Best Casserole Ever

So, a few posts ago I posted recipes for some classic Mennonite foods.  Though delicious, making the traditional recipes can sometimes take more time and effort than the average person has to put into an evening meal.  That's where casseroles come into the picture.  One of my favorite meals ever is Verenike Casserole - the casserole version of cottage cheese dumplings with ham and cream gravy.  These are also excellent with some fresh zwieback on the side - there's no substitute for those!

Verenike Casserole

Ingredients

10 oz. wide egg noodles, cooked & drained

12 oz. cottage cheese

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. flour

1 1/2 Tbsp. shortening

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 cup ham, browned & cubed

Directions

1. Spread noddles in a 9"x13" glass baking dish.

2. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper. Spread over noodles.

3. Spread sour cream over the cottage cheese layer.

4. Whisk together flour, shortening, and half-and-half in a skillet until thickened.

5. Add ham.  Pour over casserole.

6. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

My Notes: When I'm making this casserole for myself, I sub in chopped deli ham (which I already have on hand) for the ham cubes - as seen in the photo. This casserole also freezes well.