Crock Pot Beef and Noodles is inspired by a classic Midwestern dish. This one is so easy to make using chuck roast and egg noodles.
CROCK POT BEEF AND NOODLES
You learn a lot about the people who live there and it often tells you a lot about the history of the state – just with food! I recently went to Indiana to hang out with some awesome folks in agriculture and also enjoyed the food while I was there. And as you move up north, where a lot of Polish immigrants settled, you’ll see a lot of kielbasa and sauerkraut. But one item I didn’t know about was beef and noodles. Now, unfortunately I didn’t get to eat any of it while visiting but I noticed it on a menu at a diner we visited and I also noticed a lot of folks had apparently ordered the beef and noodle dish because it came out of the kitchen in a pretty heavy rotation.
RECIPES WITH EGG NOODLES
So I decided I would do a bit of researching on this dish when I got home. And I soon found out, like any other classic dish, it has about a thousand different variations. But the base of all the recipes were similar: slow cooked beef in a thick broth with egg noodles. I figured that I could work with that so I took my base for BEST BEEF STEW and just built on that. And I cooked it all in the crock pot, because hey, we all love crock pot recipes and I wanted that slow cooked, tender beef flavor. It turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:
(1) 2 lb. chuck roast
2-3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. steak seasoning
salt & pepper
1 medium onion, diced
4 cups water
4 heaping tsp. Better than Bouillon (concentrated beef stock)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 (12 oz.) bag Reames® frozen egg noodles (smaller bag)
1/2 cup heavy cream
STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS TO MAKE THIS MEAL:
Season both sides of chuck roast with steak seasoning and salt & pepper. Rub it in well.
In a large skillet over high heat, add vegetable oil. I’m just doing this right in my Ninja cooker since it has a sauce option.
Once oil is heated, add chuck roast. It should make a nice, loud sizzle when you put it in. Brown for about 2 minutes, then flip it over and brown the opposite side. Brown for a couple of minutes then turn off heat.
Transfer chuck roast to your 6 quart crock pot. Add in diced onion.
Cover crock pot and cook on low for about 6-8 hours. No additional liquid needs to be added.
After roast has cooked, pull it out and put it on a plate (leaving juices in the crockpot).
Begin shredding the beef, taking care to remove any excess fat bits. Place the shredded beef back into the crock pot.
In a bowl, whisk together the water, Better than Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic. Pour mixture into crock pot over beef.
Stir in bag of frozen egg noodles then cover crock pot and cook for an additional hour on low until noodles are fully cooked.
Optional: During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream. This just adds a bit of creaminess to mixture but is not absolutely necessary for good taste.
Enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
CROCK POT BBQ BEEF BRISKET
THE BEST CROCK POT BEEF DIPS
CROCK POT MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
THE BEST CROCK POT CHICKEN & NOODLES
CROCK POT PEPPER STEAK
INSTANT POT BEEF POT ROAST
CREAMY CHICKEN NOODLE STEW
CREAMY ITALIAN CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
EASY CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
CROCK POT MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF
CROCK POT BEEF AND NOODLES
Crock Pot Beef and Noodles is inspired by a classic Midwestern dish. This one is so easy to make using chuck roast and egg noodles.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 746kcal
Ingredients
- 1 2 lb chuck roast
- 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp steak seasoning
- salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cups water
- 4 tsp Better than Bouillon concentrated beef stock
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 12 oz bag frozen egg noodles like Reames (smaller bag)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream optional
Instructions
- Season both sides of chuck roast with steak seasoning and salt & pepper.
- Rub it in well.
- In a large skillet over high heat, add vegetable oil.
- Once oil is heated, add chuck roast. It should make a nice, loud sizzle when you put it in.
- Brown for about 2 minutes, then flip it over and brown the opposite side.
- Brown for a couple of minutes then turn off heat.
- Transfer chuck roast to your 6 quart crock pot.
- Add in diced onion.
- Cover crock pot and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
- No additional liquid needs to be added.
- After roast has cooked, pull it out and put it on a plate.
- Begin shredding the beef, taking care to remove any excess fat bits.
- Place the shredded beef back into the crock pot.
- In a bowl, whisk together the water, Better than Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic. Pour mixture into crock pot over beef.
- Stir in bag of frozen egg noodles.
- Stir then cover crock pot and cook for an additional hour on low until noodles are fully cooked.
Notes
Optional: During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add in 1/2 cup heavy cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 746kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 230mg | Sodium: 763mg | Potassium: 891mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 6mg
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Noodles, mashed potatoes and corn? Too many carbs at once. How about served with a nice salad or green vegetable? The recipe sounds good, especially in this cold weather. I'll try it this week.
