I have never been a big lover of pasta/noodles or kugels, until I tasted this one.

It was addiction at first bite. When I first had it at Eileen’s she gave me some to take home. The next morning while rummaging in the refrigerator for breakfast I spied the leftover kugel and decided to nuke a piece. Around 11 a.m. I needed a snack and nuked another piece. Of course I had to have another for lunch and dinner and then it was gone.

The secret to this kugel is the tiny noodles. There are not a lot of them in the recipe so you are mostly eating a fabulous custard. This freezes beautifully.

Eileen’s Fabulous Noodle Kugel

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. tiny (soup) noodles
• 5 large eggs (or egg beaters)
• 1 lb. cottage cheese (regular or low fat)
• 2 cups sour cream (regular or low fat)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar2 sticks butter or margarine, softened to room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese (regular or low fat), softened to room temperature
  cinnamon to taste.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Cook the noodles for five minutes in boiling salted water.
3. Drain well. Let noodles cool to room temperature or they will curdle the eggs. This takes about 20 to 30 minutes; toss the noodles occasionally with a fork.
4. In a bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Combine the remaining ingredients and stir in the noodles and eggs using a hand beater.
6. Grease an ovenproof baking dish (9-by-13-inch or a lasagna-size pyrex dish) and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and bake at 450°F for 5 minutes. This sets the custard.
7. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 45-50 minutes or so (depends on size of your pan) until lightly browned on top.

Freezes beautifully after cooling to room temperature.

Serves 8 to 12. If using larger pan, can serve 16.

HINT: Adding salt to the water raises the boiling point of the water, making it hotter, and cooks the pasta more consistently.