Cheesy vegetable noodle casserole
Egg noodles and mixed vegetables in a creamy cheddar sauce under a buttery cracker crust, the old-fashioned casserole that tastes like being taken care of.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $1.49 a serving
- 600 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 12 oz egg noodles
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 10.5 oz
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup butter crackers, crushed
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 600 calories, 22 g protein, 62 g carbs and 30 g fat, and costs about $1.49 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No egg noodles? Fettuccine or penne works.
- No frozen mixed vegetables? Frozen peas or frozen corn or frozen green beans work.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F. Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, cover and over high heat.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cook the noodles 2 minutes less than the package says, adding the frozen vegetables for the last 2 minutes. .
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 6 min
In the empty pot, the soup, milk, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Stir in 1½ cups cheddar, then the noodles and vegetables, and spread it all in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Scatter the rest of the cheddar on top.
the butter in a bowl in the microwave, about 30 seconds, then stir in the crushed crackers and sprinkle them over the casserole.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Crush the crackers in their sleeve with your hands. No bowl to wash.20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling and the top is .
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 22 min
Let it sit 5 minutes before serving.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: To freeze, cool the baked casserole, wrap it well, and freeze up to 3 months. Reheat covered at 350°F until hot.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
