For 100% pure comfort food, try our 1-pot Crock Pot Beef and Noodles; fall-apart tender beef in silky gravy with old-fashioned egg noodles. This is like a warm hug from the inside out.
This is one of the easiest slow cooker dishes that still delivers big beef-y flavour with minimal effort. Crock Pot Beef and Noodles is a hit with everyone in our house and the favourite dinner for a couple of us.
Beef and Noodles Recipe
Many crock pot beef and noodles recipes start with cans of condensed soup. You can absolutely make it that way (and I’ll share the info on how to do that) but it’s not necessary.
All you need for the ultimate beef and noodles is a large onion, a few cups of beef broth or stock, a beef roast, and some old-fashioned beef noodles.
The beauty of this recipe is in the simplicity of it. And while I am keen on letting the slow cooker do the work for me in our crock pot beef and noodles, you can certainly prepare this recipe on a stove top.
To prepare the beef and noodles recipe on the stove top, simply add all of the ingredients to a dutch oven or heavy bottomed stockpot with a tight fitting lid.
Beef and Noodles
When it comes to choosing a cut of beef for crock pot beef and noodles, you have options. While the recipe is traditionally made with chuck roast, I prefer to use a shoulder roast or a top or bottom round roast.
Chuck roast is nicely marbled and lends itself well to long, slow cooking, but it also tends to have more gristle and connective tissue. Since I love my beef a little leaner, I go with the less fatty shoulder or round roasts.
The long, slow cook time still yields a super tender result whether you go with the fattier, more marbled chuck or leaner shoulder or round. Choose whichever cut your preference and budget dictate.
If you begin with a roast that has a large fat cap on it, trim most of the fat down so you have no more than 1/8 of an inch. This cuts down on the work you have to do at the end of the cooking time and that’s always a good thing.
Beef Noodle Recipe
Now that you’ve got the meat sorted, let’s address your noodle options for your crock pot beef and noodles. There are several options, but the two best are frozen home style noodles or dried “kluski” home style noodles.
The frozen egg noodles are sold in many superstores like Walmart and Target under the brand Reames. Reames frozen egg noodles are also available for ordering directly through their website.
If opting for dry noodles, I have a preference for the home style noodles.
Whether you choose the frozen egg noodles or dried egg noodles, the key is to use the right amount. If you choose frozen noodles, use 24 ounces. If you opt for dried noodles, go with 12 to 16 ounces of dry noodles.
Want a crusty loaf of homemade bread to sop up the gravy? Try our One Hour Bread. You’ll be so glad you did!
If you’re looking for other great crock pot dinners, check out our slow-cooker recipes page. We have everything from main dishes to appetizers to granola.
Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
Scatter the diced onions over the bottom of your slow-cooker/crock pot. Nestle the beef roast (fat side up) into the onions. Sprinkle the kosher salt, black pepper, granulated onion, dried thyme, and nutmeg over the beef then pour 2 cups of the beef broth (or the canned soup) over the beef.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the beef shreds easily with a fork. Use two forks to shred the beef into bite size pieces, removing any excess fat if you see it. Add the remaining 4 cups of beef broth and the egg noodles and stir to distribute.
Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2.5 to 3.5 pounds boneless beef shoulder roast top or bottom round, or chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 6 cups beef broth divided, (see notes)
- 24 ounces frozen egg noodles or 12-16 ounces dried home style egg noodles
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt sour cream, creme fraiche, or heavy cream
- Minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Scatter the diced onions over the bottom of your slow-cooker/crock pot. Nestle the beef roast (fat side up) into the onions. Sprinkle the kosher salt, black pepper, granulated onion, dried thyme, and nutmeg over the beef then pour 2 cups of the beef broth (or the canned soup) over the beef.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the beef shreds easily with a fork. Use two forks to shred the beef into bite size pieces, removing any excess fat if you see it. Add the remaining 4 cups of beef broth and the egg noodles and stir to distribute.
- Put the lid back in place, turn the crock pot to HIGH and cook for an additional 60 to 90 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Stir in the Greek yogurt, sour cream, creme fraiche, or heavy cream, and serve in bowls garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reader's Thoughts...
Clare Huckeba says
Big thumbs up! I know you’re always supposed to follow the recipe the first time, but we love mushrooms! I added about 12 oz portobello and decreased the beef broth by a cup. It was great! Love your website and recipes. And particularly, your stories about your stepmom. Thank you!
Rebecca says
Thanks so much, Clare! I love mushrooms, too, so that sounds wonderful to me! And thanks for your kind words. They mean a lot to me. 🙂
Susan says
What a terrific recipe. Simple and easy. My husband loved it!
Rebecca says
Thanks so much for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know you love it, Susan!
Andrea says
I made this last week. I used dry noodles and cooked them for 60 minutes. They got very mushy. We called it mushy beef & noodles. It was very tasty, but I will be watching the noodles much closer next time.
Rebecca says
Oh no! Mushy beef & noodles is so sad! I hope it turns out better for you next time!
