Noodles Czarina Casserole

This noodle casserole gets its creamy sauce from an unexpected source: non-fat milk powder dissolved in water and thickened with cornstarch. No butter-laden roux, no heavy cream. The result is a lighter cheese sauce that still bakes up rich and bubbly with a hint of tang from the lemon juice and mustard.

Cottage cheese melts into the sauce during baking, creating pockets of creamy texture throughout the noodles. The reduced-fat cheddar adds sharpness and that familiar stretchy, golden quality on top. Dijon mustard is a classic cheese sauce trick: it amplifies the cheesy flavor without adding a strong mustard taste.

Bringing the milk mixture slowly to a boil while stirring constantly is the step that activates the cornstarch. Rush it or stop stirring and you’ll get lumps or a sauce that never thickens properly. Once it thickens, fold in the cheeses and lemon juice quickly so everything melts evenly before mixing with the cooked noodles.

Pro Tips

• Use wide egg noodles for the best sauce-to-pasta ratio. Their ruffled edges catch and hold the cheese sauce.
• The lemon juice might seem odd, but it brightens the whole dish and keeps the cheese sauce from tasting flat. Don’t skip it.
• Let the casserole rest for five minutes after baking before serving. The sauce thickens as it cools slightly and won’t run off the spoon.

Variations

• Broccoli addition: Fold in steamed broccoli florets before baking for a more complete one-dish meal.
• Sharp cheddar upgrade: Use full-fat sharp cheddar if you’re not watching the fat content. The flavor is noticeably bolder.