digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Make a traditional spinach noodle kugel using egg noodles, fresh baby spinach, melted margarine (Earth Balance), soy milk, eggs, and a homemade onion soup substitute instead of the full 1/4 cup of store-bought onion soup mix. The dish is baked at 350°F for 45 minutes, uncovered, and the hosts agree that mushrooms don't suit a spinach noodle kugel's texture (though both separately say they personally like mushrooms).
Key Points
- The hosts chose a traditional spinach noodle kugel because it is a staple that the host's husband grew up eating and requested.
- Fresh baby spinach is preferred over frozen, and it needs only a quick rinse before being squeezed dry by hand.
- The host swaps coffee Rich or creamer for soy milk, and uses Earth Balance margarine instead of butter.
- The onion soup mix (1/4 cup) can be replaced with a homemade blend to avoid MSG, and the mixture is poured into a 9 by 13 dish.
- Spinach is noted for its iron, calcium, and vitamin K, and the hosts favor colorful vegetables generally.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Boil egg noodles in salted water, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, then drain without rinsing. Melt about 2 oz (half a stick) of Earth Balance margarine in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Rinse fresh baby spinach briefly, then squeeze it dry by hand. Combine the drained noodles, melted margarine, one cup of soy milk, three beaten eggs (beaten by hand, letting the margarine cool slightly before adding the egg), and the spinach. Season with a homemade substitute for 1/4 cup onion soup mix: 8 teaspoons dried onion flakes, 1½ teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon celery seed, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper. Pour into a 9 by 13 baking dish and bake uncovered at 350°F for 45 minutes until browned on top.
- The homemade onion soup substitute can be made in a larger batch and stored for reuse.
- The host mentions measuring soy milk with a container sized for freezing purposes, but does not explicitly state the finished kugel is frozen and reheated.
- The kugel can be served in squares on a platter or directly from the baking dish.
- The hosts say they did not include mushrooms because the texture does not work with spinach noodle kugel.
Bottom Line
This is a classic, dairy-free spinach noodle kugel built on a homemade onion seasoning and soy milk, with one host even joking she'd add cheese to make it dairy if she weren't keeping it pareve.