Lisa says
I adore your site and recipes.
This recipe was complete failure for me as well.
Complete mush. I felt a $15 roast was ruined
And the texture is so awful I ended up tossing it.
I will attempt again and just make the noodles on stove like usual ( Reemes) and then add beef and broth. The photo looks so delish!
Andrea Morse says
After I shred the beef do I put it back in the crockpot?
Rebecca says
You’re correct! Just return the beef to the crock pot and toss it in the sauce.
Lauralli says
Pretty easy and tastes delicious! However, you pretty much need to have lots of people eating it because it’s doesn’t work well for leftovers. The noodles just continue to soak up all the liquid as it sits. I’m going to try to add more broth when reheating to salvage what I can.
Elisabeth S says
This sounds great, but it seems like the recipe got cut off.
How long do you cook the noddles and additional broth?
Do you add the Greek yogurt or is that for topping when serving?
Thanks!
Rebecca says
You’re absolutely right! It did get cut off. I fixed it. 🙂
Lindsay says
What do you do with the Greek yogurt/sour cream? Do you mix it in or put on top? I read the entire article and recipe twice, and there is no mention of it, except in the ingredients list. Am I missing something?
Rebecca says
Hi Lindsay- Thanks for the heads up! I have fixed the recipe. Part of it was cut off. 🙂
Carol says
I’d like to make this because we have a freezer full of beef. But it’s unclear to me how long to cook the noodles and when to add the yogurt. Am I missing something?
Rebecca says
Hi Carol! I accidentally cut off part of the recipe in the recipe card, but I’ve fixed it now! It takes 60-90 minutes after the noodles are added and then the yogurt is stirred in.
Carol says
Thank You! Your recipes are always so good—I know i can count on them…
Jennifer says
About how long to cook the noodles? Please and thank you
Rebecca says
Hi Jennifer! The recipe card is fixed now (part of it was cut off). The noodles take 60-90 minutes and then the sour cream or yogurt is stirred in.
Peg says
When do you add the yogurt?
Carol says
Doesn’t the 4 cups of beef broth and the frozen egg noodles added at the end with the dairy cool everything off to much?
Rebecca says
Hi Carol- It doesn’t cool it off too much! It takes about 60-90 minutes after adding the noodles and broth then the sour cream is stirred in. I promise it works!
Lynn Spencer says
The recipe doesn’t say how to long to cook the beef and noodles after you add the noodles. What do you recommend?
Rebecca says
Hi Lynn- That’s my fault. I fixed the recipe card because I accidentally cut off part of it when I published the post. It takes about 60-90 minutes after adding the noodles to cook them through.
Liz says
There seem to be some instructions missing. How long does it cook after adding the additional beef broth and the noodles? When do we add the yogurt?
Rebecca says
Hi Liz- I fixed the recipe card. I accidentally cut off part of it but it’s all there now!
Ev says
This looks delicious, but the recipe kind of dropped off before it was done. Okay, I see that you add the noodles with more broth at the end and, I assume, cook that more until the noodles are done. Is that when you add the cup of yogurt, sour cream, or heavy cream – just at the end when everything is done?
Rebecca says
Hi Ev! I’ve fixed the recipe card. I accidentally cut off part of it!
Paula J Maden says
Hi Rebecca,
The recipe does not indicate when to add the yogurt. Please provide this information.
Thank you, looking forward to trying this recipe.
Rebecca says
Hi Paula! You’re right. That instruction was missing! Thanks for the heads-up. I’ve fixed it. The yogurt is stirred in when the noodles are tender!
Brenda says
I’m sorry, I feel like there’s step missing? How long do you cook the noodles? What do you do with the yogurt/sour cream?
Rebecca says
Hi Brenda- You’re absolutely correct. I feel very silly but I accidentally cut off the last instruction in the recipe card. It’s fixed now!
Karen says
Do you cook the egg noodles before adding them?
Rebecca says
Hi Karen! Nopers! Just add the noodles right to the broth and it will cook in there!
Margaret says
If adding dry eggs noodles at the end after the beef is shredded, how long does it take to cook the dry noodle in the broth at the slow cooker?
Rebecca says
Hi Margaret! It takes an hour to 90 minutes after adding the noodles!
Rebecca says
Hi Margaret! I just fixed the recipe… it looks like it was cut off at the end. 🙂
Ali says
If I’m reading the recipe correctly, we add 4 more cups of broth and dry noodles to the hot dish after everything has cooked, and the noodles are passively cooking in the completed dish? Is this correct? Doesn’t this run a risk of not working out if the later-added broth isn’t warm or is taken from the fridge?
Rebecca says
Hi Ali- You’re reading it correctly. And I know it sounds odd, but I promise it works! If you’re concerned, you can definitely pre-heat the broth in a saucepan before adding it, but it works out for me! I most often use the frozen noodles, but it does work with dry.
Rebecca says
Also, I just looked at it and it appears part of the recipe was cut off. I fixed it!