Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and onion, breaking up the beef into crumbles, and cook until there is no pink left and the onion has softened, 8-10 minutes.
Add the garlic and stir it in until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
While the sauce is simmering, cook and drain the egg noodles per the package directions.
In a large bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until well combined.
Add the noodles to the bowl and stir so the noodles are coated.
Place half of the noodles into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Top with half of the sauce.
Top with half of the cheese.
Repeat with the noodles, sauce, and cheese. Place into the oven for 20 minutes until warmed through, and the cheese has melted, serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Other cheese that would be good, mozzarella, cheddar, swiss, gruyere, or pepper jack for a spicy twist
Use ground sausage, ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork in place of the beef.
You can use your favorite canned pasta sauce in place of the tomato sauce for an Italian twist. I would leave out additional salt if you do this.
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, freeze for up to 3 months.
If you can't use cottage cheese, you can use ricotta cheese but the texture won't be as creamy or moist. See my FAQ's above.