Description
This comforting Sour Cream Noodle Bake is a creamy, cheesy casserole featuring ground beef, tender egg noodles, and a savory tomato sauce, all baked to perfection with a golden melted cheese topping. It's a perfect family-friendly meal that combines hearty flavors with creamy textures.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Mixture
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small sweet onion, small diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Noodle Mixture
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 1 ½ cups small curd cottage cheese
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 8 ounces shredded Colby Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside to prepare the ingredients.
- Cook beef and onion: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and diced onion. Break up the beef into crumbles and cook until no pink remains and the onion softens, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 30 seconds, ensuring not to burn the garlic.
- Simmer sauce: Add the tomato sauce, salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend the flavors.
- Cook noodles: While the sauce simmers, cook the egg noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Combine cottage cheese mixture: In a large bowl, mix together cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until well combined and creamy.
- Mix noodles and cheese mixture: Add the cooked noodles to the bowl with the cheese mixture and stir thoroughly to coat the noodles evenly.
- Assemble casserole: Spread half of the noodle mixture evenly in the baking dish. Layer half of the meat sauce over the noodles, then sprinkle half of the shredded Colby Jack cheese on top. Repeat the layering with the remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is warmed through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve immediately while hot and cheesy for the best experience.
Notes
- For cheese variations, mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, gruyere, or pepper jack can be used to add different flavors or spice.
- Consider substituting ground beef with ground sausage, chicken, turkey, or pork for different protein options.
- You can substitute the tomato sauce with your favorite canned pasta sauce for an Italian twist, but reduce added salt accordingly.
- Store leftovers properly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months to maintain freshness.
- If you don’t have cottage cheese, ricotta can be used instead, though it may result in a less creamy texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
