Cheesy Beef Casserole Recipe

I cut this recipe out of Taste of Home magazine YEARS ago but didn't actually get around to making this dish until this past weekend. It's a pretty easy recipe, and it's delicious! Give it a go!

Ingredients

• 4 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (8 ounces) 4% cottage cheese 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• Additional Parmesan cheese, optional

NOTE: I am always changing recipes depending on my preferences or what I have in my kitchen. I used ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese because I don't really like the latter. I also didn't bother using Parmesan cheese or green onions. And I added sliced mushrooms!

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, onions and green pepper. Drain noodles; place half in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with half of the meat and cheese mixtures. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
3. Cover and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings. 

I will say that I made WAY too many noodles, so when I divided them in half to make the layers, one half was already A LOT of pasta. So I didn't end up doing multiple layers; I just did one layer of pasta, one layer of meat, and one layer of the cheese mixture. But this didn't impact the cook time and I think worked just as well. And now I have the leftover plain pasta to cook other things with!

Click here to see this recipe online.