oven – the custard needs a little time to firm up fully once it comes out.
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📖 Recipe
Blueberry & sweet cheese lokshen kugel
Ingredients
- 75 g wide noodles such as tagliatelle
- 1 teaspoon butter to grease the baking dish
- 75 g cottage cheese
- 75 ml natural yogurt
- 125 ml milk
- 20 g golden caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 2-3 drops vanilla
- 50 g blueberries
- Fresh nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- 75 g (2⅔ oz) wide noodles such as tagliatelleCook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions on the packet – mine took 8 minutes.
- 1 tsp butterGrease a 22cm (9 inch) diameter baking dish with butter and set aside.
- 75 g (⅓ cup) cottage cheese, 75 ml (⅓ cup) natural yogurt, 125 ml (½ cup) milk, 20 g (1½ tablespoon) golden caster sugar, 1 egg, 2-3 drops vanillaWhisk together the cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, sugar, egg and vanilla.
- 50 g (⅓ cups) blueberriesWhen the noodles are cooked, drain well and rinse in cold water to prevent them sticking together. Shake off as much water as possible, pat dry with kitchen towels, then stir into the cheese mixture with the blueberries.
- Fresh nutmegPour into the prepared dish, and grate a little fresh nutmeg on the top if desired.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for around 40 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is browning.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold.
Nutrition
More delicious kugel recipes
Other noodle kugels you might like to try include lokshen kugel with apple, easy Yerushalmi kugel, and Ariel Kahn’s Jerusalem kugel.
I’m entering this delicious kugel into the Pasta Please challenge, hosted this month by Jen’s Food and organised by Jac at Tinned Tomatoes.
Tayler Ross
I absolutely love all things blueberry, and this lokshen kugel looks amazing! I can’t wait to give it a try!
Helen
Thanks Tayler! The blueberries make it extra yummy 🙂
Mahy
This is absolutely worth trying! It was hard to visualize the taste, but I was pleasantly surprised! Will be making more variations too–thanks for sharing
Helen
Thanks Mahy! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 You’re right, it’s hard to imagine what it will taste like, but I’m glad you agree that it’s delicious!
Beth
Ooh. I am so intrigued by this! I’ve never seen a pasta dessert before. I’ll be making this come the weekend.
Helen
Thanks Beth, I’m sure you’ll love it!
Claudia Lamascolo
very nice addition with the fruit everyone enjoyed this~!
Helen
Thanks Claudia, that’s great to hear!
Gina
This was such an intriguing recipe to me having never had a sweet baked pasta before and it did not disappoint! So unique and delicious!
Helen
Thanks Gina. These sweet noodle dishes are quite common in Jewish cuisine but just don’t seem to have caught on! It’s a shame, because as you discovered, they are quite delicious 🙂
So glad you enjoyed this.
Sarah Klinkowitz
This looks incredible – I love the idea of blueberries in a cheese kugel to give a bit of flavor!
Helen
Thanks Sarah – the flavour of the berries goes really well with the cheese. Delicious!
Jen @ Jen's Food
I’ve not seen a noodle pudding before but I really like the sound of it, especially with blueberries. Thanks for linking up with Pasta Please 🙂
Helen
Thanks Jen. This kind of noodle pudding is a very traditional Jewish dish. There are lots of variations and they’re all delicious!
Vohn's Vittles
Oh wow – this sounds amazing. Fantastic way to use up leftover pasta too as I invariably make too much! Thanks for a fab recipe.
Helen
Thanks! What a great idea to use up leftover pasta – I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me! I always cook noodles specially to make it. D’oh!!
Elizabeth
This whole recipe idea is a new concept to me – intriguing! I do love the sound of it!
Helen
Thanks Elizabeth. It isn’t really like anything else but it is delicious!
simonacarini
Intriguing recipe. I agree that it looks like an ideal use for leftover pasta.
Helen
Thanks Simona. Yes, I’ve added it to the ‘leftovers’ recipe pile!
Kate Veggie Desserts (@veggie_desserts)
Wow – I’ve never heard of a noodle pudding like this before and it looks amazing!
Helen
Thanks Kate! Sorry I didn’t manage to sneak any veggies into it for you…!
Michelle Utterlyscrummy
A delicious dessert that we’ll have to try, slightly worried I’d eat it all myself though 😉
Helen
Thanks Michelle. Speaking from experience, that’s a real danger!
choclette
Uh oh indeed, this sounds so very tasty and not something I’ve come across before. I like the addition of blueberries too – great stuff!
Helen
Thanks Choclette. I think it’s a less well known treat but definitely due some publicity as it’s delicious!