Jewish Kasha Varnishkes (Bowtie Pasta With Buckwheat Groats)

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 08/27/21
Kasha Varniskes with buckwheat

Miri Rotkovitz

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
233 Calories
11g Fat
27g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 233
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 3g 16%
Cholesterol 41mg 14%
Sodium 179mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 235mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This is a traditional recipe for Jewish kasha varnishkes made with sautéed onions, cooked bowtie pasta, and buckwheat groats or kasha.

When you make this dish, cook more kasha than you'll need so you can make kasha croquettes (cooked kasha mixed with finely chopped onion, an egg, and fine bread crumbs) that are baked for 40 minutes until crunchy all over. They're great with mushroom sauce.

Jewish kasha varnishkes has unlimited potential—mix it with mushrooms or mandarin oranges and raisins to be used as a stuffing for veal or poultry or served as a cold salad.

Experiment a little, because the sky's the limit. This is such a soul-warming comfort dish (and tastier than those uninitiated might imagine), it's perfect for fall and winter.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons schmaltz, rendered chicken fat, or oil or margarine for a vegetarian dish

  • 2 large onions, sliced into thin rounds

  • 4 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta, or more to taste

  • 2 cups chicken stock, or salted water for a vegetarian dish

  • 1 cup kasha, toasted buckwheat groats

  • 1 large egg, at room temperature and beaten lightly

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Melt schmaltz in a large skillet and add onions. Sauté over medium-low, stirring frequently until onions are turning brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions to a bowl and set aside.

  3. Cook bowtie pasta in 2 cups chicken stock or salted water until al dente or done to your liking. Drain, reserving liquid, and set aside.

  4. While the pasta is cooking, mix uncooked kasha with beaten egg, coating well. Warm a medium skillet that has a lid and turn kasha into the pan, patting down flat. Cook, stirring often, until kasha has separated into individual grains.

  5. Deglaze the pan you cooked onion in with the reserved hot chicken stock or pasta cooking water by pouring it into the pan with the kasha. Stir, bring to a boil, stir again, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 20 to 40 minutes. Toward the end of cooking, set cover slightly askew to allow any liquid to fully evaporate.

  6. In a large saucepan, combine onions, pasta, and kasha, mixing well. Season to taste. Reheat and serve hot as a side dish or main course.

A Little More About Kasha

Kasha to Ashkenazic or Eastern European and American Jews means toasted buckwheat groats, but to Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, and others, kasha can mean any number of grains, including millet, barley, oats, buckwheat, and others.

Where Does the Word Varnishkes Come From?

The name varnishkes is said to have come from the Ukrainian word vareniki, which today is a filled dumpling along the lines of Jewish kreplach or Polish pierogi (pierogen in Yiddish), but was originally a rectangular noodle in Ukraine. And, indeed, that's what bowtie pasta is—rectangles of dough pinched in the middle.