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Very Veggie Pesach 2023: Dairy Farfel Kugel

Late last year, my friend and best taste-teste Rachel offered me some dairy-noodle kugel made by a woman at her synagogue. It was wonderful, and I needed to learn how to make it myself! Once I had made it a few times, got it the way I wanted it, I wondered if it could be made for Passover, replacing the noodles with matzah farfel (basically matzah broken up like bread crumbs). IT WORKED! And it's ridiculously easy!

The main problem at this point is finding Passover certified yogurt. I used Greek yogurt in the noodle version (in place of the sour cream in the recipes I was working with), but I've never seen Greek yogurt certified for Passover in a regular grocery store. In the past, I've seen regular Dannon yogurt certified for Passover but I haven't seen it this year and it looks like it won't be available. There may be other Passover certified yogurts available (particularly in grocery stores catering to the kosher consumer), or you can fall  back on the original sour cream, which is usually available certified for Passover.

This recipe is not vegan (includes a lot of dairy products) and is not gluten-free (uses matzah farfel).

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted and cooled
  • 16 ounces (2 cups) cottage cheese
  • 15 ounces vanilla yogurt (2 cups or 3 of the single serving containers) or sour cream
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup sugar (3/4 if using plain yogurt)
  • 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
  • 2 cups matzah farfel
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Kashrut Notes
  • Butter, cottage cheese, yogurt: requires Passover certification. I've already seen Breakstones' butter sticks with KFP certification in regular grocery stores, and I've seen their cottage cheese with certification in the past, but not all Breakstones products have it. Look for the certification.
  • Yogurt: as I said above, I'm not sure KFP Dannon will be available this year. If not, there may be other brands that have certification. If you can't find that, Breakstones' sour cream usually has a KFP run.
  • Eggs: are kosher for Passover without special certification, but must be purchased before the holiday if they are not marked as kosher for Passover. Buy lots of them! If you don't use them all, you can pickle them and they're good for months! (I'll post that recipe later)
  • Sugar: Domino's sugar is certified for, Passover all year round, but be sure to use a new, unopened box to avoid cross-contamination.
  • Raisins: the OU kosher certification website indicates that a lot of brands, even generic grocery store brands, are good for Passover without any special certification! Just be sure to use plain raisins, nothing with special flavorings or coatings or oils.
  • Matzah farfel: Yes, I know this sounds silly, but some matzah products are NOT suitable for Passover! This problem is more common with full-sized matzah but you may find not-for-Passover matzah farfel, even in the Passover aisle at grocery stores. Look for the certification! If you can't find farfel, you can substitute crumbled pieces of full-sized matzah.
  • Cinnamon:  Ground spices require Passover certification because of anti-caking agents and the risk of cross-contamination or dilution with not-for-Passover ingredients. Cinnamon can be hard to find because it is such a popular spice it sells out quickly!
Preparation
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • While it is preheating, mix everything except the farfel and cinnamon in a large bowl until well-blended
  • Stir in the farfel until it is well mixed in and coated with the other ingredients
  • Pour the mix into a deep 9 x 13 pan, pre-greased with a little butter 
  • Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the top
  • Bake uncovered until done, about 45 minutes
Let it cool for a couple of minutes before eating. This can also be refrigerated and eaten cold if that is how you prefer your kugel. This holds up very well in the fridge for several days and can be reheated or eaten cold.
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