Sour Cream Noodle Bake

It's no secret I love casseroles.  With two, soon to be three children ages 4 and under I like dishes that I can get ready during afternoon naps to avoid dancing around the kids while cooking.  Plus then I can relax, play with the boys while dinner bakes and when Matt gets home instead of being frazzled I am happily playing with the boys.  Of course this does foster Matt's idea that I just get to play all day!  (As all moms and wives know nothing could be further from the truth! LOL!)

Anyway, we really liked this casserole.  I saw it at Delicious Discoveries who found it at the Pioneer Woman.  Pioneer Woman always makes amazing things so I figured it had to be a winner :)  I liked the saltiness from the black olives.  It wasn't overly spicy or seasoned but a great comfy combination that the whole family enjoyed. 

Sour Cream Noodle Bake  Source: Delicious Discoveries

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pound ground beef (I just used 1 pound)

1 can 15-ounces tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces, weight egg noodles

1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/4 cup cottage cheese, small curd

1/2 cup green onion, sliced 

1 small can diced black olives

1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. (While browning ground beef, you can begin to boil your water for the egg noodles.)

3. After ground beef is browned, drain fat, then add tomato sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. 

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

5. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

6. Stir in your green onions and diced olives. Add to noodles and stir until noodles are coated evenly.

7. To assemble, place half of the noodles in a 9 x 13 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. (I didn't do the layering.  Just mixed it all up and topped with the cheese.)