Casserole Marie Blanche is a creamy baked noodle side dish of egg noodles tossed with full-fat cottage cheese, sour cream and fresh chives, dotted with butter and baked until the top turns golden at the edges. It has no meat, no tomato and no cheddar, just four main ingredients plus salt, pepper and butter. It is the casserole linked to Jackie Kennedy, serves 6 and takes 40 minutes.
How to make it: Cook a pound of egg noodles until just tender and drain them well. Stir them together with the cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper and chives, spread them in a buttered dish, scatter small pieces of butter over the top and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until the noodles begin to brown and the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Four main ingredients: egg noodles, cottage cheese, sour cream and chives.
- Creamy, a little tangy: the cottage cheese melts down in the oven to something close to ricotta.
- Golden top: pats of butter brown the noodles on top and around the edges.
- An easy side: it goes with roast chicken, ham, pork chops, pot roast or salmon.
Ingredient Notes
Egg noodles: One pound, cooked in salted boiling water only until just tender, then drained well.
Cottage cheese: 1 1/2 cups of full-fat cottage cheese. Small-curd gives the best texture. Low-fat cottage cheese works, but the casserole won’t be as creamy.
Sour cream: 1 1/2 cups, for the tang and the creamy sauce.
Chives: 1/3 cup of fresh chives, chopped. Other fresh herbs work too.
Seasoning and butter: 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 tablespoon of butter, used both to grease the dish and to dot the top.
Ingredients
- 1 pound egg noodles
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat cottage cheese (small-curd)
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter, for the dish and the top
How to Make Casserole Marie Blanche
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 3-quart casserole dish or a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter.
2. Cook the noodles. Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package directions, until just tender. Drain them well so no extra water thins the sauce.
3. Mix. Combine the drained noodles with the cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper and chives. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter them over the top.
4. Bake. Bake until the noodles just begin to brown, about 30 minutes. The casserole should be hot and bubbling around the sides, with the center at 165°F on a food thermometer.
5. Let it stand. Let the casserole sit for a minute or two before serving, so it firms up enough to hold its shape on the plate. Serve it right away.
About the dish size: A 2-quart dish is often named for this casserole, but a full pound of cooked noodles plus 3 cups of cottage cheese and sour cream fills it past the rim. A 3-quart or 9×13-inch dish gives it room and more golden edges.
How to Keep It Creamy, Not Dry
With so few ingredients, small habits make the difference between creamy and dry:
| Do this | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Use full-fat cottage cheese | The fat keeps the casserole creamy; low-fat is noticeably less so |
| Choose small-curd cottage cheese | It gives the smoothest texture once it melts in the oven |
| Cook the noodles just until tender | They keep cooking in the oven |
| Drain the noodles well | Extra water thins the sauce |
| Dot the whole top with butter | It turns the top golden and a little crisp; without it the top tends to dry out |
| Serve it fresh | It is at its creamiest right out of the oven; leftovers tend to be a bit dry |
The Jackie Kennedy Story
Casserole Marie Blanche is known as Jackie Kennedy’s casserole. She is reported to have served it at a private White House dinner on March 15, 1961, for her sister Lee and her brother-in-law, Prince Radziwill. The story has never been confirmed, and the recipe has also been credited to other home cooks. No record says it was her favorite dish; it is simply the casserole most often tied to her name.
Variations
- Onion instead of chives: sauté a chopped onion and stir it in.
- Green vegetables: add cooked broccoli, asparagus or other green vegetables.
- Mushrooms: sauté sliced mushrooms and stir them into the noodles.
- More flavor in the noodles: cook them in chicken stock instead of water.
- Seasoning: add garlic powder or onion powder, or sprinkle paprika over the top just before serving.
- Other herbs: use parsley or dill in place of the chives.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. USDA FSIS says to eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Reheat: Leftovers tend to dry out, so add a splash of milk, cover, and reheat to 165°F. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
Freezer: Freezing isn’t recommended for quality. Frozen leftovers stay safe, but sour cream and cottage cheese sauces don’t freeze well and can separate after thawing.
What to Serve With It
Serve it as a side with poultry, beef, pork, ham or fish: try slow cooker whole roast chicken, slow cooker pot roast with gravy, slow cooker ham steaks, smothered baked pork chops or baked honey lime garlic butter salmon. For a noodle bake with meat sauce and three cheeses, see million dollar spaghetti casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jackie Kennedy’s favorite casserole?
No record names a favorite. The casserole tied to her name is Casserole Marie Blanche, a baked egg noodle dish with cottage cheese, sour cream and chives that she is reported to have served at a private White House dinner in 1961.
How do I keep it creamy and not dry?
Use full-fat cottage cheese, drain the noodles well, dot the whole top with butter, and serve it fresh from the oven. When reheating, add a splash of milk and cover it.
Can I use low-fat cottage cheese?
Yes, but the casserole will be less creamy. Full-fat, small-curd cottage cheese gives the best texture.
Can I freeze Casserole Marie Blanche?
It isn’t recommended. It stays safe frozen, but the sour cream and cottage cheese can separate and turn grainy after thawing. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Final Notes
Cook the noodles just to tender, drain them well, and don’t skimp on the butter on top. Bake it while your main dish rests and it comes out right on time. If you make it, tell me in the comments what you served it with.
Casserole Marie Blanche
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Ingredients
- 1 pound egg noodles cooked in salted boiling water according to the package directions, then drained well
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat cottage cheese small-curd gives the best texture; low-fat is less creamy
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh chives chopped; other herbs also work
- 1 tablespoon butter to grease the dish and to scatter over the top in small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 3-quart casserole dish or a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
- Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package directions, until just tender. Drain them well so no extra water thins the sauce.
- Combine the drained noodles with the cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper and chives. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter them over the top.
- Bake until the noodles just begin to brown, about 30 minutes. The casserole should be hot and bubbling around the sides, with the center at 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Let the casserole sit for a minute or two before serving, so it firms up enough to hold its shape on the plate. Serve it right away.
