Lukshen kugel is a staple in many homes on Friday night. Why not serve up a healthier version without telling anyone. This came out so good, that as the stylist was popping the kugelettes out of their tins, he popped at least two of them into his mouth without warming them up! Honestly, it tastes better than the original!
Ingredients
- • fine or medium egg noodles - 12 oz
- • whole wheat spaghetti - 12 oz, broken in pieces
- • eggs - 6-8
- • oil - 1/4 cup
- • applesauce - 1/2 cup
- • turbinado sugar - heaping 1/2 cup
- • vanilla sugar - 4 pkg
- • salt - 1 tbsp
- • wheat germ - 2 tbsp
- • ground almonds - 2 tbsp
- • honey - 1/4 cup
- • white pepper - 1/4 tsp
- • cinnamon - 1 1/2 tsp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Cook and drain noodles and spaghetti, but do not rinse. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, taking care that everything is very well combined. Pour into prepared pans (3 9-inch rounds or 16 mini kugelettes plus 1 9-inch round) and bake as follows: 9-inch rounds for 1 hour and kugelettes for 35–40 minutes, or until golden. Freezes beautifully.
Notes
This is based on a recipe in the Bobov cookbook — the original recipe calls for all white noodles, ¾ cup oil, 1 cup sugar, and ¼ cup bread crumbs. I subbed part whole wheat pasta (it doesn’t look brown after being cooked and doesn’t taste different here at all), reduced the oil and subbed applesauce (keeps it just as creamy), reduced the sugar and subbed healthier binders in place of the bread crumbs — wheat germ and ground nuts. I also upped the cinnamon because I felt it could use it, and used 8 eggs and not 6 as is called for because I felt it necessary for the texture.
Tip: Wheat germ and ground nuts should both be kept in the fridge or freezer to enhance shelf life and preserve freshness. Wheat germ can be added to many baked goods, replacing a small part of the flour and adding a lot of nutrition.
