Company Casserole
This was Kristen’s dad’s favorite dinner, but she now uses ground bison, turkey or lamb instead of beef. Serves 6.
Ingredients
1/2 pound (4 cups cooked) curly egg noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound lean ground meat
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 cup (8 ounces) cottage cheese
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup snipped green onions or chives
1/2 green pepper, minced
2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
Cook noodles and drain. Toss with olive oil.
Brown meat in 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in tomato sauce. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, onions and green pepper.
Preheat oven to 375.
In a 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the noodles, cover with cheese mixture, then cover with rest of noodles. Top with meat. Pour melted butter over all. Bake uncovered 30 minutes.
Wine ideas: Kristen’s family drank milk with dinner, but after a long day of cooking, Mom might have preferred something else – say, a plush, velvety merlot, like the juicy one from Heron in France or Arrow Creek’s smoky California version, both priced about $10.
– Tara Q. Thomas
