We love lasagna but sometimes it feels like a lot of effort to make right. This noodle casserole has all the yummy parts of lasagna (pasta, cheese, sauce) while being a little simpler to put together.
You will need:
- 12 oz short shaped noodles (works best with farfalle, gemelli, or egg noodles)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1.5 lb ground beef
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 T garlic powder
- 2 T onion powder
- 1 T dried minced onion
- 1 T oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 c sour cream
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 1 c grated Parmesan
- 1 small bunch scallions, chopped
- 3 c shredded cheese (suggest an Italian blend)
Then you will…
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Light grease a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pot of salted water, cook your noodles to al dente according to packaging. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the onion and beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the beef is crumbled and browned (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off any excess fat from the skillet.
- Stir the crushed tomatoes into the beef-onion mixture along with 1 tablespoon of the garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of the onion powder, and 1 tablespoon of the oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer 5-10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream with the cottage cheese, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of the garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of the onion powder, and scallions. Season with pepper to taste.
- Mix the noodles into the sour cream mixture.
- Spread half of the noodles in the prepared pan.
- Spread half of the beef on top of the noodles.
- Spread half of the shredded cheese on top of the noodles.
- Repeat with another layer of noodles then beef and finally cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and slightly golden.
- Allow to cool five minutes before serving.