No Midwesterner would ever serve Beef and Noodles any other way. Salad?…so not happening here in Indiana..
So true!
Exactly! I am from Illinois and we like carbs on top of our carbs with a side of carbs…and a nice dinner roll!
yes!!
100% true!!!! A salad on top of carbs on top of carbs and carbs wouldn’t be to bad, I don’t mind a little rabbit food along with my carbs. Gotta have carbs here in Illiana. For the frigid winters. This recipe is on point. I’ve never used heavy cream though, gonna try it with this recipe. My mouth is watering!
Lol so true!! Iowa gal here and YESSSSS we love our carbs! I added some red wine to the recipe, and it smells and tastes AMAZING!!! This recipe was so cheap too!! Bought all the ingredients at Aldi!
Hell yeah!
Illinoians love our carbs
Holla from Decatur
I tried this recipe and personally loved it. I’m from Indiana as well, love it over mashed potates and buttered bread for side. Awesome!
I do thick chicken noodle soup over mashed potatoes and everyone thinks I’m weird! Lol it’s The Hoosier in me ????
Made it today and it was amazing
We are in Nebraska. This will be served on top of extra rich mashed potatoes. Corn sounds like a great side for us, or maybe green bean casserole! What a perfect nice fall dinner!
Making this as I’m posting this review. Very sure that it’s gonna be excellent. I added some carrots and celery to the recipe for alittle xtra color. Served over mashed potatoes is a must! I’ll also make some cheesy garlic bread.
Well I’m going to give this recipe a try
Too many carbs? I don’t care. If you must watch your carb intake don’t eat this, or at least have it infrequently. But Beef & Noodles must be served over mashed potatoes, and a vegie side of corn or green beans (or green bean casserole). I was unaware that this was mostly an Indiana thing, but since I grew up here in Indiana I guess that explains how I fell in love with it.
Beef and noodles and chicken and noodles are always served with or on top of mashed potatoes.
That is the way it is served in Indiana! Very good. Our church serves chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes offered once a month at our church dinner. We have lots of other home cooked foods brought in too.
Grandma Sue from Central Indiana
Mouth-watering scrumptious-ness!! And yep..we Ohioians are among those who love it over mashed taters with a side of corn. Oh my!!!
Mom & Grandma both made this and we loved it! Ohio bred & corn fed!!
This looks about how I make mine. I have never used the onions and cream but would be willing to give it a try. I have always served this over mashed potatoes with a well in them to hold more noodles and corn is always our choice of a side. Most of my family have often stirred them together on their plate. Must be a midwest thing as I am in SE Ohio.
I am from Indiana and I agree with all of you……beef and noodles over mashed potatoes! Oh, and I love breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches!
This reminds me of something my mom would make. I can still smell it in the house when I came home from school!
I loved meeting Marybeth! It was a great time and SO informative. I learned so much!!
Well y'all have convinced me – next time I will serve over mashed potatoes. I have no qualms about eating ALL the carbs! LOL
This looks really good Brandi. My friend Marybeth was at that Indiana gathering too! Love your recipe and I am pinning it!
This plate is similar at the stragonof beef??
I am in Southern Indiana and maybe that is the difference but I have never eaten mashed potatoes with beef and noodles (not that I wouldn't like it though). This recipe sounds good and I am going to try it but I will have it with a green salad. When in Indiana again try a pork tenderloin sandwich in Batesville at Lil' Charlie's. Delicious, second only to Scotty's Brewhouse in Bloomington.
I've never seen frozen egg noodles before. How can I get around this?
Ii hope someone got back to you on this before now, but just in case, you should be able to get them at Walmart. I’m from Mn and can find them in every grocery store chain–usually by the frozen ravioli.
Should be in the freezer section in your grocery store. Ask a clerk. If you can’t find them you’ll have to make your own or used dry noodles which aren’t as good imo.
Is Better Than Bouillon the same as beef boullion granules?
Better than Bouillon is not the same as beef granules. It's actual stock that has been concentrated into a gel like paste. You usually find it on the top shelf where the broth and stock is found in your grocery store.
Rebecca-those frozen egg noodles can sometimes be hard to spot. Usually around the frozen bread I have found. Maybe check there. Hope that helps.
As long as you use a beef bouillon you should be ok.
I'm from Ohio and this is really close to what I could remember from my mom's recipe, but I'm using dry (not frozen) egg noodles. And of course I'm serving over mashed potatoes and a side of corn!
