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Eight-layer Casserole

A casserole of noodles, ground beef, tomato sauce, cream cheese mixture, spinach, and cheddar cheese.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and basil are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,979 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Eight-layer Casserole

Oven350°F
Time45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Grease a 2‑qt casserole or a 2‑qt square baking dish; set aside.

  2. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.

  3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook beef until brown.

  4. Drain off fat.

  5. Stir tomato sauce, basil, sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper into skillet.

  6. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

  7. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

  8. In a medium mixing bowl beat together the sour cream and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

  9. Stir in milk and onion.

Layer and bake

  1. In prepared casserole or baking dish, layer half of the noodles (about 2 cups), half of the meat mixture (about 1½ cups), half of the cream cheese mixture (about 1 cup), and all of the spinach.

  2. Top with the remaining meat mixture and noodles.

  3. Cover and chill remaining cream cheese mixture until needed.

  4. Cover casserole or baking dish with lightly greased foil.

  5. Bake in 350°F oven about 45 minutes or until heated through.

  6. Uncover; spread with remaining cream cheese mixture.

  7. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.

  8. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

  9. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

844Calories
63 gProtein
43 gFat
51 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 14 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Dairynot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,979 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Basil + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,805 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Basil + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  5. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Dried noodles
Form the starchy layers that give the casserole its body and structure.
Ground beef
Provides the savory, browned meat base that carries the dish's flavor.
Tomato sauce
Adds moisture and acidity that keep the meat layer saucy and tender.
Cream cheese
Gives a smooth, rich, creamy layer that softens and sets as it heats.
Sour cream
Adds tang and creaminess to the cheese layer while keeping it moist.
Cheddar cheese
Melts over the top to form a golden, savory crust.

The step that matters

Let the cream cheese mixture be fully smooth before layering. Beating softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth prevents lumps, so the layer bakes into an even, creamy texture rather than a grainy one.

Swap the basil

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, tomato, sauce, sugar, garlic, pepper, cream):

  1. Oreganofits about as well
  2. Cuminfits about as well
  3. Celeryfits about as well
  4. Basilthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, tomato, sauce, sugar, garlic, pepper, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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