Leek Noodle Kugel with Crispy Roasted Chicken Thighs

Leek Noodle Kugel

Kugels make great side dishes that are similar to savory pies although some kugels are sweet. This is not your typical noodle kugel. I used multi-grain angel hair pasta instead of traditional egg noodles. I like multi-grain pasta better than whole wheat pasta because the texture is not as chewy as the whole wheat. Keep in mind that when there is baking involved do not to cook your noodles until they are al dente but keep them on the very chewy side so that they do not overcook during the baking process. I boiled the angel hair pasta for 4 minutes instead of the recommended 6 minutes. I served this leek kugel with roasted chicken thighs. The crispy skin on the chicken with the savory noodle kugel was a big hit in our house.

Leek Noodle Kugel

7 oz (or half a box) of angel hair multi-grain pasta

4 T unsalted butter

3 leeks, white & pale green part only, diced

1 heaping cup of sour cream

1 heaping cup of small curd cottage cheese

3 large eggs

1 t salt

½ t black pepper

¼ cup of Danish blue cheese crumbles

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8”x 8” baking dish.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter on medium heat and sauté the chopped leeks for about 10 minutes or until translucent. In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the pasta for 4 minutes and drain. In a large bowl add the pasta, leeks, sour cream, and cottage cheese and mix thoroughly. Whisk the eggs, salt & pepper together. Pour egg mixture into noodle mixture and mix thoroughly.  Pour noodle mixture into the greased baking dish and smooth evenly. Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles over the top. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the eggs have set.

Serves 6-8

Roasted Chicken Thighs

4 large bone in, skin on chicken thighs

Black pepper

Garlic salt

1 T olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and liberally season both sides with the garlic salt and the black pepper. Heat the olive oil in an oven proof sauté pan on medium-high heat. Lay the chicken thighs skin side down and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the skin is a crispy golden brown, do not disturb while cooking so the skin gets very crispy. Turn the chicken thighs over so that the skin side is up and place in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.

Serves 4