Spaghetti With Disguised "Noodles"

No.  I'm not dead.  Sorry for the hiatus.  Here's a new entry.  Hope you like it. : )

Tofu.  The word ignites shear disgust and terror at my very core.  Whenever you mention this word all I can think of is the moldy tofu that once graced my TV screen on an episode of Anthony Bourdain.  I know what you are thinking in your mind and to answer you, yes he ate it.  However, what I'm about to tell you will blow your mind.  I ate tofu tonight and liked it!!  Don't run.  Don't hide.  I will tell you how you can enjoy tofu by using it as a substitution for noodles.  You have to trust me on this.  I am a picky eater when it comes to substitutions for my favorite carb-hearty foods.  A friend of mine who is a dietitian let me try Shirataki noodles (made out of tofu) one day and I couldn't believe it.  They were actually tasty.  Did I mention these suckers are basically low carb, already cooked, and gluten-free?  Triple win!!  I decided to take this new food friend on a journey with a commonly pinned Pinterest recipe that I made some changes to.  Success!!!! Below is the result of my adventure and I hope you enjoy!!  By the way, if you live in the KC area, you can find the noodles at the Price Chopper and Hy-Vee in Liberty.  I can't seem to find any over near my neck of the woods, but you might try health food stores.  They will be in the refrigerated section.  The noodles come in a packet of liquid (weird, yes).  This recipe has only 9 carbs per serving compared to 40 carbs in one cup of regular pasta (that's just the pasta, not even with the sauce- crazy!!)  Inspiration for Recipe Here

Creamy Spaghetti Casserole With Shirataki Noodles
Ingredients:

3 (7 or 8 oz) bags of Shirataki noodles *
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used 97/3 for this recipe)
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. sour cream
26 oz. jar pasta sauce
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In a skillet cook the ground beef on medium high heat until the meat is no longer pink.
2.  Add the green pepper, onion, and garlic and cook until onions are soft.
3. Add the jar of pasta sauce to the meat and veggies.
4.  Cook on low heat while you prepare the other parts to the recipe.

5. Mix together the cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
6. Rinse all the Shirataki noodles under running water (Don't be alarmed by the smell! This will go away when they cook! Promise!!)
7. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.
8. Layer 1/2 the noodles on the bottom of the pan.
9. Put 1/2 of the meat mixture on top of the noodles.
10.  Layer 1/2 the cheese mixture on top of the meat and then top with 1 c. of shredded mozzarella.
11. Repeat steps 8-10 once more.
12.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Makes 12 servings
*I used two bags of fettuccine Shirataki noodles and one Spaghetti shirataki noodle bag.  Feel free to use whatever kind you like.  I was just trying to use up my spaghetti one.
*Also, sorry for the terrible pictures.  Our good camera is non functional so I had to use my phone camera.  Awesome.