War and Peace Casserole

This casserole is one my mother has been making for years. It originally came from the Grinnell General Hospital’s Auxiliary Cookbook and was so named because it could be made to eat during all the evenings that it took to show the movie War and Peace on television...that was before VCR’s!

1 10-12-oz. package of bow tie or butterfly shaped noodles, cooked and warm
2 cups of sour cream
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Meat Sauce (se below)

Meat Sauce

1/2 - 1 lb. of Pork Sausage (I’ve just been using Jimmy Dean Regular Seasoning)
1-1.5 lbs. of lean ground beef
1 large onion chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 cup of dry red wine
1/2 cup of water
1/4+ tsp each of rosemary, basil, marjoram, oregano, savory leaves black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Crumble meat; cook until pinkness is gone. Add onions and garlic. Cook until soft, not brown, Add tomato sauce and paste, liquids and seasonings. Reduce to simmer- cook slowly, uncovered about 30 minutes. Makes 6 cups. Assemble in a 5-quart container. Mix meat and warm pasta. Let cool. Spread half of meat mixture on bottom of a 3qt. casserole. Then half the sour cream, then half of the Parmesan. Repeat layer. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Bake lightly covered at 375 for 4o minutes until heated through. Serves ten.