Czech-Style Farmer Cheese, Bacon & Noodle Bake

Submitted by twissis

"I'm on record as loving all things Czech (a legacy from my great-uncle Emil Placek). This recipe by Grete Willinsky from her "Kochbuch Der Buchergilde" was modified slightly by me, but will likely keep my record intact. This can be used as a side dish or paired w/a salad choice for a tasty & hearty meal. *ENJOY* ... Edited to Add: I agree w/the reviewer that the layering part of the prep is not necessary & have revised this recipe accordingly. :-)"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3⁄4 lb farmer cheese (may sub dry curd cottage cheese)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon caraway seed
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• 4 slices bacon (thick-sliced & diced or use 6-8 std slices bacon)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon butter (for baking dish or use PAM as desired)
• 3 eggs
• paprika (to dust surface of finished dish)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Boil egg noodles in salted water till done, drain in a colander, rinse w/cold water, drain again & add 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix well & set aside in a bowl.
3. Pass farmer cheese (or dry curd cottage cheese if using) thru a fine sieve. Stir in 1/3 cup sour cream + caraway seed & season w/salt & pepper. Add this mixture to the noodles & stir to combine.
4. Fry diced bacon in a skillet w/the onion till the bacon is crisp. Add bacon & onion to the noodle & cheese mixture & stir to combine.
5. Grease a deep ovenproof dish w/butter (or use PAM as desired). Place noodles, cheese mixture, bacon & onion in the baking dish.
6. Whisk eggs w/remaining 2/3 cup sour cream & pour this mixture evenly over the contents of the baking dish. Dust surface lightly w/paprika.
7. Bake for approx 45 min or till the top is browned & mixture tests done using the knife method. Allow to cool for 5 min & serve immediately.
8. NOTE: Serves 4 as a main-dish or 6 as a side-dish.

Reviews

[karen]

I was excited about this recipe because it reminded me of a savory Jewish noodle kugel and I LOVE farmer's cheese...and finally found a store that stocks it all the time. But, I found this not creamy enough. If just felt like there wasn't enough of the cheese/sour cream/egg mixture. I did make one change, eliminating the bacon and substituting grilled mushrooms, but that shouldn't have made a difference. I also used whole wheat noodles. Next time I would add more sour cream and stir it all together rather than layering it. I did love the caraway seeds and would never had thought of adding them!

 

[jgraef919]

This is a wonderful recipe. The caraway seed was the star. I wouldn't change a thing. I served this as our dinner with a bowl of soup and homemade rye bread. A very nice, comfort food.

 

[Mary B.]

Tasted very good. I cooked ham with the bacon and onions and also added cooked broccoli. That made this even more delicious. I also just strained cottage cheese for the recipe. Everyone loved it.

 

[Lauren4372]

While the bacon obvously keeps this from the Kosher kitchen of my Bubby, it does remind me of her Kugel. I don't know that it makes a difference, but I added a cup of fresh peas and cooked cubed chicken to replace the bacon and reduce some of the fat. Also like Alskann used fat free sour cream, egg whites only and Pam. Very good as a main dish. Used a round 2 quart baking dish since the size wasn't specified. Next time may want to use an 8 inch to even out the cooking time.

 

[ANN N.]

Yum!!! This was very good and heartier than I thought it would be. Very creamy, good flavors. While making this I thought perhaps it would be nice with some mushrooms, and yes mushrooms are alway good, this dish doesn't need it. I did omit the caraway seeds, just personal preference. I also omitted the butter & olive oil, using non-stick spray instead and used fat-free cottage chees and sour cream to cut back on calories. It was still nice and rich and we did not miss the fat. It was very easy to make. I just mixed it all together & baked it. Thanks for another keeper Twissis. I really liked this a lot!!