To start I will say this is a pretty decent casserole. It takes very little time, so it would be great for a busy weeknight dinner.
I used extra broad egg noodles for the noodle part. These worked out great as they were hearty enough to hold up to the other ingredients.
Mixing the cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream gives you a lovely creamy sauce for the noodles. The poppy seeds are a nice touch, but there were entirely too many of them! I felt like I had poppy seeds stuck in my teeth the rest of the night.
Should I make this recipe again, I would probably cut the poppy seeds by half. I think this would ensure you get the flavor without having so many.
The onions and peppers were a nice touch. This casserole seems very similar to some chicken casseroles I have tried before and they don’t have the onion and pepper.
I ground my own round steak. This was the most complicated part of the dish. Mainly because my antique meat grinder didn’t stick to the wood surface and kept slipping around. I powdered through though!
You could cut the time by buying pre-ground meat. I don’t think it would really matter all that much. The basil and tomato sauce are nice and flavor the meat well.
It does seem strange to have a tomato sauce and a cheese sauce in the same dish, but somehow it works.
We really enjoyed this casserole. I think it will go on the make again list!
PARTY HAMBURGER CASSEROLE
3 Tablespoons Butter
1 Pound Chopped Round Steak
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Basil
16 Ounces Tomato Sauce
8 Ounces Broad Noodles, Cooked
1/2 Pint Creamy Cottage Cheese
1/2 Pound Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
1/3 Cup Chopped Onions
1/3 Cup Chopped Green Pepper
In a heavy skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Add the meat and cook until browned. Mix in the seasonings and tomato sauce. Remove from heat and reserve. Combine the drained noodles with the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and poppy seeds. In a saucepan cook the onions and green pepper in remaining butter until softened. Add to the noodle mixture, blending thoroughly. In the bottom of a buttered casserole, arrange the noodle mixture. Spread the meat mixture over the noodles. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
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