Apple Cinnamon Noodle Kugel

12 oz. wide egg noodles
16 oz. cottage cheese
16 oz. sour cream
6 eggs
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter + extra for greasing
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups peeled/chopped honeycrisp apple
1/2 cup raw unsalted chopped pecans

For Topping
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9X13 casserole dish with butter. Cook noodles according to package directions in salted boiling water until tender but still slightly firm, about 5 minutes. Drain noodles and return to pot.

2. While noodles boil, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix well.

3. Pour custard mixture over noodles in pot and add chopped apple and pecans. Stir well. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake on second rack of oven for 20 minutes. Rotate kugel and bake an additional 20 minutes, until custard is set and top is golden brown. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if top starts to brown too quickly.

4. Cool kugel at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing.