This easy recipe for Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles is your new go-to for busy weeknight comfort food! Plus, it only calls for just a few ingredients!
Oftentimes, it’s the simplest of recipes that end up being family favorites. This Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles is just that. It’s amazingly simple but ridiculously delicious and full of flavor. It’s super savory and hearty too. It’s the definition of comfort food for us. My family just devours it every time I make it. And, the leftovers are just as good!
It really is the perfect meal for busy weeknights. Very similar to my beef stroganoff, you can drop everything in the slow cooker in the morning before work, and dinner is just about ready when you get home – short of cooking the noodles. And by dropping everything, I mean four of the total five ingredients. There are so many shortcuts in this recipe to make it easy on you.
No making your own sauce mixture from scratch with a long list of ingredients. You get all that amazing flavor by using the premade mix packets in the list of ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Super simple and amazingly delicious!
How do you thicken beef and noodles?
One issue that many people run into with a gravy-based dish in the slow cooker is they find the gravy to be much too thin or runny for their liking at the end of the cook time. Fixing this issue is super simple though.
Simply mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir it into the slow cooker. Turn the heat to high and cook for about 20 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. That will give you plenty of time to get those noodles in a pot and boil to perfectly tender perfection.
Can I use frozen stew meat?
Yes, you can use frozen stew meat. However, I recommend thawing it first to ensure the meat gets cooked through. This can be done by simply moving the stew meat from the freezer or deep freeze to the refrigerator the day before you make this crock pot beef and noodles meal. If you forget to move the meat over, you could also use the defrost feature on your microwave to speed up the thawing time.
Other Ways to Serve the Beef in this Recipe
With other types of noodles! You don’t have to use the egg noodles I put in this particular recipe. For example, you could opt for spaghetti or penne for your beef and noodles recipe.
Try it on mashed potatoes! Oh my goodness, this beef and sauce over my mom’s mashed potato recipe is to die for. My mouth is already watering!
Over rice! I love to pour this beef and sauce mixture over the top of a bed of rice. Yum yum yum!
On it’s own! The beef and sauce you whip up in this recipe are even good enough to be eaten alone as the main course protein. I highly recommend pairing it with my Loaded Mashed Potatoes, or a regular baked potato, and my Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat
- 1 (0.87-ounce) packet brown gravy mix
- 1 (1-ounce) packet au jus mix
- 1 cup water
- 1 (12-ounce) package wide egg noodles
Instructions
- In the crock of a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together the meat, gravy mix, au jus mix, and water. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Serve the beef and gravy over the noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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Omg loved this!! It was a hit. Super super easy to make and no leftovers 🙁
So glad to hear it!
Hi! I made this tonight as written, but I did add some onions and chopped carrots just because I had them. It was really delicious but I wish I had followed your advice about getting low-sodium gravy packets. It was a bit too salty, but I know next time with lower sodium gravy it will be amazing! My husband devoured it with a second helping, so it was a big hit.
Thanks, Julia!
We love this meal. It is quintessential comfort food, and easy to pull together. I was wondering- I have recently been seeing recipes for hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, but I’m so picky about my gravy taste, and this one is IT for me. . Do you think this recipe would work with ground beef?? Thanks in advance
Probably! Do you want to do it in the slow cooker or in a skillet?
I wanted to circle back and let you know…I put two pounds of 90/10 ground beef in the crock pot with the gravy/au jus and water and cooked per your recipe. I did not inherit the gene from my mom and grandma to be able to cook without a recipe so I was nervous. But I served it over mashed potatoes. When I got a “Dadgum that’s good” from my husband I was over the moon. The next day served it on buns with spicy brown mustard. It was excellent. Thank you so much for the inspiration.
I’m so glad to hear it turned out great for you, Anna!
Easy and surprisingly delicious! Note: Keep an eye on the gravy consistency to get it how you like it. The entire family loved it. It’s in the cooker AGAIN today. Thanks Stacey!
Thanks, Robin! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
Can I cook on high for roughly 4 hours
You can, but the meat may not be quite as tender. Let me know how it turns out.
