Description
A budget-friendly casserole combining pasta, ground beef, and creamy cheese for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cans tomato sauce (15 oz each)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
- 8 oz wide egg noodles
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 tsp olive oil.
- Boil water in a large pot, add the egg noodles, and cook for 6-7 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water before draining.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onion, cooking for 4 minutes until softened.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet, cooking for 6-8 minutes until browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Mix cream cheese, sour cream, reserved pasta water, remaining salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until mostly smooth.
- Layer half of the cooked noodles in the baking dish, dollop with half the cream cheese mixture, and top with half the meat sauce.
- Repeat the layers with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture, and meat sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly. Broil for an extra minute if desired.
- Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
For a lighter version, substitute ground turkey for beef. Optional variations include adding spinach or bell pepper.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 610
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 900mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 20g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 120mg
Keywords: casserole, budget meal, beef, pasta, creamy