Description

A comforting layered pasta bake with creamy cheese, seasoned meat sauce, and pasta, baked until golden and bubbly. This friendship casserole is perfect for family dinners, potlucks, or gifting to a friend.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz egg noodles or rotini pasta

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cottage cheese or ricotta

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Nonstick spray for greasing

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until just al dente, drain, and set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef. Drain fat, then stir in spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix sour cream with cottage cheese or ricotta until smooth.
Layer half of the noodles in the baking dish.
Spread sour cream mixture evenly over noodles.
Top with remaining noodles.
Pour meat sauce over the noodles and spread evenly.
Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.
Let rest 5–10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Substitute ground turkey or Italian sausage for beef.

Add mushrooms, spinach, or peppers for more vegetables.

Use red pepper flakes for spice.

Swap in whole wheat pasta and part-skim cheeses for a lighter option.

Freeze before or after baking for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 portion (1/10 of casserole)
Calories: 365
Sugar: 7g
Sodium: 650mg
Fat: 19g
Saturated Fat: 9g
Unsaturated Fat: 8g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 31g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 21g
Cholesterol: 67mg