I too am from Ohio and loved growing up eating homemade noodles over mashed potatoes. My MN friends and family don't understand!
My grandmother made noodles from scratch. Thin sliced them on our kitchen table. AWESOME!
from Illinois…right across the state line….:) but know plenty of people who like it on mashed potatoes…but have always preferred my potatoes on the side….love a great breaded tenderloin tho!!!
Born and raised in Indiana where they are a staple here in the winter…with mashed potatoes and corn but I like to add cole slaw to the menu, something cool and creamy.
Does this freeze well
The Beef and Noidles freeze very well. I would not freeze the potatoes, however.
I freeze mashed potatoes all the time. Its just my husband and I and so I fix enough for 5 or6 meals, put them in microwave containers and freeze. When I need some I defrost a container if I think bout it in time, if not just nuke a little longer. Can’t tell the difference in fresh or frozen. Its a good way to use up potatoes before they go bad.
I'm from Michigan. My Grandmother used to make a similar dish and yes, we ate it over mashed potatoes! Yummy!
My Mom made this when I was kid. We always had this with mashed potatoes and peas. Mom made homemade noodles and just cooked it on the stove. YUMMMMM. I am from Nebraska.
Great memories from childhood usually involve something our mom made. Hope this brought back many wonderful memories for you.
Looks good, and I'm a Hoosier and have never had this, although I live north of the Indiana Mason Dixon Line which is about 40 miles south east of Chicago . I agree about the noodles, mashed potatoes, and corn as being too high in carbs. For those of us who have to watch carbs either noodles or mash, and no corn.
Why bother making it all all then? No offense intended .
I too agree that mashed potatoes, corn, and noodles have way too many carbs. This dish is excellent using just egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Forget the corn. I don’t know why you would want so much starch and carbohydrates. I’m originally from Michigan and don’t remember ever using both noodles and mashed potatoes.
I’m giving this a try. Although it probably won’t be as good as my Grandmas. It must be a Midwest thing served over mashed taters! Iowa raised & grown.
Hope it brings back many memories even though it is missing her love. Enjoy!
Got mine cooking right now and it smells amazing! Can’t wait to try! After reading the comments I am going to try it with some mashed potatoes!
I’m from Indiana & know this meal is a staple. I’ve tried to perfect my beef n noodles & this one nails it! When I made it I didn’t change anything except the liquid which I doubled & it was delicious. Just the recipe I’ve been looking for
My MIL is from Kansas (Germany) & she serves thus with homemade noodles and mashed potatoes as well… This from NE Arkansas… 🙂
The meat was wonderful, the juice was good.
I just tasted the noodles (15 minutes left) and they are really mushy . i’ve had Reames many times before and they were more firm, less slimy. Are they overcooked or undercooked?
Hi Stacy! I’m so sorry. They do actually sound overcooked if they’re mushy. It’s so difficult to judge these days with slow cooker cooking times. Some run hot and cook super fast and some run at a lower temp and need more time. Sorry it didn’t work out right for you!
Stacy after reading your comment I kept an eye on mine and found I only need to cook the noodles 15 minutes total.
I served mine with coleslaw.
I have this cooking in my crockpot right now. Yum! If all I have is beef bouillon cubes, how many cubes do you think I should use? 2?? Thanks!
I would maybe use 3 or 4 but you can add a little at a time and taste. You want a concentrated beef flavor. 🙂
Indiana grown and our sides were peas and applesauce!
Mmmmm – that sounds good to me!
Making this right now and it smells so good! Can’t wait to try the finished product
I’m from Nebraska. Yes over mashed potatoes and then corn. At 44 yrs old, it’s just for fun every great once in awhile! Hard not to add fresh parsley or anything like that! Anyone have a great home made Runza recipe???!!
Did we decide if you can use dry egg noodles? That’s all I have on hand!
Hi Kristine! I don’t see why not! Just watch the cooking time on them. The dry, thinner egg noodles won’t take as long to cook.
Can I add milk instead of cream?
Hello,
First, thanks for this instructional recipe. I was wondering about the bouillon. Can a person use beef stock liquid instead? Is this the same, better or not as good taste wise? And what about salt content? I know I can get the low sodium beef stock. Does anyone know the comparisons of this bouillon compared to the low sodium beef stock liquid, on average? Also, anyone know or speculate what the green herb is that’s sprinkled on top?
