Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 2

Cook the beef, the onion, and the garlic together in a large deep skillet until no pink remains, about 5-7 minutes.

Step 3

Drain the fat.

Step 4

Break up the canned whole tomatoes with a spoon or with your clean hands.

Step 5

Add the broken-up tomatoes, the pasta sauce, the sugar, and the Italian seasoning to the beef mixture.

Step 6

Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Step 7

Stir in 1/2 of the parsley and taste for seasoning, adding the salt and the pepper as needed.

Step 8

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Step 9

Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to the package directions.

Step 10

Drain the pasta but do not rinse it.

Step 11

Mix the sour cream, the cottage cheese, the egg, the basil, the remaining parsley, and the parmesan in a small bowl.

Step 12

Add a thin layer of the meat sauce to the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan.

Step 13

Layer in 1/2 of the pasta and then all of the sour cream mixture.

Step 14

Layer in the remaining pasta and the remaining meat sauce.

Step 15

Top the casserole with the mozzarella cheese.

Step 16

Cover the casserole and bake for 15 minutes.

Step 17

Uncover the casserole and bake until golden and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.

Step 18

Rest the casserole for 5 minutes.

Step 19

Serve.