There is no tomato in this noodle bake. The sauce is simply sour cream loosened with milk and a little salt, which stays creamy and white around the wide egg noodles.
Lean ground beef is browned with finely diced white onion, then everything is tossed together, covered in cheddar and baked until the top turns deep golden brown.
What Makes Up the Creamy Sauce
The white sauce is only three things, stirred together cold.
- Sour cream1 1/2 cups
- Whole milk1/2 cup
Half a teaspoon of salt goes in with them; the beef carries the rest of the seasoning.
Ingredient Notes
- Wide egg noodles
- Twelve ounces of the broad ribbon kind, cooked a minute or two short.
- Sour cream
- A cup and a half forms the whole sauce with half a cup of milk.
- Salt, divided
- Half a teaspoon seasons the beef and half goes into the sour cream mixture.
How to Make It
Oven heated, noodles cooked
Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cook the egg noodles until just shy of tender and drain.
Beef and onion browned to 160°F
Brown the beef and white onion in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the beef into small crumbles, until it reaches 160°F. Drain the fat and season with 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Sour cream sauce tossed through
Stir the sour cream, milk and remaining 1/2 tsp salt together, then toss with the noodles and beef.
Spread and covered in cheddar
Spread the mixture in the baking dish and cover it with the cheddar.
Baked until deeply browned
Bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and deeply browned on top, then scatter the green onions over before serving.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the noodles just shy of tender lets them absorb some of the sour cream sauce in the oven without going soft.
- Browning the beef in small crumbles spreads it evenly through every forkful of noodles.
- Thinning the sour cream with milk keeps the sauce from turning thick and pasty as it bakes.
Success Tips
- Drain the beef fat thoroughly before adding the sour cream so the noodle bake does not turn oily.
- Let the browned beef cool for a couple of minutes before tossing so the sour cream does not split.
- Bake the noodle dish on the middle rack so the cheddar browns deeply without the bottom drying out.
Serving Ideas
Scoop generous portions so each one has the browned cheddar crust and plenty of fresh green onion on top.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate leftovers covered and reheat until hot throughout; a splash of milk keeps the noodles creamy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a tomato sauce layer?
No. The sauce is sour cream and milk, so the bake stays creamy and white under the cheddar.
How far should the beef be cooked?
Brown it to 160°F before it is mixed with the noodles, then drain the fat.