Thanks, and I as well grew up on this, many times for Sunday dinner, and it was always served over homemade mashed potatoes. Nothing better in cold icey winters, here in Illinois! It’s one of those meals that has come out of those days of being able to put a meal on the table with just the bare or basics: meat, eggs, flour, (and potatoes for a lot of us. ???? Then you can use the milk or cream in the broth as well as the taters). I’m sure this is one of those meals that has been served to families for centuries. The great thing is it’s one of those meals that seems like it fills your soul along with your tummy, no matter whether it’s made with only the absolute bare basics or the smallest of additions, like in this wonderful recipe. It’s that good! For me? No matter how it’s made, it always reminds me of family and that’s a good meal any day. ????????
One of my favorite meals. My son came from from college and he requested beef and noodles. My recipe is pretty similar to this one but I just cook it on top of the stove.. I always use reames noodles though….they are the best. I serve it over mashed potatoes with peas instead of corn. I like to have some fresh Italian bread too. Yes, it’s a lot of carbs but just work it off….you have to live life.
Can you cook this on high in the crock pot for half the time? Or will it not come out as good?
I made this on Sunday and my family LOVED IT!!! Thanks for the great recipe.
Delicious! This recipe is going to be a keeper! Thank you for all your yummy recipes. I’ve tried and loved many of them.
Thanks so much Tina!!
I am in the middle of making this. Roast is in crock as I am typing. Only thing that confused me is you have it that no added juices necessary when it was transferred to the crock. You don’t add any water here what so ever? I know the recipe lists 4 cups of water but it seems that is just being mixed with the beef stock stuff. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated! As I was confused I did put water in my crock with the roast.
I hope you got it figured out. I’m in the middle of making it also and added nothing as directed. guessing roast make a own juice as it cook? and then later adding liquid to make “sauce”. how did yours turn out?
The recipe is correct. No water is needed when cooking the roast. It will cook in its own juices. If you have a roast with not much fat on it, you could always add about 1/2-1 cup beef broth. The water that is added later is only needed for the noodles to cook in. Just make sure you are using the smaller (12 oz) bag of noodles – not the larger (26 oz) bag. That would be too many noodles and not enough water. Hope that helps!
Delicious! I used 3 lbs of stew meat. Seasoned with steak seasoning and a small diced onion. Cooked on low for 8 hrs. Added 4 cups of organic bone broth and 1 tsp. of better than bouillon (roasted beef flavor) and a few dashes of worcestershire sauce. Let that continue cooking, for about 30 minutes, then added the frozen egg noodles and let those cook on low an additional 90 minutes. Added fresh chopped parsley with 15 minutes to go…and the result was the best beef and noodles I have ever tasted. This made a lot with the 3 lbs of beef, but I have 3 containers, in my freezer, for later. Thank you, so much. This is now my go to for this entree!
Hi Stacey! Love how you made this recipe your own! Great job! And thanks for coming back to give your feedback 🙂
I only added a bit of habanero to kick it up a notch! Fantastic meal!!!
I’ve read some of these other comments about how great this recipe was, but I have to disagree. This was by far the worst rendition of Beef and Noodles I’ve ever had. We followed the recipe exactly as written, and the frozen noodles added at the end made the dish inedible. Additionally, no amount added cream would help the flavor. In the end we had to go get take out.
Hi!! Brandie I am in the process of making beef an noodles right now. When we were kids we had mashed patatos or a couple slices of home made bread under the beef and noodles. A slice of bread then noodles, then another slice of bread and then more noodles. There we’re 8 of us in our family who enjoyed beef an noodles once a month.
This recipe sounds great. We never put cream in it but I bet that would be good. However, you have to make the noodles from scratch. It’s not hard and it’s so much fun for the kids. They get flour every where.
If you wanted to use the large bag of noodles, would you just double the liquid mixture? I’m cooking for harvest and need to have plenty! ???? I’m having to help in the field more, so if this is “approved” by the fam it will be a huge blessing! Thanks!
This recipe is spot on. Thanks! In my opinion the cream is not optional.
Thanks Pat! And I totally agree! 🙂
Life long Hoosier foodie. This recipe is on point. I did it in the instant pot – pressure cooked the meat and onions for 1 hour. Combined everything but the cream and pressure cooked for 10 minutes. Added the cream and cooked on high slow cook setting for 15 minutes. Came out awesome.
I wish I would have read the comments before I added the noodles. It says an hour and when I chives after 30 minutes it was mush. I should have known it was too long. All tasted great until then so I’ll give this another shot at some point.
can i use a block of cream cheese instead of heavy cream?
Can half and half be used instead of heavy cream?
I made this for dinner today and it was delicious and easy. Perfect for a cold winter’s day.
