Túrós Csusza is a comforting Hungarian dish featuring noodles tossed with cottage or farmer cheese and tangy sour cream, then finished with crispy smoky bacon. It’s quick and easy to make, requiring only 4 ingredients plus seasonings, making it perfect for a weeknight or anytime craving.
Macaroni and cheese has no boundaries, and this recipe for túrós csusza or Hungarian cottage cheese noodles is yet another take on this classic comforting combination. The difference is that this dish uses a very mild cheese (dry cottage, curd, or farmer cheese) and tangy sour cream to add a bit of moisture rather than a more time consuming white sauce enriched with any variety of sharp cheeses.
The result is creamy, decadent, and indulgent, especially once you add crispy bits of bacon over the top! For a pop of color and added flavor, you can also garnish with a little paprika and/or chopped scallions or parsley. Use the recipe as a guide but make it however you like!
This dish reminds me a bit of deconstructed cheese pierogies because of the noodles/dough component and the addition of sour cream. It also uses the same type of cheese you’d find in those classic Polish dumplings.
It's even a bit reminiscent of loaded baked potatoes minus the potato. You really can’t go wrong making túrós csusza if you love the flavors of pierogies and/or loaded baked potatoes, and best of all it takes a fraction of the time.
Ingredient notes
- Noodles: This dish is usually made with roughly torn pieces of homemade egg noodles. To simplify things, you can make it with dry egg noodles or take dry lasagna noodles or pappardelle pasta and break them roughly into about 1-to-2-inch pieces. I actually used pantacce which is a Tuscan pasta shape with wavy edges that kind of looks and feels like broken up noodles.
- Cheese: Túrós csusza is typically made with túró cheese in Hungary, hence the name. This specific cheese is harder to find in other places like the United States, so you can substitute a dry curd cottage cheese or farmer cheese to get similar results.
- Sour Cream: The traditional recipe uses tejföl which is a thick Hungarian-style sour cream, but any sour cream will work. Even a light version will work fine if that’s what you have.
- Bacon: In Hungary, they use szalonna which is a Hungarian-style bacon and features more pork fat than pork. You can use any regular bacon, but I like using a thick-cut style since it’s easier to dice and yields more substantial bites.
How to make it
Add diced bacon to a cold skillet. Turn on the heat to medium and cook bacon, stirring regularly, until the fat renders and the bacon is browned and crispy.
Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the fat in the skillet but turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the egg noodles or broken pasta and cook to desired doneness (al dente or a bit more tender). Drain.
Turn the skillet of bacon fat back on to medium heat and add the noodles, tossing to coat. Add farmer cheese, sour cream, and season with salt and pepper.
Toss to combine and gently cook the mixture until the cheese starts to soften (you’ll hopefully see some cheese pulls as you mix) and everything is heated through, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish or individual plates or bowls. If desired, dollop or drizzle a little extra sour cream over the top. Garnish with the reserved crispy bacon pieces and a sprinkle of paprika and/or chopped scallions or parsley, if desired.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Túrós csusza is best the day you make it, however, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When reheating leftover túrós csusza, you may need to add a little more sour cream and water to loosen it back up and return it to a creamy consistency. You can use a microwave or gently reheat in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop.
This recipe could serve anywhere from two larger to three more moderate-sized servings depending on how hungry you are. The nutritional information below is based on three servings, but as always consider it an estimate as it can range quite a bit based on the specific ingredients you use.
If you’re using leaner bacon or opting to use a naturally lower fat substitute like turkey bacon (not my recommendation but just saying if you do), you’ll want to add a little drizzle of neutral oil to your skillet when you cook the bacon. It will need it to properly crisp up, but you also need a bit of residual fat left in the pan in which to toss your noodles.
Other recipes you may like
- Krautfleckerl (Austrian Cabbage and Noodles)
- Älplermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni and Cheese)
- Schinkennudeln (German Ham and Cheese Noodle Casserole)
- Armenian Macaroni and Cheese (Cheesy Egg Noodles)
- Leniwe (Polish Lazy Pierogi Dumplings)
- Tartiflette (French Potato, Bacon and Cheese Gratin)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Túrós Csusza (Hungarian Cottage Cheese Noodles)
Ingredients
- 140 grams (5 ounces) bacon preferably thick-cut
- 225 grams (8 ounces) egg noodles, roughly broken lasagna noodles, or roughly broken pappardelle noodles (about 1 to 2-inch pieces)
- 225 grams (8 ounces / 1 ⅓ cups packed) dry curd cottage cheese or farmer cheese room temperature
- 100 grams (½ cup) sour cream or more as desired, room temperature
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Paprika to garnish (optional)
- Sliced scallions or chopped parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Dice the bacon into about ¼-inch pieces and add to a cold skillet. Turn on the heat to medium and cook bacon, stirring regularly, until the fat renders and the bacon is browned and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the fat in the skillet but turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the egg noodles or broken pasta and cook to desired doneness (al dente or a bit more tender). Drain.
- Turn the skillet of bacon fat back on to medium heat and add the noodles, tossing to coat. Add the cheese, sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and gently cook the mixture until the cheese starts to soften (you’ll hopefully see some cheese pulls as you mix) and everything is heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving dish or individual plates or bowls. If desired, dollop or drizzle a little extra sour cream over the top. Garnish with the reserved crispy bacon pieces and a sprinkle of paprika and/or chopped scallions or parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you reheat leftover túrós csusza, you may need to add a little more sour cream and water to loosen it back up and return it to a creamy consistency. You can use a microwave or gently reheat in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop.
- This recipe could serve anywhere from two larger to three more moderate-sized servings depending on how hungry you are. The nutritional information is based on three servings.
- This dish is usually made with roughly torn pieces of homemade egg noodles. To simplify things, you can make it with dry egg noodles or take dry lasagna noodles or pappardelle pasta and break them roughly into about 1-to-2-inch pieces. I actually used pantacce which is a Tuscan pasta shape with wavy edges that kind of looks and feels like broken up noodles.
- Túrós csusza is typically made with túró cheese in Hungary, hence the name. This specific cheese is harder to find in other places like the United States, so you can substitute a dry curd cottage cheese or farmer cheese to get similar results.
- The traditional recipe uses tejföl which is a thick Hungarian-style sour cream, but any sour cream will work. Even a light version will work fine if that’s what you have.
- In Hungary, they use szalonna which is a Hungarian-style bacon and features more pork fat than pork. You can use any regular bacon, but I like using a thick-cut style since it’s easier to dice and yields more substantial bites.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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