Martha's Company Casserole
My mom always called this "Aunt Martha's" so I think it must have come from one of her relatives.
My mom always called this "Aunt Martha's" so I think it must have come from one of her relatives.
- Carbohydrate 33.9726026921189 g
- Cholesterol 131.851301936493 mg
- Fat 28.4224079343032 g
- Fiber 2.42844201675427 g
- Protein 27.2231413937673 g
- Saturated Fat 13.383596156244 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (274g)
- Sodium 705.529219044604 mg
- Sugar 31.5441606753647 g
- Trans Fat 4.29490862300466 g
- Calories 500 calories
Step-by-step
- Brown meat. Stir in tomato sauce. Remove from heat.
- Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, green onions & pepper.
- In buttered casserole dish place half of the noodles. Spread cheese mixture on top. Cover with rest of noodles. Pour meat sauce on top.
- Bake 50-60 minutes at 350.
Standard baked pasta dishes often dry out when refrigerated before baking, but layered casseroles containing high-fat dairy behave differently. Cream cheese and cottage cheese retain moisture within the noodle layers, preventing the starches from hardening into a solid block during chilling.
Assemble the dish entirely in a buttered glass or ceramic baking dish without baking it first. Wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Store the unbaked casserole in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to cooking. Cold glass dishes placed directly into a 350-degree oven may shatter due to thermal shock, so let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Bake the thawed casserole uncovered for 55 minutes until the tomato sauce bubbles aggressively at the edges. If the meat sauce browns too quickly on top before the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, tent the dish loosely with foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.
Dietary modifications require careful dairy selection. Using low-fat cottage cheese or light cream cheese releases excess water during baking, resulting in a watery sauce rather than a cohesive filling. Maintain the high-fat content of the dairy components to preserve the structural integrity of the layers.
