Description
This Sour Cream Noodle Bake is a comforting and flavorful casserole featuring layers of tender egg noodles, savory ground beef simmered in marinara sauce, creamy sour cream and cottage cheese mixture, and melted cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Baked to bubbly perfection, it’s a hearty and satisfying dish perfect for family dinners or potlucks.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles
Ground Beef Mixture
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup finely chopped sweet yellow onion
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 24 ounce jar of Marinara Sauce (RAO’s brand used)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided in half)
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (divided in half)
Dairy Mixture
- 1¼ cup 4% small curd cottage cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions
Cheeses
- 3 cups shredded cheese (1 ½ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese, 1 ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese)
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare dish: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Boil noodles: Bring water to a low boil in a 5-6 quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Cook egg noodles: Add the wide egg noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Cook ground beef mixture: While noodles are cooking, heat a 10 to 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Stir often until the beef is no longer pink.
- Drain excess fat: Drain any excess oil from the cooked ground beef and onion mixture.
- Simmer with sauce: Return the beef mixture to the skillet, reduce heat to medium, then stir in the marinara sauce, half of the kosher salt (½ teaspoon), and half of the black pepper (½ teaspoon). Cook until just simmering, then remove from heat.
- Mix sour cream mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir until fully combined.
- Combine noodles with sour cream mixture: Add the cooked and cooled noodles to the sour cream mixture and stir until the noodles are evenly coated.
- Layer casserole – first layer: Spread half of the sour cream noodle mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Layer casserole – second layer: Spoon half of the ground beef sauce mixture evenly over the first layer of noodles.
- Add cheese layer: Sprinkle 2 cups of the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend evenly over the ground beef layer.
- Repeat layers: Repeat the layering with the remaining sour cream noodles, followed by the remaining ground beef mixture.
- Top with remaining cheese: Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake: Bake the casserole uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the ground beef mixture is heated through.
- Serve: Remove from the oven and serve the casserole hot for a comforting meal.
Notes
- To save time, you can prepare the ground beef mixture ahead of time and refrigerate it before assembling the casserole.
- Feel free to substitute the marinara sauce with your favorite tomato-based pasta sauce for different flavor variations.
- This dish reheats well and can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- For a lighter option, use low-fat sour cream and cottage cheese and lean ground turkey instead of beef.
- Adding fresh herbs like parsley or basil on top before serving can provide a fresh burst of flavor.
