Hamburger & Sour Cream Casserole

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-05-2006
Hamburger & Sour Cream Casserole
4
Mon, 06-11-2007 - 3:36pm

Hamburger & Sour Cream Casserole - 6 Servings

INGREDIENTS
•2 bunches scallions
•1/2 pound lean ground beef
•1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
•1/2 cup bulgur
•2 cloves garlic
•2 8-ounce cans SF tomato sauce
•1/2 cup water
•Salt & freshly ground pepper
•6 ounces WW egg noodles
•1 cup 1% cottage cheese
•1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
•1/4 cup grated extra-sharp 2% Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
•Preheat oven to 350andamp;deg;F. Lightly oil a 2-quart baking dish or coat it with nonstick spray. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

•Separate white and green parts of scallions; thinly slice both parts and reserve separately.

•Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Wipe out skillet.

•Add oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Add bulgur, garlic and reserved scallion whites. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, water and beef; bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently until the bulgur is tender and sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

•Meanwhile, cook noodles until al dente, 6 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.

•Puree cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; fold in sour cream and the reserved scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper.

•Layer half the noodles in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with half the cottage cheese mixture and half the meat sauce. Repeat with remaining noodles, cottage cheese and sauce. Sprinkle Cheddar over the top.

•Bake casserole for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-18-2006
Sun, 06-24-2007 - 10:15am

Hey Andrea, I'm making this for dinner if the weather stays cool and rainy. Do you have any idea what fraction of this recipe makes a grain serving, what with the noodles and bulgur? Also, do you have any comments or changes that you would suggest? Thanks for posting the recipes!

Deb

 
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-05-2006
Mon, 06-25-2007 - 9:42am

Oh no Deb! I am sorry that I didn't get to this until today! I wasn't online much yesterday at all.

I am not sure about the grain servings on this one.

Some of the changes I am going to do when I make this again is:
Add some beef or chicken stock to the hamurger so it isn't too dry.

I noticed that the bulgar sucked up most of the juices so I might add a bit of the stock to it for more flavor. I think I would add more seasonings too, but I usually follow it the first time to see. If you made it and have ideas too, let me know :)

~andrea

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-18-2006
Mon, 06-25-2007 - 1:29pm

Andrea, I'm not sure there's that much I would change. I was too conservative with the salt and pepper, and I did use a whole pound of beef because it was at that use-it-or-lose it stage. I also had everything in the skillet before I realized I needed a lid and I don't have one for that skillet. It turned out well anyway. Beef broth would probably be a good addition. Otherwise I am not sure what seasonings I would add. Thyme, maybe.

As a wild guess I'd say 8 grain servings for the batch, but that is absolutely a wild guess. I thought it was good and "homey" tasting, but dh liked it a LOT, and he's really picky. I'll definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Deb

PS: I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you today!

 
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-05-2006
Mon, 06-25-2007 - 2:01pm

That is awesome that your DH liked it! I know it has been sometimes hard to find meals that he really enjoys. Glad you tried it :)

BTW, I called the woman who would be hiring me to follow up. I guess they are on 'waiting' on Administration before the job can be offered. She said to expect to hear back from her either tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. I am sure I will be a zombie by that point from lack of sleep ;)

I promise to keep you posted though. Thanks for thinking of me! ~andrea