Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Beef and Noodles
Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Beef and Noodles is an easy, comforting four-ingredient meal made with fork-tender beef, wide egg noodles, and rich savory gravy. Everything cooks in the slow cooker for a filling dinner with minimal effort.
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds beef stew meat or chuck roast Cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
2 10.5-ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup Do not dilute; use condensed soup
2 packets brown gravy mix Each packet should be about 0.87 to 1 ounce; use dry
12 ounces wide egg noodles About 6 cups dry
1/2 to 1 cup hot water Use only if needed to barely cover the noodles later; do not add at the beginning
DIRECTIONS:
Place the beef in the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker, spreading it out as evenly as possible in mostly one layer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and both packets of brown gravy mix until smooth without adding water.
Pour the soup-and-gravy mixture over the beef, gently stir to coat, cover, and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is very tender and breaks apart easily with a fork.
About 30 minutes before serving, use a fork to break any large beef chunks into bite-size pieces and stir them back through the gravy.
Add the dry wide egg noodles directly to the slow cooker and stir them into the beef and gravy until mostly submerged.
If the mixture is too thick to cover the noodles, add hot water a little at a time, using 1/2 to 1 cup total only until the noodles are barely covered.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the noodles are tender but not mushy.
Taste the beef and noodles before serving, then serve hot with plenty of beef, noodles, and gravy.