SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE - Pioneer Woman Cooks

A few months ago I bookmarked this recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks.  It would be just right for an upcoming weeklong family vacation at the beach.  At the time it seemed the trip was forever and a day away, but we just returned from that never-going-to-get-here trip having had the loveliest of times.

I doubled the batch of the original recipe so that we would have leftovers.  But, really, one batch was plenty--it made around 10 servings.

I  modified a separate batch for my sister, Tammy, who has to stay away from tomato sauce.  Instead of the tomato/beef sauce, I added precooked chicken, baked it along side the other dish and she loved it.

Both versions were delicious, however next time I would add crushed red pepper flakes to the tomato/beef to give it a bit more zip.

Ingredients

• 1-¼ pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles (I used No Yolks)
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• 1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• ½ cups Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty French bread.