If there is one staple around every Jewish table during the holiday season — it has to be kugel. Whether you prefer it sweet or savory you can’t go wrong with our festive sweet potato kugel recipe perfect for this Thanksgiving. You can even add a pinch of cinnamon to the sweet potato kugel to add depth and warmth to the dish.

What is Kugel?

Kugel is a baked pudding or casserole that today is made from egg noodles or potatoes. It wasn’t until 800 years ago that Jews in Eastern Europe made the switch from a bread mixture to noodles, farfel or potatoes. Jewish people have been serving kugel on holidays and Shabbat for centuries.

Is it Kugel or Kigel?

Both kugel and kigel are Yiddish words. The name kugel originated with Ashkenazi Jews living in Lithuania while kigel was the name Jews living in Southern Poland called the dish.

Different Types of Kugel

The list of flavors and types of kugel can go on forever. A few classics are Lokshen Kugel (noodle kugel with raisins), Potato Kugel, or a Challah Kugel. To give kugel a more modern twist you can even bake your kugel in a muffin tray.

Sweet Potato Kugel

Ingredients

  • 3½ lbs sweet potatoes (roughly 4 large sweet potatoes)
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup scallions, minced
  • 5 eggs
  • ½ cup matzah meal (or flour if not during Passover)
  • ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Sauté diced onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil until brown.
  3. Dice sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Then shred onions and sweet potatoes together in a blender or with a hand grater.
  4. Squeeze out excess water from onions and sweet potatoes.
  5. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, matzah meal, scallions, salt, pepper and butter. Add in potato mixture and combine until well mixed.
  6. Butter a 9×12 inch glass baking dish. Pour mixture into the dish and bake for one hour until cooked through and brown on top.

Our sweet potato kugel recipe goes great with our Pumpkin Spice Challah and Sweet Potato Latkes (because you can never have enough sweetness in life)!

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