I’m from Louisiana, home of gumbo, jambalya, and all things cajun, but my dad was from northeastern Kansas and this was one of his favorite meals. My grandmother taught me how to make the homemade egg noodles (which are best) for the dish one year during a visit up north and after that I made it for my dad every year for his birthday. It was always served over hot creamy mashed potatoes or it just didn’t taste right. He died in 2010 and I havent made it since. Thanks for reminding me about this old favorite, I think I’ll have to make a batch very soon.
I have 2lbs of stew meat I would like to use to make this. Should I add some liquid? I don’t know if stew meat will produce enough juices like a roast would. Thanks!
I was reading over the previous comments again and I saw you suggested adding some beef broth if the roast doesn’t have much fat so I’m definitely going to do that because I’m pretty sure my stew meat doesn’t have much fat on it.
I made this tonight- yummy! I substituted venison for the beef, and 1/2 and 1/2 for the cream, because that’s what I had on hand. And yes…. as a Hoosier I served it with mashed potatoes!
Yes! I love my Hoosiers! Ha! Love that you made it with what you had on hand!
Great recipe! Made a few changes for personal likes. Increased cooking time to 1 1/2 hours and on high after adding the frozen noodles. Could be that my crock is not as hot on low. Also added 1/4 cup of flour shaken in 1/2 cup of water as a thicker. Thanks for the recipe. And yes with mashed potatoes.
Thank you so very much Brad! I really appreciate you coming back and taking the time to review!
Hi I grew up in Ohio & my Mom made the best beef & noodles. She didn’t have a crock pot so beef was made in oven. She also rolled out homemade noodles. When noodles were added to beef broth she added a can of Campbell’s Golden Mushroom soup. It gave it an extra depth of flavor. We also put the noodles over mashed potatoes! Delicious! I miss my Mom & I do make this from time to time. I’ll try your recipe soon.
What a precious memory Delores!! Thank you for sharing with me. Sounds like you had one amazing Momma!!
I’m kind of newer at this. I made this last night and it was wonderful. Was I suppose to leave the juice from the beef and onions in the crockpot and to add the mixed liquids in as well ? Or empty crockpot and just add the new mixture in ?
Hi Graham – yes, just leave those yummy juices in the crock pot. 🙂
I made this and it came out really thin but still good.
Surprised my wife and 4 kids with this meal and it was a huge success! I started late so cooked meat on high for 3 hrs then low for 1 before adding the rest. Turned out way better than I expected! Plated with a bit of salty butter on rolls 🙂
Love hearing that! So awesome – thanks so much Trav!
I have made this recipe now more than once and always comes great on and so easy ! Made it again today.
Made this and it was absolutely delicious! However, once refrigerated and reheated on the stove the next day, it was wasn’t very soupy at all and more of just all stuck together. Any recommendations on getting it to its original consistency when reheating? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
I am planning on making this for my co workers and wanted to know If I could make it through the night / morning and then keep it on warm setting until lunch time without making the noodles soggy? Or what would you recommend?
Hi Kiersten! Ok, so here’s how you could do it. You can make the beef part ahead of time but not the noodles. The noodles will become a mushy mess. So you could boil the noodles and pretty much cook them until done. Then add them to your meat mixture maybe 30 minutes or so before serving so the noodles aren’t soggy. You can use regular egg noodles for this too.
Turned out great! Made it with a clearance $7 chuck roast and egg noodles. Turned on high after taking roast out and cooked for about 20 minutes.
My husband made this last week and it was one of the best Crock Pot recipes I’ve ever eaten. I am craving it on a regular basis! Thanks for sharing.
I think it is a Midwestern thing. I’m in Iowa and we always had it growing up. Now I notice it at restaurants and when it is offered at auctions, people line up to make sure they get it while there is still enough. If you served it with a salad, they would turn up their noses and say, “What? No corn?”
Beef roast, cut up celery, bay leaf, cut up onion, celery salt and cracked pepper. I don’t brown roast. Just simmer in 1 and 1/2 cups water until roast falls apart. Shred beef in large chunks. Remove bay leaf. Add package of good ol’ thick Indiana Amish noodles add water to cover and water as needed (Amish noodles are thirsty). Serve over fresh mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with celery salt to taste. Serve over mashed potatoes with a side of toasted herb bread. This is our naughty carb pleasure for fall / winter. Btw mashed potatoes freeze amazingly for more leftovers!
Absolutely amazing! I served it over buttery mashed potatoes, so filling, I over did it. I would suggest a tsp less of the beef base, it is potent stuff! Great winter staple!!!