A family favorite

Jordan fixed a family favorite for supper, something we all Doris’ Casserole. In the late ‘60s, my then-husband was a surgical resident, and one night another resident and his wife invited a bunch of us for dinner. Her name was Doris, and she served a wonderful beef casserole. We all got the recipe, and my family called it Doris’ Cassrole. I saw Doris years later, when we’d gone different directions, and she didn’t even remember it. Another friend who was there that night calls it American Lasagna.

Everyone in my family loves it—except Megan, who does not eat sour cream or cream cheese. Colin often requests it for his birthday, and I swear Jordan courted Christian by serving it to him. I gave the recipe to a family friend, who insisted I had it upside down—the noodle layer, she said, goes on the bottom. It doesn’t.

Doris Casserole

First layer:

1 lb. ground beef

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press

2 tsp each sugar and salt (I cut back on those but sugar is important in tomato-based sauces—my mom taught me years ago it sort of rounds it off.)

Pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain grease and return to skillet. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, until it thickens a little.

Spread in a 9 x 13 pan.

For noodle layer:

5 oz. (approximately—they don’t come in this size pkg.) egg noodles

3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (here again, you have to fudge; cream cheese doesn’t come in 3 oz. pkg. anymore)

1 c. sour cream

6 green onions chopped, with some of the tops included

Topping:

!-1/2 c. grated cheddar

Cook egg noodles and drain. While the noodles are hot, stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Spread over meat mixture. Top with grated cheddar, bake 35 minutes at 350 or until bubbly and cheese is slightly browned.

Leftovers, if any, freeze well.

she said, goes on the bottom. It doesn’t.