Passover Prep: Sweet Spaghetti Squash Kugel with Apples and Raisins

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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.”

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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

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

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55 Responses to “Passover Prep: Sweet Spaghetti Squash Kugel with Apples and Raisins”

  1. 1

    Dawn — March 27, 2012 @ 6:55 am Reply

    I love when we make veggies into a dessert. I once had a cabbage dessert but I can’t seem to find the recipe. Can’t wait to try this!

  2. 2

    Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living — March 27, 2012 @ 7:31 am Reply

    Yay for kugel! I LOVE the classic Jewish dish, and this spaghetti squash version is brilliant.

  3. 3

    janet @ the taste space — March 27, 2012 @ 7:41 am Reply

    I love that you subbed the spaghetti squash for the noodles. Brilliant idea, Cara! 🙂

  4. 4

    Kate — March 27, 2012 @ 11:25 am Reply

    I always feel like kugel just connotes a casserole dish.

  5. 5

    Shannon — March 27, 2012 @ 3:25 pm Reply

    don’t know that I’ve ever had kugel… this one i’ll be sure to try though 😉

  6. 6

    Joanne — March 27, 2012 @ 9:06 pm Reply

    I’ve been DYING to make a kugel…because it’s basically bread pudding but with PASTA instead of bread. But they’re all so heavy that I can’t fathom eating a whole batch all by my lonesome…my thighs just won’t have it! But this…this they can take. LOVE.

  7. 7

    Emily @ A Cambridge Story — March 28, 2012 @ 9:13 am Reply

    What a unique twist on Kugel. I have a Kugel recipe in the works as well 🙂

  8. 8

    Ricki — March 28, 2012 @ 10:12 pm Reply

    So brilliant! And don’t forget that it’s GRAIN-free, too! I’m passing this along to my friend who’s hosting a seder this year–thanks! 🙂

  9. 9

    Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — March 29, 2012 @ 1:47 pm Reply

    Okay! So totally brilliant to use spaghetti squash! I am going to make this for sure!! Such a great recipe…

  10. 10

    Alta — March 29, 2012 @ 2:52 pm Reply

    Most of the kugels I’ve seen I can’t quite get my head around – for some reason, sweet+pasta seems weird to me. Guess it’s just because I didn’t grow up with it. But spaghetti squash and sweet sounds perfectly normal! I love the idea of this dish. Yum!

  11. 11

    Lisa @ Real Food Digest — March 30, 2012 @ 1:31 am Reply

    Hi Cara,
    I was having problems contacting you through your contact form. I host a “Real Food Holidays” blog carnival before each major Jewish holiday and would love for you to link to this – it’s such a great pesach recipe!
    http://www.realfooddigest.com/real-food-holidays-blog-carnival-passover-2012/

  12. 12

    grace — March 30, 2012 @ 3:41 pm Reply

    this is practically a dessert and i love it!

  13. 13

    Chaya — April 1, 2012 @ 9:47 pm Reply

    I am excited about this kugel. I just printed it and plan to make it on Passover. I just told my husband, we had to have spaghetti squash for the holiday but I had not thought kugel. This is just wonderful. Thanks.

  14. 14

    Dan — April 2, 2012 @ 2:01 pm Reply

    This is the second Passover food item I’ve seen using spaghetti squash, and it’s brilliant! What a great idea. I so, so dislike using matza meal and fake pasta noodles.

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  16. 15

    Jenn @LeftoverQueen — April 5, 2012 @ 2:54 pm Reply

    Wow, that looks so good! I love the sweet with a veg I normally think of as savory (spaghetti squash).

  17. 16

    d.liff @ yelleBELLYboo — April 5, 2012 @ 9:47 pm Reply

    Help! What is coconut sugar? Can I sub for vanilla sugar??

    • 16.1

      Cara — April 6, 2012 @ 9:40 am

      Coconut sugar is an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconut. Because it is unrefined it retains a lot more nutrients than typical cane sugar, but it has about the same level of sweetness. You could sub any granulated sugar like regular white sugar, brown sugar, or succanat or maple sugar for cleaner options if you like.

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  19. 17

    Marci — April 6, 2012 @ 12:43 pm Reply

    Fantastic recipe!!! I made this today & substituted the coconut sugar with 1/4 cup xylitol & 3 dropperfuls of stevia. It was DELICIOUS!! Plenty sweet & lower carbs.

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  22. 18

    Abby — April 4, 2013 @ 11:25 pm Reply

    I just made this and love the taste, but for some reason the texture was not how it should be. It was very watery on bottom. Any ideas how to prevent this?

    • 18.1

      Cara — April 5, 2013 @ 5:19 am

      Hey Abby, the only thing I can think of is that perhaps your squash or apples were particularly watery. Maybe making sure the squash is well drained would help?

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  26. 19

    Alena — April 11, 2014 @ 11:03 am Reply

    Those dishes are so beautiful, can you please tell me what they are? Thanks!

