Bird's Creamy Egg Noodle and Beef Casserole

Submitted by 2Bleu

"Creamy and flavorful."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons italian seasoning
• 16 ounces diced tomatoes, drained
• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 4 ounces cottage cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

directions

1. In a large skillet sauté ground beef with Italian seasoning. Drain, add the chopped tomatoes and set aside.
2. Begin cooking the egg noodles. While egg noodles are cooking, place in a large bowl the butter, salt, pepper, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Set aside.
3. As soon as the noodles are cooked, drain in colander, shake water out, and immediately pour into the bowl with cheese mixture. Mix to coat noodles and melt cheese.
4. Grease or spray a 9x13 deep dish lasagne pan. place half of noodle mixture into pan. Place 2/3 of the beef mixture on top. Sprinkle half the cheddar on top.
5. Add remaining noodle mixture. Finally, add remaining beef mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake in 350°F oven for 45 minutes.

Reviews

[Shuzbud]

I really enjoyed the layered flavours in this- you get all the taste of a lasagna without the calories! Thanks to the suggestion of another reviewer, I also added chopped onion and minced garlic which really boosted the flavour. Thanks for another great recipe 2Bleu!

 

[taraluvsspicy82]

I thought this was very good, hearty food. Perfect for my hungry father! Used ricotta instead of cottage cheese as a personal preferance but otherwise made as written. Came out creamy and beefy in the middle with a nice cheesy crust on top....YUM.

 

[Aubergine910]

DH calls this the "mac daddy" of casseroles. Easy to make, freezes well. Have made it with italian sausage and have also made it meatless, subsituting spinach for the meat. Excellant!

 

[bluemoon downunder]

A really tasty and easy to make recipe. I used low fat cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream (none of which I find compromise flavour) but regular cheddar cheese. I loathe low-fat or reduced fat cheeses, which I find flavourless and would prefer to omit the cheese than to use them. While browning the beef, I added garlic and onion, both finely minced, and then added 2 cups of finely sliced mushrooms and some thyme. YUM! Easy to follow instructions and with the modifications made to suit our taste preferences, certainly a recipe I'll happily make again. Thanks for sharing it. Made for PRMR.

 

[SrtaMaestra]

I just finished making this for please review my recipe and have tasted it, and it is amazing! I love the blend of cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream! I have to admit, I made a lot of adjustments to match my supplies: I used whole wheat rotini pasta because the bag of egg noodles I was sure was in the cupboard was not there! I started off with ground round that I had previously browned with onion and frozen, so I thawed in the microwave and added the italian seasoning. We always use reduced fat cream cheese and cottage cheese, and fat free sour cream, so that's what I used. I left out the butter. I baked covered for the first 2/3 of the baking time. Lastly, I had some lovely fresh mushrooms from farmer's market a couple of days ago that we're just not using up fast enough on our salads, so I sliced those and threw them on top the last 15 minutes of the baking time. I didn't want them to juice and make the whole casserole runny, so I avoided stirring them into the whole mix, but the casserole is not overly moist or runny, so I think it would have been okay. I hope you don't mind that I 'messed with' your recipe so much! I do appreciate the creamy texture of this dish--Yummy! I'll probably serve leftovers with a ladle of jarred marinara or alfredo sauce on top to help keep the noodles moist in the reheating process.