Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Ahhh, The Pioneer Woman.  I must admit, though I am new to the world of Ree Drummond, I have developed a significant love for her web-site and her recipes.  Most recipes are too die for...even if she uses a bit too much onion for my taste :)  One of the things that I absolutely adore about her site is the pictures.  They make you want to lick your computer screen (and if you are anything like me, your screen hasn't been cleaned in a while so that's just gross...).  I've learned a lot about cooking just from watching the pictures and I've tried things that I would not have been comfortable doing without a little pictorial guidance!  You will be seeing quite a few recipes from her site here...they are that good!!!

Tonight I had more time to cook so I went with something that takes a bit more effort.

Recipe: Sour Cream Noodle Bake


Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 8

Ingredients

1-¼ pound Ground Chuck
1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
½ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
½ cups Sour Cream
1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
½ cups Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1.  Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

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

3.  In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

4.  To assemble, add half of the noodles to a 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.

Direct Recipe Link:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/sour-cream-noodle-bake/


The Verdict:
It was good.  It kind of tasted like goulash but with less sauce.  Not phenomenal...my eyes didn't close in foodie bliss...but it was good.  I left out the onions and I honestly don't think that it would have added much.  The cottage cheese was really good...it added just the right amount of cheesy-ness.  I do think it needed something...Dave said it needed "more sauce" and I think that he was right.  I would add more tomato sauce...maybe even double it.

Will I make it again?  Yes...but I think that I would play with it more.  Add more sauce.  Add some garlic.  Add mushrooms.  Add more cheddar cheese.

Tomorrow?

Tomorrow night is left over night at the Bussan house!  We will have a buffet of...
meatloaf
enchiladas
empanadas
sloppy joes
broccoli
peas
...and who knows what else!!!