Syrnyky and Cheese Bakes

Noodle and Cheese Bake

This bake is what yesterday's pasta is for, but freshly boiled works just as well if you pull it off the heat early. In the oven it spends another twenty minutes drinking up the milk and egg custard, and that is when it finishes cooking. Fully cooked pasta turns to mush.

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Noodle and Cheese Bake — the finished dish
Prep
20 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Per serving
405 kcal

Ingredients

  • What to use instead

    Kefir works instead of milk: the bake comes out slightly tangier and a little lighter.

Makes: one 20×25 cm tin, 6 portions

Method

  1. Step 1: Undercook the pasta

    Boil it in salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet says. It should still be noticeably firm in the centre — the oven and the custard finish the job.

  2. Step 2: Butter the pasta

    Drain it, return it to the warm pan and stir through the butter. That film of fat stops it fusing into one solid mat while you make the custard.

  3. Step 3: Plump the raisins

    Cover them with boiling water for 10 minutes and pat dry. Meanwhile push the curd through a sieve if it is grainy.

  4. Step 4: Make the custard

    Whisk the eggs with both sugars and the salt, pour in the milk, then stir in the cheese. It should be loose, like drinking yogurt: a thick mixture will not soak into the pasta.

  5. Step 5: Combine in the tin

    Mix pasta, custard and raisins straight in a tin buttered and dusted with breadcrumbs. Level it so the liquid only just covers the pasta.

  6. Step 6: Bake

    Bake at 180 °C for 35–40 minutes. It is ready when the custard has set at the edges and the pasta ends on top have browned and crisped.

  7. Step 7: Let it stand

    Ten minutes in the tin and it cuts into neat squares instead of falling apart. Serve warm with sour cream.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    The best part is the browned pasta ends on top, so do not flood the tin — keep the top layer above the liquid.

  • Variation

    For a savoury version, drop the sugar and raisins and add 100 g of grated hard cheese and plenty of black pepper.

  • Swap

    Kefir works instead of milk: the bake comes out slightly tangier and a little lighter.

  • Storage

    Three days in the fridge. Reheat at 170 °C in the oven to bring the crisp top back.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 6 servings
Energy405 kcal2,430 kcal
Protein18 g108 g
Fat14 g84 g
Carbohydrates51 g306 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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