Quick And Easy Recipes

Friendship Casserole 🥘
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small yellow onion, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces egg noodles or elbow macaroni
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grab a 9x13-inch baking dish and give it a good spray with some non-stick cooking spray so nothing sticks to the bottom.

Get a large skillet going over medium-high heat. Toss in your ground beef and diced onion. Cook it up until that meat is nice and brown and the onions are soft. Drain off that extra grease—nobody wants a greasy casserole. Stir in the garlic and cook it for just a minute until you can really smell it.

Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper into the skillet with the beef. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. You want those flavors to get real friendly with each other while you work on the noodles.

While the sauce is bubbling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your noodles according to the package directions, but pull 'em out about a minute early so they're al dente. They’re gonna finish cooking in the oven, and we don't want 'em getting mushy. Drain 'em well.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cottage cheese and the sour cream until it's nice and smooth. This is the secret layer that makes this dish extra creamy and special.

Now it's time to build it. Spread half of your cooked noodles in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread that creamy cottage cheese mixture right over the top of the noodles. Follow that with half of your meat sauce, then sprinkle on 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.

Repeat the layers with the rest of the noodles and the remaining meat sauce. Top the whole thing off with the rest of the cheddar cheese and a nice dusting of Parmesan.

Pop it in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to turn golden brown around the edges.

Take it out and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before you scoop into it. This helps it set up so it stays together on the plate. Garnish with a little fresh parsley if you’re feeling fancy.