Preacher's Delight

This casserole is from the book Cook's Country Best Lost Suppers and it is delicious! I cut this recipe in half, but I will post it here in all it's full ingredient glory. It says it serves 6-8, but I think it would be more like 8-10. Like I said, I only made half and my husband and I each had 2 helpings and we had half the casserole left! Maybe we eat little portions?

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PREACHER'S DELIGHT
1 - 12oz. pkg. egg noodles
salt
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 - 15oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 - 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 baking dish; set aside. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add noodles and 1 tbsp. salt; cook, stirring often, until just shy of al dente. Drain noodles; set aside.
Wipe pot dry. Add oil to pot; return to medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (5-7 minutes). Add beef; increase heat to medium high and cook, breaking up any large clumps with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink (about 5 minutes). Stir in tomato sauce, sugar, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper. Bring to simmer; set aside off heat.
Mix cream cheese and sour cream together in a bowl. Spread half of meat sauce over bottom of prepared baking dish. Scatter noodles over sauce in an even layer. Drop dollops of cream cheese mixture on top of noodles; spread mixture into even thickness. Spoon remaining meat sauce over cream cheese mixture, sprinkle evenly with cheese.
Place baking dish on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; bake until sauce is bubbling and top starts to brown, 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
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I used two separate pots for the meat and noodles (to cook simultaneously) so the meal was ready faster, and I also used more shredded cheese on top. We really liked this and the leftovers were fantastic - I will definitely make this again!

Awhile ago, my husband and I started a list of people we want to kick off the island. You know, people to who we would like to say "just go away, already" and it includes Paris Hilton, Heidi & Spencer Pratt, Rod Blagojevich, Drew Peterson, Kelly Ripa, Madonna, John Mayer, the entire cast of The Hills, Puff Daddy or P.Diddy or whatever he is calling himself these days, The Olsen twins, Miley Cyrus, The Kardashians, and Justin Timberlake. Today I would like to add Russell Brand and the entire cast of Jersey Shore. Who would you add to the list?

Happy eating!