1 pound homestyle egg noodles, frozen
2 pounds of ground beef
2 (15-ounce) cans of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon onion, dried and minced
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk, 2%
2 (10-ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
fresh parsley, optional, minced
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
3 Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions.
4 In a large skillet, cook the beef, crumbling it as it cooks, over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes.
5 Drain the fat from the skillet.
6 Add the tomato sauce, onion, sugar, Italian seasoning, basil, parsley flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the skillet.
7 Bring the mixture to a boil.
8 Reduce the heat to low.
9 Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
10 In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and milk.
11 Place 1/2 of the cooked noodles in the prepared baking dish.
12 Top the noodles in the baking dish with an even layer of 3 cups of the meat mixture.
13 Layer on the cream cheese mixture.
14 Add the spinach in an even layer.
15 Add in the remaining meat mixture.
16 Top the meat mixture with the remaining noodles.
17 Sprinkle the Colby-Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses over the top of the casserole.
18 Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes.
19 Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes outside the oven.
20 Serve topped with fresh parsley.
Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield: 12 servings