A delicious and hearty family-friendly ground beef and egg noodle-based casserole that your whole family will love and can be made ahead of time. This Sour Cream Noodle Bake takes basic ingredients and turns them into a memorable meal that your family will be requesting regularly.
Today I’m sharing with you a dinner that my whole family loves! This hearty and filling casserole is a kid-friendly, ground beef and noodle-based casserole. Some of my kid’s other favorite meals are my Tomato Chicken Tacos, French Chicken, and Chicken Zucchini Casserole.
This ground beef casserole uses cooked egg noodles mixed with sour cream and cottage cheese. Then you layer the cooked noodle mixture with a ground beef and tomato sauce mixture and shredded cheese. It almost has a lasagna feel to it but is so much easier for kids to eat than having to cut large lasagna noodles.
I always put this on my menu for a night that I have a super busy evening because I can make it earlier in the day and stick it in the oven to reheat ½ hour or so before we want to eat! I’ve even made it the evening before when my whole next day was busy! It can, of course, be made right at dinner time too!
HOW TO MAKE SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE:
Ingredients Needed:
- 1 ½ pounds Ground Beef, cooked
- 1 15oz can Tomato Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 8 oz Bag of Egg Noodles
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1 ¼ cup Cottage Cheese, Small Curd
- ½ cup Green Onions, diced (optional)
- 1 ½ Cups Shredded Cheese, Cheddar Jack
Directions:
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees if you plan on cooking your casserole right away.
Get a large pot of lightly salted water boiling for your egg noodles. As soon as the water is boiling, cook your noodles just until they’re just past al dente or li. Do not overcook them, because when you reheat the casserole it could make the noodles too soft or soggy. Drain and cool the noodles, so you can assemble the casserole.
While the noodles are boiling, get your ground beef cooking in your frying pan. Once the meat is cooked, drain the fat. Then add the 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce, salt, and ½ tsp pepper and allow it to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cottage cheese. Add the remaining ½ tsp ground black pepper. Combine the noodles to the sour cream and cottage cheese mixture and carefully mix. If you are wanting to add green onions, mix them in at this time!
To assemble the casserole, start by lightly greasing a 9×13 baking dish. Add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Then add a layer of half of the meat mixture. And sprinkle ½ of the cheese on top of the meat mixture. Repeat the three layers of the noodles, meat, and then top with the cheese.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the casserole is heated all the way through. Serve with a side salad or vegetable!
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE:
To make ahead: You can prepare this meal up to 24 hours ahead of time. Make sure the noodles are cooked al dente. After preparing, cover the casserole tightly with tin foil and refrigerate. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. It will need approximately 10 extra minutes of cooking time because you’re putting it in the oven cold.
IDEAS TO SERVE WITH THE NOODLE BAKE:
- Corn Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
- Artichokes with Artichoke Dips
- Broccoli Salad
- Veggie Cups
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT NOODLE?
Absolutely you can. I have tried a few kinds and strongly prefer egg noodles. They’re the easiest to eat! I’ve used Fettuccine and Linguini, which worked great because it’s in the same family as egg noodles. But honestly, the casserole just looks best with egg noodles!
Hamburger Sour Cream Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Ground Beef
- 1 Can Tomato Sauce 15 oz
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 8 oz bag of Egg Noodles
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1 ¼ cup Cottage Cheese I use Small Curd
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar Jack Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Green Onions Diced (Optional)
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees if you plan on cooking your casserole right away.
- Get a large pot of lightly salted water boiling for your egg noodles. As soon as the water is boiling, cook your noodles just until they're just past al dente or li. Do not overcook them, because when you reheat the casserole it could make the noodles too soft or soggy. Drain and cool the noodles, so you can assemble the casserole.
- While the noodles are boiling, get your ground beef cooking in your frying pan. Once the meat is cooked, drain the fat. Then add the 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce, salt, and ½ tsp pepper and allow it to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cottage cheese. Add the remaining ½ tsp ground black pepper. Combine the noodles to the sour cream and cottage cheese mixture and carefully mix. If you are wanting to add green onions, mix them in at this time!
- To assemble the casserole, start by lightly greasing a 9x13 baking dish. Add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Then add a layer of half of the meat mixture. And sprinkle ½ of the cheese on top of the meat mixture. Repeat the three layers of the noodles, meat, and then top with the cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the casserole is heated all the way through. Serve with a side salad or vegetable!
Video
Notes
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE:
To make ahead: You can prepare this meal up to 24 hours ahead of time. Make sure the noodles are cooked al dente. After preparing, cover the casserole tightly with tin foil and refrigerate. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. It will need approximately 10 extra minutes of cooking time because you're putting it in the oven cold.IDEAS TO SERVE WITH THE NOODLE BAKE:
- Corn Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
- Artichokes with Artichoke Dips
- Broccoli Salad
- Veggie Cups
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT NOODLE?
Absolutely you can. I have tried a few kinds and strongly prefer egg noodles. They're the easiest to eat! I've used Fettuccine and Linguini, which worked great because it's in the same family as egg noodles. But honestly, the casserole just looks best with egg noodles!HEALTHIER VERSION:
To make this recipe less fat, use Low Fat Cottage Cheese and Low Fat shredded cheese!Nutrition
I hope you guys love this as much as my family does! It’s seriously so delicious!
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If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love it if you’d comment and rate the recipe! I love to hear feedback and answer questions!
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Vi
Can you freeze this recipe? Thank you
Pam Dana
Yes! I bake it from frozen for about 20 minutes covered with foil, and then another 25-30 mins uncovered.
Jessica
We LOVE this recipe, and so does everyone we have made it for!
Pam Dana
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank for commenting!
Allison
Can I make it up to the point of baking and stick in fridge? Then pop out at dinner time to bake?
Or should I complete the whole process and reheat?
Thanks! Making it now..
Sara
What do you mean by grated cheese? Like shredded? And what kind
Pam Dana
Yes, shredded cheese! You can use whatever you prefer! I generally just use a Colby Jack, cause thats the main cheese we keep on hand!