Kugel {Jewish casserole}

At my friend's wedding reception, they served a traditional Jewish dish with eggs, cottage cheese, egg noodles, and peaches/pineapples (other fruits).  I didn't catch the name, but I wanted to try to make it myself.  At home I immediately searched for the ingredients and found out that it's called Kugel.  I searched for a recipe that I thought would taste most like the one at the wedding.  This is what I found, and tonight I tried it.  It tastes similar but not exact, and now I know how I want to vary it for the future (namely, more eggs and fewer noodles).

Peach Noodle Kugle
1 lb broad egg noodle
[1 stick] butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
[3/4 cup] sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pint (2 cups) small curd cottage cheese
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nut butter flavoring {didn't use}
1 large can (28 oz) peaches, cut into pieces (reserve some juice for later)
OR 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, with its juice
apricot preserves

Boil water in a medium saucepan, cook pasta for 7-9 minutes.  Drain and pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add butter, beaten eggs, sugar, salt, cottage cheese, sour cream, vanilla and peaches.  Stir and pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish.  Optionally (because I didn't do this, this time) thin out some apricot preserves with peach juice, spoon onto the top of the dish, spreading evenly with the bottom of a spoon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

*Some notes: first, I would like to find a recipe with more eggs and less pasta.  I would like to try mixing pineapple and peaches.  I'm not sure if you need to cover it in the oven because the top of the dish had darkened pasta (could be solved by adding a cover like the preserves).  I like the fragrance and the taste (especially from the cheese, eggs, and fruit, not so much from the pasta).  It's a sweet dish that makes a great alternative for get togethers and holidays.


Other links to try: Pineapple Noodle Kugle and Top 10 Kugel Recipes