posted by Ali at Divine Domesticity

Amish Casserole is a family favorite in our household. I would strongly suggest covering this casserole for at least half, if not the entire time it spends in the oven. I found that mine turned out too dry. I love, love, love this casserole!

Amish Ground Beef and Noodle Casserole
Serves 6-8

2 cups sour cream (a 16-ounce container)
2 cups small-curd cottage cheese (a 16-ounce container)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 7- to 8-ounce package medium egg noodles
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pounds lean ground round or well-trimmed chuck

1 6-ounce cans tomato paste
1 small jar pizza sauce, about 14 oz.
1 Tbsp. minced fresh basil, or 1 tsp. dried
1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano, or 1 tsp. dried
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, cottage cheese, onion, and parsley; set aside. In a large saucepan, cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan, over medium heat, and add the ground beef, stirring now and then until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off all liquid and discard. Stir in the tomato paste, pizza sauce, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 325-f degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and begin layering as follows: one-third of the meat sauce, one-half of the noodles, and one-half of the sour cream mixture. Repeat these layers, ending with the meat sauce. Bake covered for 1 hour or until the casserole is bubbly. If you would like, remove the cover the last 20 minutes of baking to crunch up the topping a bit. Allow to stand for 15 minutes, then serve.

Adapted from a recipe from a fantastic cookbook that you should buy immediately, New Recipes from Quilt Country: More Food & Folkways from the Amish & Mennonites.