My husband grew up eating noodles with cottage cheese, and the dish is a perennial favorite at my house. It's cheap, filling, made with ingredients that are easy to find, and takes minutes to prepare. The dish also is incredibly good. Think of it as a Polish-inspired macaroni and cheese. The cottage cheese gives the dish a slight tang as well as creaminess. Bacon isn't necessary, but it adds a nice saltiness and smokiness. Traditionally, the dish is made with egg noodles, but as you can see from the photos, below, you can substitute other pasta. Just be aware that the various types and shapes of pasta will have different cooking times. Egg noodles, for example, will usually cook in about seven minutes. The spiral pasta in the photos takes 10-15 minutes to soften up. For this dish you do want the noodles fairly soft--not crunchy! You can dress up the dish with some fresh chopped chives, if you have them, or green onions. Noodles With Cottage Cheese and Bacon make a great main dish or a hearty side dish, if you'd like to serve them alongside something else. The noodles, if you have any left, also make great lunches. Enjoy!
Noodles With Cottage Cheese and Bacon -- Serves 4
2-3 teaspoons of canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
3 cups of hot water
8 ounces of egg noodles or other medium-sized pasta
8 ounces (1 cup) of cottage cheese (I use low-fat)
2-3 tablespoon of bacon crumbles (from a bag is fine)
2-3 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives or green onions
A little milk, if necessary
In a large chef's pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute it for about 5 minutes or until it begins to soften. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and add the hot water to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the noodles. Stir the noodle mixture, partially cover the pan, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the mixture cook until the noodles are almost soft and have absorbed all but about a cup to a cup and a half of the liquid in the pan (usually about 8-15 minutes, depending on the type of noodles you use). Uncover the pan and gently stir in the cottage cheese and bacon crumbles. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes until the cottage cheese melts into the noodles and most of the liquid is gone. Stir in the chives or green onions and a little milk if you want a softer, more liquid sauce.
