I am so thrilled to share this recipe with you. It comes by way of my mom, who was sent it years ago by my Aunt Ellen. The original recipe comes from Aunt Ellen’s aunt (my great-aunt) Mary Louise. This is so special, because I remember her well. I remember going to her house and the large jar of seasoned oyster crackers we were allowed to help ourselves to. And I remember rolling down the giant hill in her backyard.

I love to think about my aunts, and how wonderful they are with my children. I am fully confident my three little people will have memories with their great-aunts the way I was able to make them with mine.

Mom and I made a triple batch last week and I am so glad we did! It’s the perfect meal to take to a new mom/homeowner/friend in need with a side salad and candy jar. It’s a winner with the kids as well. You can make any size casserole dishes you like. Perfect for a crowd! Hope you enjoy it.

Aunt Mary Louise’s Noodle Pie

Yields: one 13 x 9 casserole dish

Time to assemble: 30-45 minutes, depending on how well you are at multi-tasking 😉

Time to cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes (Aunt ML says to squeeze them with your hands to break them up and peel away any tomato skins left in the can)
• 1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or venison
• 1 (8 oz.) bag egg noodles
• 12 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 onions (divided), chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbs yellow mustard
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 2-4 tbsp butter

To Make:

1. Brown the beef with one of the onions until the onion is translucent and the beef cooked through
2. Meanwhile, start the water boiling for the pasta
3. Drain the beef and season with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper (**for the record, Aunt ML says to season to taste on all of those so add more if you want more)
4. Cook the tomatoes with the other onion, butter, and sugar for approx. 15 minutes (longer if you double or triple the recipe, since the onions will take longer to cook); you truly can’t hurt it by cooking it too long
5. While the tomatoes are cooking, go ahead and boil the egg noodles
6. Once the tomatoes are done cooking, assemble your casseroles!
7. Mix the noodles, ground beef, and tomatoes together in a very large bowl or pot and incorporate half of the shredded cheese
8. transfer to your desired casserole dishes and top with the remaining cheese
9. bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, until hot and bubbly!

NOTES:

A) This dish freezes perfectly. Allow to cool then cover with one layer of glad press n’ seal and a second layer of foil (can do a double layer of foil if no plastic wrap) to prevent freezer burn. 

B) Aunt Mary Louise says you can add a can of V8 to the tomato step if it doesn’t appear juicy enough

C) If baking from frozen, bake covered for 30 minutes (or longer if it’s a rock solid casserole), then uncovered an additional 20-30 minutes

Below is the original email my Aunt Ellen on my dad’s side sent to my Aunt Ellen on my mom’s side. I love how unspecific it is!