    • 19.1

      Cara — April 11, 2014 @ 2:38 pm

      Hi Alena,
      I got them a few years ago at HomeGoods. On the bottom they say 222 Fifth PTS America. Hope that helps!

  27. 20

    Daria — April 11, 2014 @ 5:52 pm Reply

    Can this be made in advance and frozen?

    • 20.1

      Cara — April 12, 2014 @ 8:42 am

      Hi Daria,
      Yes it can 🙂 We have made a large batch and frozen leftovers. Enjoy!

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  29. 21

    Brooke — April 13, 2014 @ 12:22 am Reply

    This looks great! I’m going to make it for Passover. Do you shred the squash, then cook it? I’m thinking of shredding then steaming it. Any thoughts or recommendations?

    • 21.1

      Cara — April 13, 2014 @ 2:44 pm

      Hi Brooke!
      There are a couple ways to cook spaghetti squash but what I usually do is this: preheat oven to 400, cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place cut-side-up in a baking dish with about 1″ of water around it. Mist the squash with cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. When it’s cool, use two forks to scoop out the flesh. It will be stringy. You don’t need to shred it. Hope that makes sense! If you search for “how to cook spaghetti squash” you can view other instructions and I’m sure people have photos. Chag Sameach!

  30. 22

    Brooke — April 13, 2014 @ 4:18 pm Reply

    Thanks, Cara! Chag Sameach to you, too.

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  32. 23

    Ananda — March 22, 2015 @ 6:34 pm Reply

    What kind of apples do you use?

    • 23.1

      Cara — March 24, 2015 @ 1:50 pm

      I like macs or courts for baking!

  33. 24

    Gerry — March 31, 2015 @ 11:34 am Reply

    How many spaghetti squashes (or pounds) will make 4 cups? Can this recipe be made ahead of time?

    • 24.1

      Cara — March 31, 2015 @ 1:37 pm

      One large spaghetti squash should be enough! Yes you can make ahead 🙂

  34. 25

    Jill — April 2, 2015 @ 6:58 pm Reply

    Made a double batch today. I bought at 5.4lb squash which yielded 8 cups of cooked squash. I used only 3 large Granny Smith apples. Using it tomorrow for Passover. Great for this dairy free, gluten free family with one vegetarian 🙂

    • 25.1

      Cara — April 5, 2015 @ 1:52 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it, happy passover!

  35. 26

    Sam — September 2, 2015 @ 11:10 pm Reply

    Do u think it will still be sweet with 1/3 cup of sugar because I am trying to reduce my sugar intake but this kugel looks really good!!!

  36. 27

    Sam — September 2, 2015 @ 11:42 pm Reply

    Also can I add sourcream to it to make it creamy like with a traditional kugel?

  37. 28

    Nicole — April 16, 2016 @ 9:01 am Reply

    Do you cook the squash first and then bake it again once all of the ingredients are combined in the baking pan, or do you mix the uncooked spaghetti squash strands in the baking pan?

  38. 29

    Adi — April 24, 2016 @ 1:27 am Reply

    This was absolutely delicious!! Thanks for the fantastic recipe!

    The sugar content is a bit high, so I only used 1 tbsp of coconut sugar, and substituted the rest with some Erythritol and Stevia. It was a very quick and easy recipe to follow. I made it three days in advance and then just reheated it in the oven. Leftovers were demolished the following day. Delicious warm or cold!

  39. 30

    Bayla — October 26, 2016 @ 9:00 pm Reply

    I made this kugel. I added walnuts. It turned out great. My husband ate almost half of it at one meal. I would definitely m ake it again. I

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  41. 31

    Harriet — March 8, 2018 @ 6:16 pm Reply

    can I buy the squash already out of the shell. Too much work to take it out

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  43. 32

    Dhelley — April 1, 2018 @ 8:45 pm Reply

    My daughter found this recipe and made it for our Seiter. It was a huge hit. Had requests for the recipe. She and I thought it might be a little too sweet for our tastes, so next time we plan to cut back on the sugar. We also decided to dissect the apples for easier cutting.

  44. 33

    Tara Jurvakainen — December 7, 2018 @ 5:03 pm Reply

    Just tried your recipe. So amazingly good and easy on the calories. Thank you. I had never heard of Kugel before this but the ingredients sounded good and I’m not disappointed. Will make this again and again

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  46. 34

    San N — February 25, 2023 @ 8:54 pm Reply

    I cooked it for 45 minutes at 375 degrees as specified in the recipe but the apples were not cooked enough. I used Gala apples. What are the best apples to use? How long do you suggest to re-bake it for? My niece didn’t like it and my friend didn’t either and wouldn’t eat it. ????

  47. 35

    Tammy M. — March 18, 2023 @ 8:28 pm Reply

    I’m really interested in this but I have a guest with an egg allergy (which is why I love the spaghetti squash alternative). What egg substitutes do you think will work and still keep it kosher for passover?

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