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Vegan spinach noodle kugel in a baking dish

Vegan Spinach Noodle Kugel


  • Author: Liz Madsen
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 10 cups 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This creamy Vegan Spinach Noodle Kugel is a fantastic kosher-friendly main or side dish for any holiday meal or even on a weeknight.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Pasta

  • 12 oz short pasta (see note 1)
  • 16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained (or 2 cups cooked spinach)
  • 2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs for topping, optional

Sauce

  • 2 - 16 oz blocks (396g each) firm tofu, drained but not pressed (see note 2)
  • 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk or water
  • 1/2 cup unfortified nutritional yeast (see note 3)
  • Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt (to taste)

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions, but stop the cooking process when the noodles are ALMOST there--until they’re lightly chewy. They’ll finish cooking in the oven.
  2. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Throw the ingredients into the blends and blend it until smooth. Now is a good time to taste it and make any necessary changes.
  3. Next, take your thawed frozen spinach or your cooked fresh spinach and squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
  4. After the pasta is cooked, drain the water from it and return it to the pot. Pour the contents of the blender into the pasta and mix it well.
  5. Using your fingers or two forks, separate the wads of spinach into little pieces and gently stir them through the pasta.
  6. Add the whole mixture to a deep square or rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs if you like.
  7. Bake the kugel for 15-20 minutes at 400 F (205 C) until the sauce has set and the noodles have finished cooking. The top may get a little brown. If you’d like it more brown, you can broil it if you have a broiler. (I sadly do not.)
  8. Serve it up and enjoy!
  9. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • Note 1: I found “egg-free wide ribbon pasta” at Walmart (Great Value brand) that looks just like egg noodles. If you can’t find those, any pasta will work--I recommend fusilli or rotini for a similar shape. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.
  • Note 2: The base of the sauce for the kugel is tofu. Firm tofu (just drained, not pressed) is what I used, but medium, soft, silken, or extra firm will work as well. If using extra firm, use more liquid. Anything softer, use less liquid to blend. None, in the case of silken tofu. If you don’t want to use tofu at all, you can use soaked cashews, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or even white beans.
  • Note 3: Nutritional yeast can be not so great if you try it on its own. I’ve come to love the flavor but I didn’t at first, especially when I was new to being vegan. It’s MUCH better blended into things and does make sauces taste cheesy, so I’d definitely recommend trying it blended. That being said, if you don’t have it, use more spices and a touch more salt instead!
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Jewish

Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Sugar-Free, Can be Gluten-Free, Vegan Kugel, Vegan Jewish Food