This is one of our favorite easy weeknight meals – I don’t make it that often, but it’s always so tasty and comforting when I do! You remember how I’ve told you I didn’t really know how to cook when I was first married, right? Well, this casserole was the first homemade meal I ever made for hubby after we got married – I didn’t read the directions closely enough, which resulted in a slightly “crunchy” texture (ok not so slight…more like, “woah, why the heck are these noodles so freaking CRUNCHY?”), because I didn’t boil the noodles before putting them in the dish. Niiiiiiice, Amy.  And the funny thing is, it took me forever to realize that I had even made the mistake – all this time I had been thinking it was a typ-o or something in the recipe! HA! So I have a little note written in my recipe book saying, “it might be a good idea to put all the noodles on the bottom – otherwise they’re kind of crunchy…” Hahahahaha!! So, after giving it a second chance – this turned out to be one of our favorites and now it brings back all kinds of ooey gooey nostalgia when I make it. Joel likes to make fun of me, actually….

You can make all kinds of variations with this recipe – turkey instead of beef, different kinds of pasta, you can add other kinds of vegetables – peas might be good! Lots of things! And as usual, it’s super easy to make. I made it for my mom when she was visiting once, and now she makes it all the time! Give it a try – the sour cream might sound weird to you, but trust me, it’s goo-ooooood!

Easy Weeknight Casserole
-Gooseberry Patch “Best-Ever Casseroles”

1-1/2 pounds lean, ground beef (I like to use turkey a lot, too)
14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 cups sour cream (I always use low-fat)
3 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup onion, chopped (I leave this out and just use onion powder)
8 oz. package medium egg noodles C-O-O-K-E-D. Did you get that?- COOKED!
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown beef in a large skillet over medium heat; drain. Add tomatoes, salt and sugar; reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside. Combine sour cream, cream cheese and onion in a bowl; mix well and set aside. Place half of the (COOKED) noodles in a lightly greased 13×9 baking dish; top with meat mixture, then sour cream mixture. Layer remaining (COOKED) noodles over top; sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Serves 6. Enjoy!

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15 Comments »

  1. This looks so good!! If, say, just for example, your husband wouldn’t eat sour cream… how do you think it would be without it? Or what could I _tell_ him I put in it that’s not sour cream? 😉

    [Reply]

    AmerThe Reply:

    Substitute sour cream with yogurt. If he doesn’t like sour, try a can of cream of mushroom soup, and add some powdered ranch dressing mix along with the cream cheese to it to give it a creamy taste.

    [Reply]

    Comment by OneParticularKitchen — January 25, 2009 @ 4:14 PM

  2. OPK- if your Hubby doesn’t like sour cream, you might just use all cream cheese- I’m betting that would work just fine! Good luck!

    -Amy

    [Reply]

    Comment by Amy — January 25, 2009 @ 4:19 PM

  3. Sounds great. Thanks!

    [Reply]

    Comment by OneParticularKitchen — January 25, 2009 @ 4:22 PM

  4. My husband would love this, thanks!

    [Reply]

    Comment by anne — January 25, 2009 @ 4:44 PM

  5. This looks yummy! My husband loves casseroles and I don’t have very many recipes for them. I’ll have to try this one.

    [Reply]

    Comment by bmk — January 26, 2009 @ 6:36 AM

  6. Can I use bowties instead of egg noodle?
    Have some left over pasta that needs to be used…

    [Reply]

    Comment by Mandy — July 1, 2010 @ 7:57 PM

  7. Mandy- of course you can use bowtie pasta! Any kind of pasta or noodle you want is perfect! Hope it turns out great!

    -Amy

    [Reply]

    Comment by amy — July 1, 2010 @ 8:15 PM

  8. Amy,
    My little boy can not get enough of this dish. I used turkey as you suggested and he ate two helpings. Between James and Sam it is almost gone. And Sam is just 11 months!

    [Reply]

    Comment by Nicole — August 11, 2010 @ 2:20 PM

  9. Nicole- I’m so glad your family (especially Sam!) is enjoying this! That makes me so happy! Thanks for letting me know!

    [Reply]

    Comment by amy — August 11, 2010 @ 2:22 PM

  10. Great weeknight dinner!

    [Reply]

    Comment by Vicky — November 16, 2011 @ 12:44 PM

  11. I was just wondering..you said you use onion powder…how much do you use?

    [Reply]

    amy Reply:

    No more than 1/4 teaspoon, but if you prefer a more oniony taste, you can certainly use more.

    [Reply]

    Comment by Hannah — January 13, 2012 @ 4:13 PM

  12. Hi Amy.
    I was just browsing for some weeknight stuff, and this sounds great! Do you have any suggestions for a dessert afterwards?

    [Reply]

    amy Reply:

    Thank you! Just off the top of my head: how about these Oreo Stuffed Brownies? Super easy (I use a box mix!) and suuuuper yummy!

    http://www.singforyoursupperblog.com/2011/06/21/oreo-stuffed-brownies/

    [Reply]

    Comment by Keilidh — September 25, 2012 @ 12:31 PM

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