Cherry Noodle Kugel

 

I had been meaning to try this vegan cherry noodle kugel for probably 10 years, and just never got around to it. But then I had 8 ounces of wide egg noodles in the pantry and decided to go for it. (I mean, I don’t need it to be strictly vegan, so egg noodles and lactose-free milk are fine for me.) It was a nice departure from plain kugel (which, don’t get me wrong, can also be fantastic), but it turns out that my kids don’t like kugel, and this was too much for two people. It was good, though! 

For the kugel 

1 cup soymilk (I used lactose-free milk) 

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 

8 oz. fettuccini, broken in half 

3 12.3-oz. packages silken tofu (not light) 

¼ cup vegan cream cheese 

1 cup sugar 

2 Tbsp. vegan margarine 

1 Tbsp. egg replacer (I used ground flaxseed) 

1 Tbsp. vanilla 

For the topping 

1 16-oz. can unsweetened pie cherries (I had red tart cherries, drained) 

1 cup sliced dried apricots 

¾ cup sugar 

¼ tsp. almond extract 

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

1 tablespoon cold water 

Preheat oven to 350 °F. 

In a small bowl, add lemon juice to soymilk and set aside. 

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse thoroughly with cold water, and set aside, rinsing from time to time, until ready to assemble. 

In food processor, place tofu and blend until smooth. Add cream cheese and sugar and process. Add remaining pudding ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Pour tofu mixture into a bowl, add cooked noodles, and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a 9”x13” glass baking pan (I think an 8”x11” pan would be fine); cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, place cherries and apricots. 

Add sugar and almond extract and bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally (I saved the almond extract for the end, once the topping was off the heat). 

In a small bowl, blend cornstarch with water and add to cherry mixture. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Uncover pudding and spread topping evenly over it. Return to oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. 

Serve warm or cold. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.