Beef and Noodles In Slow Cooker

Beef and Noodles In Slow Cooker: This slow cooker beef and noodles dish is a warm hug in a bowl. It only needs four simple things to make, but it always makes people feel cared for. When I was a kid growing up in a small Midwest town, my mom cooked this a lot. It was cheap, easy, and used stuff we already had at home. Plus, it always filled up everyone at the table!

This cozy slow cooker beef and noodles recipe turns simple pantry items into a rich, hearty meal the whole family will love. Tender beef chunks simmer for hours in savory gravy until they’re fall-apart soft, then soft egg noodles soak up all that flavor. It’s easy comfort food made with just four ingredients!

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of beef stew meat or chuck roast, cut into big pieces (1 to 2 inches)
• 2 (10.5-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 (0.87- to 1-ounce) packets brown gravy mix
• 12 ounces of wide egg noodles (about 6 cups, uncooked)

Beef and Noodles In Slow Cooker: Directions

1. Add the beef to the slow cooker. Put the beef chunks in the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Spread them out in one even layer so every piece cooks the same way.
2. Mix the gravy. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup and both packets of brown gravy mix. Stir until it’s smooth with no lumps. Don’t add any water yet — the beef will let out its own juices while it cooks, and that will thin the gravy out perfectly on its own.
3. Pour the gravy over the beef. Pour the soup and gravy mix on top of the beef in the slow cooker. Use a spatula to scrape all the food out of the bowl, so nothing goes to waste. Stir gently just to coat the meat, but try to keep the beef mostly in one layer so it cooks nice and evenly.
4. Cook low and slow. Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook it on LOW flame for 7 -8 hours, or on HIGH heat for 4 to 5 hrs. It’s done when the beef is very soft and breaks apart easily when you pull it with a fork. The gravy should look shiny and dark brown from all the beef juices.
5. Break up the beef. About 30 minutes before you plan to eat, check on the beef. If there are big chunks left, use a fork to break them into smaller, bite-size pieces right in the slow cooker. Stir the pieces back into the gravy.
6. Add the noodles. Pour the dry egg noodles right into the slow cooker. Stir them down into the hot gravy and beef so they’re mostly covered by liquid. If it looks too thick to cover the noodles, add 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water, a little bit at a time, until the noodles are just barely covered. Give it a good stir.
7. Cook the noodles. Put the lid back on and cook it on HIGH about 20 -30 minutes. Stir once or twice while it cooks. The noodles are done when they’re soft but not mushy, and coated all over in that rich brown gravy with beef mixed throughout.
8. Taste and serve. Once the noodles are cooked just how you like them, give the dish a taste. Most families don’t need extra salt since the gravy mix is already salty enough. Serve it hot, straight from the slow cooker, and make sure every bowl gets plenty of beef, noodles, and gravy.