Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: Noodle bake

Two whole weeks have gone by since my last cooking blog post. I think Melissa thinks a bit too highly of my cooking skills (editor’s note: Don’t listen to her — she doesn’t know what she’s talking about!), but she insisted, so here goes…

Lina’s Noodle Bake

After my husband died in 2003, I was unable to eat anything for several days. On the third day, my good friend, Lina, brought me this casserole. To this day, I remember my sense of smell and taste returning as she walked it past me to the kitchen. I ate 2 really big servings! It was truly like water for someone in the desert, and I have never forgotten the meal or the kindness that went along with it! So, here’s the recipe…

*1 pound ground beef, lean.
*1 large jar pasta sauce.
*1 can diced tomatoes.
*1 green pepper, chopped.
*1 white onion, chopped.
*1 bag egg noodles (or, whatever kind of noodles you prefer).
*1 bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Brown the ground beef and add it, plus vegetables, to the sauce. Cook for awhile to soften up the veggies. Prepare the noodles according to the directions. I never cook them too soft if I am putting the casserole in the oven.

Drain the noodles. Put a little sauce in the bottom of a baking dish (if you use the whole bag of noodles, it should make a 9×13 pan, but I used an 8×8 and then made one even smaller Pyrex dish of the casserole, which I froze for another time).

Put a layer of noodles, a layer of sauce and a layer of cheese in. Repeat until you run out of ingredients (I got three layers in mine).

Bake in a 350-degree oven until hot and bubbly.I usually serve it with french bread, applesauce and green beans, but you can have whatever you prefer.

Well, that’s the recipe for this week. Hope you like it!