I didn’t grow up eating kugel. Ok, maybe let me rephrase that: My grandmother made noodle kugel, but it was almost always dried out and as a kid I was usually too scared to actually eat it. Thankfully I married into a family with an arsenal of great kugel recipes including my husband’s grandmother’s Salt and Pepper Noodle Kugel and his mother’s Cakey Crunch Sweet Potato Kugel. And now I really love kugel, and have been trying my hand at making kugel more and more.
For the last few weeks, green has been everywhere, especially in the abundance of springtime vegetables at farmer’s markets and the grocery store. As I watched the spring veggies arrive, I was trying to imagine how to incorporate the flavors of spring into kugel.
Zucchini kugel is delicious by itself, but add some fresh, bright herbs like basil and mint, and you have an updated dish that’s perfect for spring. If basil and mint doesn’t quite appeal to your taste buds, you could also use fresh parsley for a more subtle flavor.
This easy zucchini kugel recipe comes together in 10 minutes then bakes in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crispy. You can serve it warm (though I recommend leaving it to cool for at least 20 minutes after removing from the oven) or at room temperature, so it’s a great recipe to have up your sleeve for when you’re entertaining and have a rotating roster of dishes going in and out the oven.
It’s also a gluten-free kugel recipe; you can make it with matzah meal, almond flour or your gluten-free flour of choice. It’s, obviously, perfect for Passover, but, honestly, it’s so good and easy you’ll find yourself making it year-round.
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As you’re already onboard the veggie kugel train, check out these fabulous savory vegetable kugel recipes on The Nosher:
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kugel
Prounounced: KOO-gull (oo as in book), Origin: Yiddish, traditional Ashkenazi casserole frequently made with egg noodles or potatoes.
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can this be frozen?
Can you freeze it?
Yes.
Looks tempting.
Question regarding freezing this zucchini kugel. Do you freeze before or after cooking? Can you provide the reheating instructions?
Hi Beth, we haven’t tried freezing this kugel, please let us know how it turns out if you do.
Are you supposed to cook the zucchini before adding it to the rest of the ingredients in step 4? I’m assuming step 3 is not heating the pan and oil with nothing else.
You do not need to pre-cook the zucchini; you do need to preheat the pan with oil in order to achieve a crisp crust. Enjoy!
Should it be 2tsp pepper or 1/2 tsp? That seems like a lot of pepper for this amount of kugel.
2 teaspoons, though you can reduce the amount if you are not a fan of black pepper.
Good but way too much pepper. Next time I’ll use half the black pepper.
Way too much black pepper! I’d reduce by half or more next time.