Kugels are part of a Jewish tradition and find their way to the table for Jewish holidays and Shabbat. This Passover Potato Kugel eliminates dairy and flour, using grated potatoes instead of the more traditional noodles. Grated onion adds great flavor, and eggs are combined with the ingredients to create a moist, creamy casserole. ย ย
The meal prep for this dish is very quick if you have a food processor for grating the potatoes and onion.
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๐ฉโ๐ณ What is a Kugel?
The word kugel is Yiddish for the word casserole and has been a mainstay dish in the Jewish culture for centuries. It's typically made with noodles and a rich custardy sauce of eggs, sour cream, and cottage cheese. Kugels can be either sweet or savory.ย
Sweet kugels usually include sugar and cinnamon and are popular during Rosh Hashanah. This type of kugel is a noodle kugel and isย made with egg noodles. A traditional potato kugel is made without noodles. It's a savory kugel that typically adds chicken fat, also called schmaltz, for flavor.
Since this potato casserole is served during Passover, dairy and flour are eliminated. Potatoes are used instead of noodles, and eggs are used to replace the dairy. The more eggs you add, the creamier the kugel.ย
Most potato kugels have the same ingredients and differ from each other by changing the ratio of eggs to potatoes. One exception is that some recipes include matzo meal as a thickener.
Check out this post for more vegetarian recipes for Passover.
โค๏ธ Why you'll love this recipe
- Very few ingredients. You only need 4 ingredients plus olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Easy meal prep. If you have a food processor for grating the potatoes and onion, the meal prep goes very fast.
- Make-ahead friendly. Make this ahead if your oven will be busy with other dishes.
- Flexible. If you're making this dish other than for Passover, you can add other ingredients, such as cheese.
๐ง Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.ย
Go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post for all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions for this delicious potato kugel.
- Russet potatoes -ย Theย kind ofย potatoes used in this recipe make a difference to the finished texture. Purchase russet potatoes and, ideally, Idaho potatoes.
- Yellow onion -ย Don't substitute other types of onions in this recipe. Yellow onions add a mellow buttery flavor without the butter.
- Eggs -ย I always recommend pastured eggs. These eggs are laid by chickens with lots of access to pastures to feed naturally. These eggs have a higher nutrient content, and the chickens can live in more humane and natural surroundings.ย
- Potato starchย - Some Jews allow corn during Passover, but Ashkenazi Jews typically do not. You can substitute corn starch if you don't follow that diet during Passover.
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๐ช Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list ofย favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Food processor fitted with a grater attachmentย - or use the large holes of a box grater
- Two large bowls
- Colander
- 8" X 8" casserole dishย
๐ฏ Why This Recipe Works
- Pre-heating the baking dishย ensures that the bottom of the potato kugel will crisp.ย
- Soaking the grated potatoesย removes some of their starch and eliminates the risk of a gummy potato kugel.
- Grating potatoesย similar to hash browns somewhat resembles the pasta used in a traditional noodle kugel.ย
- Onionsย add a lot of flavor.ย
- Whisking the eggsย until frothy gives the baked filling of the kugel a lighter texture while staying creamy.
โฐ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Purchaseย frozen hash brownsย instead of shredding your own. However, if you have a food processor, this doesn't save much time since you must thaw the hash browns first.ย
- Using aย food processorย with the grater attachment makes the prep work for this recipe go very quickly.
- If you have aย countertop toaster oven, you can save a lot of time preheating the oven.
๐กIdeas for Possible Variations
Traditional potato kugel uses schmalz instead of olive oil, which adds a little extra flavor. Since schmalz is essentially rendered chicken, this recipe uses olive oil. To add a little more flavor to the kugel, add ยฝ cup grated cheese to the potato mixture before spreading it in the baking pan.ย
But to keep it acceptable for Passover, be sure to use cheese that is specifically approved and certified for Passover. The label will be marked.
FAQ For Making Potato Kugel
Yes. You can make the entire dish ahead and store it in the refrigerator using the following guidelines. Once the kugel cools to room temperature, tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350หF oven.ย
Yes. Once the kugel cools to room temperature, cut it into individual serving pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
The most common reason is the starch in the potatoes. Its important to soak them in a bowl of cold water, thoroughly drain them, and dry them with a clean kitchen towel before adding them to the casserole.
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Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox.ย Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Easy and Delicious Passover Potato Kugel Recipe
Equipment
- Food processor fitted with large disc for grating or use the large holes on a box grater
Ingredients
- 2 ยฝ pounds russet potatoes Ideally Idaho potatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prep the baking dish.ย Place an 8"X8" casserole dish in the oven and preheat it to 400หF. A preheated baking dish promotes a kugel with crispy edges.
- Prep the potatoes.ย Peel the potatoes and grate them either by using the large shredding disc of a food processor or the largest holes of a box grater. Transfer the grated potatoes to a large bowl of cold water. This removes some of the starch in the potatoes and helps to prevent a gummy kugel.
- Prep the onion.ย Peel the onion and grate it the same way you used with the potatoes.ย
- Whisk. Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl until very frothy.
- Drain.ย Transfer the potatoes to a colander and top with the grated onions. Nest a large mixing bowl on top of them and press the bowl into the colander to squeeze as much water from the potatoes and onions as possible. I recommend flipping the potatoes and onion at least once and repeating with nesting the bowl to squeeze out additional liquid.Next, spread them on a clean kitchen towel, tightly roll it up, and squeeze out more liquid. This will also start to dry some of the potatoes and onions.
- Mix. Transfer the grated vegetables into the large mixing bowl and add the frothy seasoned eggs and potato starch. Mix everything together well using a wooden spoon.
- Bake.ย Once the oven reaches 400หF, remove the casserole dish from the oven and spread the oil over the bottom of the dish using a basting brush.ย Spoon the potato-egg mixture into the baking dish, and spread evenly. It should sizzle when it first hits the hot oil.Bake for 45 minutes or until the center of the kugel feels firm to the touch with a lightly browned, crispy top.ย Tip: Check the kugel after 30 minutes to see if it's browning too quickly. If it is, cover the casserole loosely with foil, and continue to bake.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.ย Go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post for all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions for this delicious potato kugel.- Russet potatoes -ย Theย kind ofย potatoes used in this recipe make a difference to the finished texture. Purchase russet potatoes and, ideally, Idaho potatoes.
- Yellow onion -ย Don't substitute other types of onions in this recipe. Yellow onions add a mellow buttery flavor without the butter.
- Eggs -ย I always recommend pastured eggs. These eggs are laid by chickens with lots of access to pastures to feed naturally. These eggs have a higher nutrient content, and the chickens can live in more humane and natural surroundings.ย
- Potato starchย - Some Jews allow corn during Passover, but Ashkenazi Jews typically do not. You can substitute corn starch if you don't follow that diet during Passover.
Janice Kay Short
Where do you find non-dairy eggs?
Susan Pridmore
I'm not sure I understand the question. No eggs are considered dairy. Do you mean where to find vegan eggs?