Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Ingredients

* 1 lb. ground beef

* 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

* 1 tbsp. garlic powder

* 1 tbsp. onion powder

* ½ tsp. salt

* Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

* 8 oz. egg noodles

* ½ cup sour cream

* 1¼ cups small-curd cottage cheese

* 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

* ½ cup sliced green onions, or less to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Cook the beef. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain off any excess fat.

3. Season and make the sauce. Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper to the beef. Stir well and let simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

4. Cook the noodles. Boil the egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

5. Make the creamy noodle mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cottage cheese with a little freshly ground black pepper. Add the mixture to the cooked noodles and stir until everything is well combined.

6. Assemble the casserole. Add half of the creamy noodles to a baking dish. Top with half of the meat sauce, then sprinkle with half of the grated cheddar cheese.

7. Repeat the layers with the remaining noodles and meat sauce, finishing with the remaining cheddar cheese on top.

8. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F, or until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

9. Finish with green onions. Sprinkle the sliced green onions over the top of the freshly baked casserole just before serving.