How a little less controversy for a change?

Nope, not gonna happen today.

We Jews, we like to make a fuss. Ask any one of us for a recipe for kugel is and you are bound to get as many answers as there are purses in my closet (according to my husband, too many.) The best general description I can give you  is that kugel is a baked pudding of sorts, not that that helps very much. A kugel can be sweet or savory. It can made with noodles, or potatoes, or even other vegetables like zucchini or carrots. Some kugels contain creamy ricotta cheese and sour cream and are most often served for brunch, and others are purposely dairy-free to be served with holiday dinners (since the laws of kashrut, or “keeping kosher”, call for separation of dairy and meat.)

In my family, when we say kugel, we are talking about a sweet kugel made with noodles (or matzoh, during Passover), eggs, sugar, apples, cinnamon and raisins. Even thought it’s a sweet kugel, we gobble it up alongside our brisket or turkey dinner, although the leftovers are eagerly enjoyed for breakfast or dessert the next day. It’s totally versatile like that. We do acknowledge other kugels, but we’d specify them as potato kugel, or zucchini kugel, etc, whereas this sugary apple-filled concoction is simply our “kugel.”

I’d like to think that the definition of kugel was intentionally left vague so that we could feel free to create our own. So for Passover and year-round, I decided to lighten up my family’s traditional kugel by using spaghetti squash. No one can tell me that kugel can’t have spaghetti squash, because there are no rules. I also left out the gluten and refined sugar. I’m glad there aren’t any rules on that either!

So you know how I was saying that every family has a different kugel? In Ben’s family, it was potato kugel. For a long time, he “hated” our family’s sweet kugel served with dinner. Use of quotations, because I still watched him eat it every year (it’s no surprise to me that he couldn’t resist) until he started to concede, “I guess it’s not that bad.”

And as for this kugel? He said it was the best he ever had.

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Sweet Spaghetti Squash Kugel with Apples and Raisins

Yield: 9 servings

A sweet apple-raisin kugel that is light enough to enjoy with any meal, or on its own as a breakfast or snack. Gluten-free and refined sugar-free.

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked spaghetti squash
3 eggs
1/2 cup (85gm) coconut sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray an 8x8" baking dish with cooking spray, or lightly grease with melted coconut oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, and cinnamon. Add spaghetti squash and toss to coat. Mix in apples and raisins. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and set. Cool before slicing.

Nutrition Facts:

Amount Per Serving
Calories 124.6
Total Fat 2.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Cholesterol 61.7 mg
Sodium 57.8 mg
Potassium 206.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26.3 g
Dietary Fiber 2.7 g
Sugars 17.1 g
Protein 2.8 g

Cara Lyons, www.carascravings.com

This post is linked to Real Food Digest | Real Food Holidays – Passover