Stacey, thank you for this recipe and the memories. Yesterday, the day after spring forward, I felt blah and off. I put beef in the crockpot early and still didn’t know what to make for dinner. I made your recipe, substituting penne pasta for the egg noodles I didn’t have on hand, and adding extra water for extra gravy. I think my mom made this for me in the 70s. I served it like she did with peas, peaches, and toast. She always poured us a glass of milk with dinner. Everyone loved this last night and thought I cooked all day. My mom worked full time and trusted her crockpot a lot. This recipe with sour cream stirred in at the end was her Stroganoff. This recipe with a slash of red wine, and 6 ginger snaps stirred into the gravy, they completely incorporate, was her Sauerbraten.
splash of wine
Kristi, this just made my day! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I love hearing how a simple recipe can bring back those kinds of memories. It sounds like your mom knew exactly what she was doing with that crockpot. I’m so glad the recipe worked for you and that it brought a little comfort to the day. Those are the meals that mean the most.
Waste of a lot of good expensive meat
Ummm…. huh? I guess you didn’t like it, Jim?
Made and loved it. im making it again tomorrow
Awesome!
Why was it a waste? Im making it now. Its in the pot. What about it wasnt good? Now im nervous Im wasting mine. Im following the recipe.
You’re not, Courtney. I’ve made this dozen sof times over the years, and my family always loves it. I just think Jim was having a bad day.
I found a very good deal on stew meat at our military commissary. Your recipe came at the perfect time for me. I made it exactly as you posted it except I made a double batch. It’s such an easy recipe and just delicious. Next time, I want to serve it with mashed potatoes
Looks great, Rhonda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Absolutely delicious flavor! It couldn’t be easier. Browned the meat first. I did end up adding an additional cup of water to my InstaPot (on Slow Cooker setting). It took the full cooking time for the most tender, mouthwatering meat. Thanks, Stacey! It’s going on the monthly menu.
Love hearing that!
This was so delicious and easy to prepare. Instead of the noodles, I made mashed potatoes. Will definitely make this again!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Do you have to drain the water from the noodles before serving the beef and gravy over the noodles
Yep! You’ll want to drain the noodles before serving. Enjoy!
Delicious and oh, so easy! The only change I made was that I have some Beef Bone in my ‘frig so I used that instead of water. We’ll definitely have this many times this winter.
So glad to hear it turned out great for you!
It was very salty even with low sodium brown gravy. I had to add more water and then I added beef broth. I also added garlic and onions as well. It was okay but I wasn’t overly thrilled to eat it .
Hi Lisa! Sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as expected.
Amazing recipe. Cooked per instructions. Perfection and plenty of leftovers!
So glad you enjoyed it, BB!
Hi! Has anyone done in in the Instant pot? I forgot to put in the Crock Pot. LOL
My family loves this! We did it over mashed taters and I did 1.5 cups of water to make more gravy.
So glad you enjoyed them, Shelby!
Loved this recipe. I’m going to double it for a gathering coming up. If I double the meat, use 2 packs each if gravy and au jus mix do I put in 2 cups of water or is that too much liquid?C
I would double everything, but you could reduce the water amount to 3 cups, if you’d like it thicker.
This is the new family favorite!! I didn’t use the crockpot because I was late starting. On the stove – I sauteed the beef with the two dry ingredients – and then followed your instructions! So tasty!
So glad it turned out great for you! Did you cook it for the same amount of time?
This is good but better with Lo mein noodles.
I’ve never heard of using lo mein noodles in a dish like this, but I’ll have to try it!
what about cooking noodle al dente and mix with meat and gravy at the end?
You can certainly do that! Enjoy!
Just curious if I have yo adjust anything if I’m using 3 pounds of meat
No, it should work just fine. You’ll have a little less gravy, but it will still work.
Just curious if I have to adjust anything if I’m using 3 pounds of meat
My people on my Mother’s side were all from the deep, deep south and much of the food I was raised on is rural country cooking. Stew beef was a staple served with rice and occasionally noodles.
You can still find this at Southern meat and three restaurants and it is especially prevalent in places that serve “soul food”.
It’s that kind of stick to your ribs food that I find myself wanting more and more as I get older.,
Thanks for sharing that! Rural country cooking really does have a way of sticking with you, doesn’t it?
Do you mix the gray and au jus pack per directions or just ad 1 cup of water?
No, just use the 1 cup of water per the recipe. Enjoy!
Oh no I just saw a comment where u said just one cup of water. I mixed the au jus with the 1 cup and the gravy with 1 cup then added 1 cup. Oh no did I mess it up? Can I make it thicker if its too thin?
Yeah, the recipe just calls for 1 cup of water total, but I don’t think it’s going to be messed up. You might need to thicken it with a little cornstarch slurry (see the note at the bottom of the recipe), but I think it’ll turn out just fine for you. Enjoy!
