Dairyland Casserole

Dairyland Casserole–an easy baked pasta dish featuring ground beef, egg noodles, and three types of cheese in a rich tomato sauce that requires no pre-boiling of the noodles.

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Dairyland Casserole

This casserole is quite nostalgic for me. It’s one of those dishes from my childhood that my mom made often, and she always called it mock lasagna. I recently ran across a similar version on 12 Tomatoes and knew I had to give it a try. Of course, I’m all about making recipes as easy as possible, so I tested it using dry noodles instead of boiling them first. With a little extra broth and the dish covered tightly with foil, it worked beautifully and saved a whole step. For the best results, let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes after baking so the layers can set and it’s easier to slice. If you want a fresh element add a sprinkle of chopped fresh basil on top. Greg, Skyler, and Skyler’s friends absolutely demolished this while I was out running around and I didn’t get a single slice. Dang it. Guess I’ll be making it again soon, and definitely doubling it next time.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Ground beef–or ground turkey
• Onion–or shallot
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic–or 1 tsp garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• Worcestershire sauce
• Tomato sauce
• Petite diced tomatoes–or crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes
• Beef broth–or water and Better Than Bouillon beef base
• Wide egg noodles–or medium egg noodles
• Sour cream–or plain Greek yogurt
• Cream cheese
• Cottage cheese–or ricotta cheese
• Shredded cheddar cheese–or colby jack

Steps

Heat oven to 350° F. Spray a square baking dish with non-stick spray (a 8×8 or 9×9 inch dish both work).

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and then turn off heat and set aside. 

In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, cream cheese and cottage cheese until mostly smooth. Stir in the dry noodles until coated. 

Spread half the noodle mixture in the baking dish, spoon half of the meat sauce over the noodles, sprinkle with ¾ cup cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 more minutes until noodles are tender and the top is bubbly. 

Serve and enjoy!

Notes/Tips

• Serve with green salad and Italian salad dressing. We love the Olive Garden Italian dressing.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This casserole can be frozen after baking. Let it cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
• Covering the dish tightly with foil is important so the noodles cook through. If you want you can boil the noodles. Leave out the broth and drain the tomatoes if you do this. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
• You can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13-inch pan.
• Sneak in extra nutrition by adding diced bell peppers, mushrooms or zucchini to the meat mixture.
• Other recipes you can make with egg noodles are Instant Pot Cafeteria Noodles and Instant Pot Hamburger Hotdish.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.