My Favorite Freezer Meal

Four years ago my husband and I were blessed with the adoption of our son Jack when he was just 3 days old. Three months later we found out we were pregnant with our daughter Lucy. They are just 11 months apart which made for a very busy beginning to motherhood! I discovered the art of making freezer meals. I even joined a freezer meal swap group. There were 10 families involved and each family made 10 of the same meal. Once a month the girls would get together at someone's house and we would enjoy snacks and swap meals. We came away with 10 different meals for the month! This was a huge relief for me once I had my daughter. Freezer meals were now a part of my normal monthly routine! 
As many of you know I am a HUGE fan of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. She has so many great ideas for freezer meals but there is one meal she makes that is my absolute favorite. It's not healthy but it is the epitome of comfort food in one dish! I am talking about none other than Sour Cream Noodle Bake. While the name doesn't sound as appetizing as I would like the dish is absolutely amazing! I recently made this freezer meal for some friends of ours. She was put on bed rest for the next 8 weeks and her husband isn't a cook. They both loved the dish and the best part was they had the option to freeze it until they needed it or to cook it immediately. 
Freezer meals are something I usually start in August (making 3-5 a month) and I continue this trend through March or so. For our family freezer meals are best for fall when my husband works 12 hour days, 7 days a week for 4 months at the Libby Pumpkin plant. There are those days when I just am exhausted from the kiddos and have no desire to cook. Then once winter hits it's nice to have freezer meals available for my family in case I get sick which happens during the winter months. Most of the meals are no-brainers to cook. Usually my husband will have to thaw out the crock-pot meal (many of which he could just dump in frozen) and turn on the crock-pot. It's that easy!! A few of the meals like the Sour Cream Noodle Bake is one where you just have to thaw out and then put into the oven to bake. It's a complete meal in itself, but we typically add a side of vegetables or a side salad. Enjoy the deliciousness!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake 

PREP TIME:

10 Minutes

DIFFICULTY:

Easy

COOK TIME:

20 Minutes

SERVINGS:

8 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir. 

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted. 

Serve with crusty French bread.

Recipe found at http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sour-cream-noodle-bake/