Sour Cream Noodle Bake

It has been a week!  These last two days at work have felt exhausting.  I haven't had to work long hours.

I have been trying to learn something new, and that has required more effort.  I feel like I have spent hours googling how to complete the task.  I have hours ahead of me too because I'm far from completing the assignment.

It's good to learn new things.  I think there is a small window between being bored and and being exhausted.  I have been stretched at my current job, which I appreciate.

I rode my bike to work today.  My bike riding days this year are numbered.  The weather in Fall is perfect for bike rides, but the days get so short.  I do not enjoy biking in the dark.  The path back to my apartment is not well lit.

I made this pasta bake a little over a week ago for a pot luck dinner.  I prepared it in the morning. and waited until half an hour before dinner to pop it into the oven to finish cooking.

I added some oregano and basil into the pasta mixture.  I also added red chili flakes and salt into the sauce.  These were good additions.   I think it would have been a little bland without this additional spices.

The sour cream noodle recipe came from the Food Network.  The Pioneer Woman is the author.  I have made some of her other recipes, and they all turned out well.

The ingredients are 1 1/4 pounds ground beef, 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes, black pepper, 8 ounces wide egg noodles, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 1/4 cups cottage cheese, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup green onions, and 1 cup grated cheddar cheese.

I browned the beef in a skillet and drained the fat.  I added the tomato sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and ground pepper.

I added dried basil, dried oregano, and one eight of a teaspoon of red chili flakes.  I let this simmer while I prepared the remaining ingredients.

I cooked the egg noodles according to the packaged instructions.  When the noodles were cooked al dente, I drained the pasta water.  I added the cottage cheese, sour cream, another eight of a teaspoon of red chili flakes, salt, and pepper.  I stirred this mixture together.

I added the drained pasta and green onion into the sour cream and cottage cheese mixture.

I added half of this pasta mixture into the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch dish.  I added half of the beef mixture and than sprinkled on half of the grated cheese.

I topped the cheese with a layer of the remaining egg mixture.  I layered on the remaining beef and then spread an even layer of the remaining cheese.

I baked this for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  It was covered with tinfoil for the first 15 minutes.  I'm not sure the tinfoil was necessary.

This was a comforting and homey meal.

It was packed full of pasta and gooey cheese.

The beef was flavorful, savory,  and aromatic.  The green onions, tomato, and spices were tasty and balanced.

It was a simple yet delicious meal.  The most picky eater would enjoy eating this dish.  I enjoyed it, and I think my guests enjoyed it as well.