Nana’s Pineapple Noodle Pudding (Noodle Kugel)

This recipe is one of my mother’s all time favorites.  It’s called Nana’s Noodle Pudding  because that is what my three children called my mother from the time my first child Randi could talk.  My mother usually made this to go with chicken for a Friday night meal.  I don’t think any of my kids love this recipe, but Nana does, I do, and I think you will too. 

• 1 pound extra wide or broad egg noodles
• 1 stick (1/4 lb. butter or margarine (I use Fleischmann’s margarine)
• 4 extra large or jumbo eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large can (15-16 oz.) of crushed pineapple in natural juice
• cinnamon to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease wll the sides and bottom of a glass 9 x 13 baking dish.      

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; then cook noodles till al dente and drain noodles in a collander.  In the same pot you used to boil the water, put the stick of margarine.  Melt it on low heat.  Take the pot off the stove, and add the noodles back.  Mix gently with a rubber spatula.  Then add sugar, the pineapple with its juice, the beaten eggs, and about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Mix everything gently with rubber spatula. 

Pour into greased dish and smooth with rubber spatula.  Sprinkle the top pretty heavily with more cinnamon.  Bake until kugel is nicely browned on top and browned on edges and bottom. 

Note:   You can prepare this up to 2 days ahead and keep in refrigerator unbaked until you are ready to serve it. You can also freeze it unbaked, then defrost in refrigerator, and bake it.