Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles is a cozy comfort dish that practically cooks itself!
Chuck roast is slow-cooked in a beefy, creamy gravy and tossed with egg noodles for an easy weeknight dinner.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Difficulty: This recipe is pretty easy to make; browning the beef is the most time-consuming step, but it adds great flavor. It’s a nice meal to come home to.
- Preference: Chuck roast produces the most tender meat.
- Sauce: The sauce for this recipe is brothy and flavorful, it’s not intended to be thick.
- Note on egg noodles: The egg noodles in this recipe are cooked in the slow cooker—based on the brand, cooking time can vary slightly.
- Stretch it further: It’s a budget-friendly favorite; add sliced mushrooms to stretch it further.
Ingredient Tips for Slow Cooker Beef & Noodles
- Beef: For the best results, use a cubed chuck or cut cubes from a trimmed chuck roast. You can also use cubes of stew meat; they may need extra cooking time.
- Broth – I use reduced sodium broth to keep it from being too salty, while adding a bouillon cube adds a boost of flavor.
- Noodles – Use dry, medium egg noodles for the best texture. Wide egg noodles will also work. This recipe hasn’t been tested with other variations of pasta.
How to Make Crock Pot Beef and Noodles (overview)
- Sear the beef (recipe below) and soften the onion.
- Place all ingredients except noodles and cream in the crock pot.
- Place cover on top and cook until the meat is fork-tender.
- Stir in noodles and cream and cook until noodles are tender.
Best Tips for Beef and Noodles
- For a thicker gravy, use a 1:1 ratio of cold water to cornstarch and add a tablespoon or so along with the noodles.
- Check the noodles early so they don’t overcook since their thickness can vary.
Storing Leftovers
- Keep leftover crock pot beef and noodles in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a little milk mixed in to loosen the gravy.
- Freeze in zippered bags for up to 2 months. Reheat and add fresh noodles if desired.
Cozy and Comforting Meals
Did you make this Crock Pot Beef and Noodles? Leave us a rating and a comment below.
Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
Crock Pot beef and noodles is a hearty, comforting dish made with tender beef, savory broth, and soft noodles.
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef chuck roast cubed, or stew meat
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 ¾ cups less sodium beef broth
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 16 ounces medium egg noodles
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine beef, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef in small batches, and cook until all sides are browned. Transfer to a 6 qt. slow cooker.
- Add the butter and onion to the skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes or just until the onion begins to soften. Add to the slow cooker.
- Add the broth, bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Remove bay leaf.
- Add the dried noodles and cream to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for an additional 20 to 35 minutes or until the noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
Notes
- Egg noodles can vary in thickness and cooking time. Check the noodles early to ensure they don’t overcook—add extra cooking time if needed.
- For a thicker sauce, add a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water when the noodles are added to the crockpot. Mix well.
- If not using a bouillon cube, full sodium beef broth should be used.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, or frozen in freezer bags for up to 4 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 775 | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 198mg | Sodium: 1032mg | Potassium: 1089mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Slow Cooker
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Hi, what can I substitute for the heavy whipping cream? Thank you
Hi Mariarosa, You can replace it with milk but it won’t be quite as creamy.
It was very easy to make and very flavorful. I used extra broad egg noodles as that’s all I had and it worked fine. My husband said that I could make it again! Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Cheryl!
If I wanted to add fresh sliced mushrooms to this recipe, at what point would you add them?
Hi Wendy, for softer mushrooms you can add them in Step 4. If you want chopped mushrooms that are firmer I would add them towards the end with the egg noodles.
It was very good. As an amateur/Bachelor. When it’s at 16 ounces of noodles, I thought it was 16 ounces not 2 cups. So maybe you should change it to 2 cups of noodle noodles instead of 16 ounces.
This shouldn’t be 2 cups of noodles, the 16 ounces is a weight, not fluid ounces. 8 ounces per cup is a volume measure which applies to liquid. Hope that helps.
So far Holly I have made your meatloaf, Shepherds Pie & as I am writing this your
Crock Pot Beef & Noodles is cooking. Your simple approach to cooking has made me enjoy cooking, & looking forward to all the new meals I will be trying. You cookbook came today & I’m so excited. BTW, Meatloaf & Shepherds Pie were nothing short of AWESOME.
I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipes and been inspired in the kitchen Linda! Thank you for your support, I can’t wait to hear what you make in the book! If you’re so inclined a review on Amazon would mean so much.
What should the setting be when you add the noodles, high or low for 20 minutes?
Hi Hal, it will be on the Low setting when you add the egg noodles.
This was wonderfully easy and quite good.
Can this recipe be cooked in an instant pot and if so, what would be different? Thank you!
While I haven’t tried this particular recipe in the IP, I think the cooking time would be similar to my IP Beef Stroganoff for the meat portion. I can’t say for sure on the noodles as I haven’t tried it.
For a somewhat different result, try a European butcher and get yourself a nice big smoked post hock. I’ve made variations on this dish with the smoked hock and it adds a new depth a flavour. Cannot make that anymore as latest wife don’t care for smokey taste. :)
Thanks for the tip Steve!
Delicious, I have made this many times
So glad you’ve loved this recipe Sandy!
Do you think I could add thinly sliced carrots and/or celery?
I think that’d work!
Looks exactly like Beef Stroganoff except for two ingredients.
Similar for sure, the sour cream is what differentiates stroganoff.