Noodles Riviera

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound extra lean ground beef

½ teaspoon ground dried thyme

1 (1.5 ounce) envelope spaghetti sauce seasoning mix

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

3 cups water

salt and black pepper to taste

1 (8 ounce) package egg noodles

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease, then stir in the thyme, spaghetti sauce mix, tomato paste, and water; season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

While the meat is simmering, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the egg noodles, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

Mix the cream cheese with the parsley and Parmesan cheese in a bowl until the cream cheese is no longer lumpy. Stir in the sour cream and 3/4 of the shredded mozzarella until evenly combined. Pour half of the drained egg noodles into the prepared baking dish, followed by half of the meat sauce. Spread half of the sour cream mixture over the meat sauce. Repeat the layers with the remaining egg noodles, meat sauce, and sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until the mozzarella cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 35 minutes.