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Sour cream noodle bake was what came out of the oven on the cold nights at the end of the month, when the pay had run out before the month did. My mother browned a little ground beef with an onion and stirred in tomato sauce and garlic. Then she folded hot egg noodles into sour cream and cottage cheese with chopped green onions, layered it all in her old glass dish, and covered the top with cheddar. It came out bubbling and browned at the corners, the kitchen smelled like a Sunday, and we fought over the corners. My father always got one anyway.
It still costs next to nothing and feeds a crowd. The only way to ruin it is to let it dry out, and that happens for two reasons: noodles cooked all the way before they go in the oven, which then soak up every drop of sauce, and a dish layered with the beef on top, where it dries and the noodles underneath go stiff. Here is how to layer it so it stays creamy and never dries out.
The whole thing goes together in about half an hour, and it is one of those casseroles that tastes even better the next day.
Why this sour cream noodle bake works
- Noodles cooked short. Pulled two minutes early, they finish in the oven by drinking up the sauce instead of the creamy layer.
- Sour cream and cottage cheese. Together they stay creamy in the oven; sour cream alone can turn thin and grainy.
- A saucy beef layer. The tomato sauce keeps the beef moist and seasons the noodles from below.
- Cheese as a lid. A full layer of cheddar covers everything and keeps the moisture in.
- Foil first, then uncovered. Covering for the first part of the bake heats it through without drying the edges.
Ingredients
Serves 6 from a 9 by 13 inch dish. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the beef sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef (450g)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce (450g in all)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
For the noodles
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles (225g)
- 1 cup sour cream (240g)
- 1 cup small-curd cottage cheese (225g)
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the top
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (200g)
Full-fat sour cream and cottage cheese stay creamiest in the oven. Shred the cheddar from a block; it melts smoother than pre-shredded cheese.
How to make sour cream noodle bake
Make the beef sauce
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C) and butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, breaking the beef up, for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned and the onion is soft. Spoon off any extra fat.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer for 5 minutes, then take it off the heat.
Make the noodles
- Cook the egg noodles in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the package says. They should still be a little firm. Drain well.
- Return the hot noodles to the pot and stir in the butter, then the sour cream, cottage cheese and green onions.
Layer and bake
- Spread half the noodles in the baking dish. Spoon half the beef sauce over them in an even layer.
- Add the rest of the noodles, then the rest of the beef sauce, spreading it right to the edges.
- Cover the top completely with the shredded cheddar, all the way to the corners.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned at the edges.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting, so the layers set and stay creamy on the plate.
Tips that make the difference
- Under-cook the noodles. This is the single most important step for a creamy bake.
- Spread the beef sauce right to the edges of the dish so the noodles around the sides do not dry out.
- If you make it ahead, add a few spoons of milk over the top before the cheese, because cold noodles absorb more sauce.
- Do not skip the rest. Cut straight from the oven, the layers slide; after 10 minutes they hold.
Variations
- Cream cheese. Use 4 ounces of softened cream cheese in place of half the cottage cheese for an even richer bake.
- Ground turkey. Use ground turkey and add a little extra seasoning.
- Vegetables. Stir a cup of frozen peas or chopped cooked spinach into the noodles.
- Two cheeses. Use half cheddar and half mozzarella on top for a stretchier lid.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat single portions in the microwave with a spoon of water, or the dish covered with foil at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
To make ahead, assemble the bake, cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then add 10 minutes to the covered baking time. It also freezes well, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my noodle bake turn out dry?
The noodles were fully cooked before baking, or the dish was baked uncovered the whole time. Cook them short and keep the foil on for the first 20 minutes.
Can I leave out the cottage cheese?
Yes. Use more sour cream or some cream cheese instead, but the cottage cheese helps it stay creamy and not grainy.
Can I make it the night before?
Yes. Assemble, cover and refrigerate. Add a splash of milk over the top before the cheese and bake a little longer.
What do I serve with it?
A green salad or green beans and a slice of buttered bread is all it needs.
Make it on the coldest night of the week, and save a corner for whoever always asks for it.
Sour Cream Noodle Bake (The Cheap Layered Supper That Stays Creamy)
A Midwest sour cream noodle bake: egg noodles folded into sour cream, cottage cheese and green onions, layered with ground beef in tomato sauce and baked under cheddar until bubbling. A cheap supper that stays creamy, never dry.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C) and butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, breaking the beef up, for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned and the onion is soft. Spoon off any extra fat.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer for 5 minutes, then take it off the heat.
- Cook the egg noodles in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the package says. They should still be a little firm. Drain well.
- Return the hot noodles to the pot and stir in the butter, then the sour cream, cottage cheese and green onions.
- Spread half the noodles in the baking dish. Spoon half the beef sauce over them in an even layer.
- Add the rest of the noodles, then the rest of the beef sauce, spreading it right to the edges.
- Cover the top completely with the shredded cheddar, all the way to the corners.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned at the edges.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting, so the layers set and stay creamy on the plate.
