Beef and Noodles
This simple recipe for beef and noodles is a family favorite! You can make it in 30 minutes with things you already have in your kitchen, and the thick gravy will make you want it again and again.
I bet you’ll also like my next recipe, Easy Hamburger Gravy or Salisbury Steak.
This beef and egg noodles recipe is just like my Chicken and Noodles: it’s cheap, easy to make, and tastes great. You don’t need many things to make this one taste good. It features seasoned ground beef that is soft and ready in a flash for a quick family lunch on the burner.
This is not a sophisticated dish at all, but for some reason, picky eaters seem to love it! If you have kids at home, they will love this homemade ground beef and noodles with gravy. It’s one of my favorites when I don’t feel like cooking but want a quick, homey dinner.
Beef with Noodles Made Easy
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Time to cook: 20 minutes
- Total: 30 minutes
- Four servings
- 2 cups of uncooked egg noodles
- 1 pound of ground beef that isn’t too fatty
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Egg noodles are the typical choice for this recipe since they are a substantial pasta that works well with the gravy.
I like ground beef that is at least 90% lean. We use ground beef for this since it’s less expensive than other cuts yet just as good.
Onion and garlic: I usually use sweet (Vidalia) onions, but yellow ones are acceptable too.
Worcestershire sauce is a must-have in my kitchen. I use it in a lot of recipes to provide a lot of savory flavor. Don’t miss it!
Italian seasoning is a great mix of dried Italian herbs like rosemary and thyme that you can get all in one jar for easy use.
Flour is used to make the gravy thicker.
Beef broth for even more deep, rich taste
Take a look at Natasha’s favorite kitchen tools, gadgets, and cookware!
- This press makes it easy to chop up garlic bulbs without having to peel them beforehand. I keep the rest of the garlic in a lovely garlic holder.
- This is the pan I use.
- Put dry pasta in one of these useful airtight containers.
Instructions
This is a summary with pictures of each phase. The recipe card below has all the ingredients and steps you need.
Put some salt in a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Then, add the noodles and cook them until they are al dente. Put the ground beef and onion in a skillet and sauté them until the meat is beautifully browned. Don’t get rid of the fat. Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and Italian seasoning and heat for a minute. Add the flour and simmer for a couple more minutes.
Slowly add the beef stock, scraping up any tasty brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the flour has dissolved. Stir the gravy every now and then while it cooks for a few minutes, or until it thickens. Add the beef mixture to the drained noodles and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil a salted kettle of water for the egg noodles and cook according to package specifications.
- Meanwhile, add the ground meat and onion to a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as you go along, until it’s beautifully browned (approximately 10 minutes). Don’t drain the fat unless you’re not using lean ground beef (then drain a bit but still leave at least a couple tablespoons of it in the pan).
- Reduce the heat to medium and toss in the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning, and simmer for 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour and simmer for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly (this cooks the raw flour taste out).
- Gradually pour in the beef broth while stirring until the flour has dissolved and scraping any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Continue simmering for another 5-10 minutes (stir occasionally) or until the gravy has thickened to your taste. If it gets too thick, add in a splash more beef broth.
- Drain the cooked egg noodles, add them to the skillet, and combine with the beef mixture. Season with salt & pepper if needed and serve immediately.
I like to use lean ground beef for this recipe because you don’t have to remove the fat. There’s just enough to help the gravy come together.
There’s nothing wrong with opening a can of “cream of” soup, but you don’t need to do it here. You won’t want to go back to recipes that use canned soup after you try my homemade gravy.
Variations & Tips
This recipe is meant to be cheap, quick, and easy for kids to make. If you want to make it fancier than the fundamental recipe was meant to be, there are countless methods to do so.
- To add some color, try adding frozen mixed vegetables or canned corn. Put it in during step 6.
- You might add a few handfuls of fresh spinach to the pot during the last few minutes of cooking.
- People have changed this by adding mushrooms and/or green peppers, a splash of wine, and sour cream or cream cheese toward the end.
- You might need to add a tablespoon or so of oil or butter to the ground turkey or other lean ground meat before you add the flour to help make the gravy.
- You can use a different sort of pasta or rice instead of egg noodles.
This dish is supposed to be a very simple, inexpensive, quick, and kid-friendly recipe that uses ordinary (mainly pantry) goods, and therefore it’s extremely easy to dress it up if you’re looking for something more than the fundamental recipe. Readers have added veggies in (try mushrooms or green peppers), boosted the herbs and seasonings, blended in some sour cream or cream cheese toward the end, and even added a dash of wine.
It can also be found in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Serving Suggestions & Storage
I like to have beef and noodles with a huge piece of my Cheesy Garlic Bread or a dinner bun.
It goes well with almost any vegetable side dish. Try my Simple Sautéed Leeks or Honey Roasted Carrots.
A side salad is also a good choice. A reader favorite is my Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing. Try it on mixed greens.
Leftovers may stay well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days if they are stored in an airtight container. However, the noodles may soak up more of the sauce the longer they sit.
You may reheat it on the stove or in the microwave over low heat until it’s hot all the way through.
If you’re going to freeze it, I suggest preparing it without the cooked noodles and cooking some noodles right before serving.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 282kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 582mg, Potassium: 594mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 18IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 4mg
Please leave a comment below if you made this easy beef and noodles recipe or have any queries.