The Best Beef and Noodles (Oven or Crock Pot)

This homemade beef and noodles recipe will be most welcome on chilly nights. Tender beef and flavor packed egg noodles make a hearty and comforting dinner idea!

Make sure to try my super popular Chicken and Noodles Recipe as well!

Old Fashioned Beef And Noodles

My Beef and Noodles recipe is pure comfort food. Hearty, and flavor-packed, this dish will feed a crowd, but is easily cut in half to feed a smaller family too! It’s a great alternative to beef stew, when you want that warm and cozy dish, but like to switch things up. Plus, this is very versatile and can me adapted in many ways to suit you personal taste!

Why this Recipe Works

This recipe works for a number of reasons. Let me explain:

1. As long as you cook the meat long enough to be fork tender you won’t be disappointed! 
2. There is the perfect amount of liquid in this dish for the noodles to absorb, which adds so much flavor to the noodles as opposed to boiling them in water. 
3. As you boil the noodles in the broth with the meat, the starches from the noodles helps to thicken up the sauce/gravy. No need to add corn starch or create a slurry!

Beef and Noodles Ingredients:

The full ingredient list with amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!

• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• Chuck roast. I try and trim my chuck roast of all the excess fat I can without going too crazy. The marbled fat adds tenderness and flavor, but any large chunks of fat should to be trimmed.
• Olive oil
• Large diced carrots. Make sure not to dice them too small, so they don’t mush up as they cook!
• Diced onion 
• Minced garlic
• Tomato paste
• Beef stock or beef broth
• Water
• Fresh thyme. You can also used dried thyme if that’s what you have on-hand. 
• Dried Bay leaves
• Frozen peas
• Egg noodles

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Season the trimmed chuck roast with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat a large (5 – 7 quart) oven-safe brainer or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with the olive oil. Once hot, place the chick roast in the pan and brown evenly, 2 minutes on each side. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
4. Turn the heat down to medium and add in the carrots and onion and cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. 
5. Stir in the tomato paste, coating the vegetables, then add in the beef stock, water, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the beef and bay leaves into the liquid. 
6. Cover the pot and place in the oven for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, until the meat is fork tender. Remove the pot from the oven. 
7. Shred the meat, you can either do this in the pan or remove the meat from the pan, whichever is easier. 
8. Place the pot back onto a burner and bring the liquid up to a boil over medium heat. Add the noodles into the pot and simmer until tender, 10 – 12 minutes. 

Recipe Notes and Helpful Tips:

• What size pan to use: I LOVE using my 5- quart Braiser for this recipe. It is deep enough that I don’t have to worry about spilling, but it’s wide enough that I can nestle all of the beef chunks in the liquid to cook. If you don’t have a pan like that use the largest Dutch oven you have! The more surface area, the better! This will save you time browning the meat.
• What size chunks should you cut the meat in? i cut mine into large chunks varying between 3 – 5 inches. The smaller the chunks, the faster the meat will cook. 
• What If the Liquid absorbs too fast? If you have gotten to the step where you cook your noodles in the flavorful broth, but notice that your noodles are completely cooked and there isn’t a lot of liquid left, no problem. Just add a little more water or broth to the pan!

What To Serve With Beef and Noodles:

This is one of those classic on-pot dishes that include veggies, protein, and carbs. So basically a balanced meal all in one. BUT there are tons of options you can serve along side if you would like! Here are a few ideas:

• Salad. This is a simple option that can round out this comforting dish. A simple side salad, or a Caesar salad would be fantastic!
• A green veggie. Green beans would be a great side dish!
• Crusty bread. Does anything beat a piece of crusty bread and butter on the side of comfort food?

Tips + Tricks

1. Make sure you brown the meat! Don’t skip this step, as it adds tons of flavor!
2. When you add your noodles, make sure that that all of the noodles are submerged in the liquid, so they cook evenly!
3. If you don’t have a Dutch oven or braising pan, you can use a deep-sided ,oven-safe, large skillet. 
4. This dish makes a large portion, and it can easily be cut in half to serve 4.

Variations, Substitutes, + Additions:

Meat Substitutes:

If you can’t find chuck roast (aka blade roast) you have a few other options that will work great! 

• Short Ribs
• Brisket
• Bottom Round
• Tri tip roast
• Top Round

What Else Can You Add?

This recipe works well with different variations! Here are few ideas:

• Add red wine. Sub out half of the stock for red wine. 
• Make it creamy: when the noodles are done cooking, add in 1/4 cup (ish) of heavy cream or sour cream and stir! This will add a silky, creamy richness to the dish! You could even add in a can of cream of mushroom soup into the dish to really amp up the creaminess, although this will add more sodium to the dish, which isn’t necessary. If you plan on adding the condensed soup make sure you use low sodium!
• Add in mixed vegetables. Instead of the frozen peas, you can use mixed vegetables. This will add a few more carrots, but it will also add in lima beans, cut green beans, and corn! You could even add frozen broccoli if you would like!
• Less noodles: If you prefer a soupy version of beef and noodles you can cut the amount of noodles in half, which will leave more broth. Perfect if you like to dip your crusty bread!
• Other noodles. Egg noodles are a traditional option, but you can really sub in any type of noodle!
• Mushrooms are a great option to add into beef and noodles! Add them when you cook the onion and carrots!
• Cut the sodium: If you watch your salt intake make sure to use a low sodium, or sodium free beef broth.
• Garnish options: Fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, or chopped chives make a nice garnish to serve!

How To Make This In the Crock Pot

If you would like to make this in the slow cooker, you can. You will need to do some steps ahead, however! Here’s what I recommend:

1. Follow the instructions from step 2 – 4. 
2. Transfer the meat and cooked vegetables to your Crock Pot.
3. Add in the tomato paste, beef stock, water, and thyme. Cook on high for 4 hours, until the meat is tender. 
4. Shred the meat in the Crock Pot.
5. Add the noodles into the Crock Pot and cook for 20 – 30 minutes until the noodles are tender.

Reheat + Storage + Freezing Tips

• Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• To reheat a portion simply heat in the microwave for 1 – 2 minutes until warmed.
• To reheat a large amount, place in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and heat for 10 – 15 minutes until warmed through.
• To freeze: Place in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for up to 30 days for best freshness.
• Thaw from frozen: Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat as stated above.

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