Ole! Mexican Noodle Bake - ground beef

Method

• SET oven rack in center position; PREHEAT oven to 350°F ; SPRAY a 13 x 9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside; GET all ingredients needed for recipe and place in work station; OPEN ingredient containers and have ready for when needed; BRING 3 quarts salted water to a boil.
• BROWN 1 lb. lean ground beef in a skillet over medium heat.
• COOK one 12 ounce package extra-wide egg noodles in rapidly boiling salted water until just slightly al dente; DRAIN noodles well without rinsing; RETURN noodles into the same cooking pot without heat; GENTLY stir in the remaining CREAMY-CHEESY NOODLES ingredients (one 16 ounce container sour cream, one 16 ounce container small curd cottage cheese, one 7 ounce can diced green chilies, and 1 tablespoon chives or snipped green onion tops; MIX gently until thoroughly blended.
• DRAIN ground beef when browned; RETURN skillet over medium heat; DRAIN one (10 ounce) can Ro-Tel brand diced tomatoes and green chiles; STIR in Ro-Tel, one 6 ounce can sliced olives (reserve 12 slices for the GARNISH), and one (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (or prepare my Recipe #364778 as instructed); SIMMER for 10 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed; REMOVE from heat.
• ADD 1/3 of the CREAMY-CHEESY NOODLES mixture into the bottom of greased baking dish.
• SPREAD 1/3 of the SEASONED GROUND BEEF mixture evenly in baking dish over the CREAMY-CHEESY NOODLES.
• SPRINKLE 1/3 of the MEXICAN BLEND CHEESE evenly over the SEASONED GROUND BEEF mixture.
• REPEAT layers in the same order and portions until all ingredients are used, finishing with the remaining MEXICAN BLEND CHEESE.
• GARNISH casserole with chives or sliced green onion tops and remaining 12 black olive slices.
• BAKE uncovered for 25 minutes at 350 F; ALLOW casserole to cool and set for 5-7 minutes before cutting and serving; SERVE; SNAP your fingers and shout,"OLE!".