Deb's Italian Noodle Casserole

My sister gave this recipe to me and it is wonderful. I usually cook a big meal for our family around the holidays and this was the recipe I chose last year. It feeds a crowd and everyone loved it. Throw in a salad and a loaf of garlic bread and you've got a fantastic meal. This is NOT a diet meal! :o) NEW NOTE: In an effort to get the fat OUT of some of my fav recipes, I made this today with all light ingredients and with whole grain egg noodles. It was fantastic! We didn't miss the fat at all!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package  egg noodles
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1 1⁄2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1  cup cottage cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• 1⁄3 cup onion, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1  cup cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, set aside.
2. Brown ground beef and garlic in butter, drain.
3. To the ground beef, add tomato sauce & sugar.
4. In a seperate bowl, combine cottage cheese and cream cheese, add sour cream, onion and green bell pepper to the cheese mixture, stir thoroughly.
5. In a greased 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked noodles, layer of cheese mix and then the rest of the noodles.
6. Cover the layers with the ground beef mixture and top with the cheddar cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
8. Enjoy!