Can you freeze this afternoon you make it
You can, but keep in mind pasta gets pretty soft when frozen and reheated.
That was the easiest beef and noodles I have ever had or made. I used a round steak I had in the freezer and cut it up. I am a widow and have plenty of leftovers for the week.
I’m so glad to hear that the beef and noodles turned out easy for you! Using round steak is a great idea, and having leftovers is always a win.
There is a tradition in the deep south of making this dish. Meat and threes just call it stew beef and it is usually served over rice. With three big growing kids and a limited budget, this was on the table a couple of times a month. Lots of gravy and a big stack of bread and butter made sure we got full. There was never a drop of gravy left after we sopped it all up with the bread.
Thanks for sharing your memories! It sounds like a delicious tradition. There’s nothing quite like a hearty meal that brings the family together. I love the idea of sopping up all that gravy with bread—can’t let any of it go to waste!
While this sounds delicious to me, my husband doesn’t eat much beef. Have you ever tried this using pork tenderloin? I guess it would be without the gravies. Probably just dredge in flour, salt & pepper. I can’t decide. Tenderloin is on sale this week, 😆, that’s why I am getting these ideas.
I actually think this will work just fine with pork while still using the gravy packets. Let me know if you try it.
Hi Phoebe,
McCormick makes a fabulous Pork Gravy mix which I use all the time. Instead of Au Jus, I use a soup base like Knorr (very versatile and delicious) or the Better Than which has a Pork and a Mushroom base. They even have a Ham base. Hope that helps. I’m like your husband, I prefer Pork. ☺️
I love your easy recipes but this one was so salty we could barely eat it. Wish they had low sodium versions as the flavor was great..
I’m sorry to hear it didn’t meet your expectations. Also you can see, this normally gets good reviews. Actually, they do make low sodium versions of the gravy packet.
too salty…. just add a potatowhile cooklng they love salt and will bring salt level down
They do have a low sodium gravy mix.
Loved how easy and delicious it is.
So glad you enjoyed it, Fay!
Delicious
Easy
Will definitely fix it again
Thanks, Peggy!
FABULOUS RECIPE, SO TENDER AND SO DELICIOUS!!! I did add onions.
So glad you enjoyed it, Dianne!
Can I use beef broth instead of water in this recipe? I already added mirepoix to mine. Was great.
Yep. Just be cautious about the salt content when using broth.
can you do on high 4-6 hrs instead of low 6-8?
THIS IS AMAZING ❤️❤️❤️. We added fresh sliced mushrooms and when it was done and, per serving, added a couple tables of sour cream. It made it into beef stroganoff and reminded me of Hamburger Helper in the 80’s when it was actually good!! Ty so much Stacey ❤️
Sounds great! Thanks, Donna!
this is the first rating I’ve ever done. this recipe is so easy and good. served over noodles and mashed potatoes. Thank you Stacey
Thanks, Renee! I’m SO glad you enjoyed it!
My whole family loved it! The second time I made it I used beef broth instead of water increasing it a little and added frozen noodles so I didn’t use a separate pot!
Great idea! So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
First time it was too salty. Second time I use less sodium gravy packets. I also added small diced mirepoix. Much better.
Glad you figured out what works best for you, Walter!
This is delicious and crazy easy! I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed it. Thank you, Stacey!
Awesome! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
I added pearl onions and a few mushrooms and it was delicious!
Glad it turned out great for you!
P.S. In your Notes for this recipe, you used the word “consistently”. Good word, but I think you meant “consistency”. I suspect you’re like me — too much to do, and never enough time to get it done, so we’re always rushing. If you think it’s bad now, wait till you get to my age. : )
Thanks for catching these.
I should have said that zero before the decimal point applies to all numbers less than one, not just when you’re just talking about ounces. Have a great day!
Hi Stacey — I love, love, LOVE your recipes!!! And I loved seeing you on TV. You were great! Quick lesson here from an old, 85-year-old retired, third grade teacher. When indicating less than one ounce, always put a zero before the decimal point. Write it as 0.87-ounce instead of .87-ounce. It helps people see the decimal point, and that’s how we taught it before I retired 25 years ago. Plus, you’ll see it written that way here and there. I can hardly wait to try your Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles recipe. It sounds fab!!! Your recipes are the best!
I’m not trying to be mean or act like a Karen but these comments drive me. You haven’t even made the recipe yet, but decided you need to come here with a grammar and math tutorial. Find something to do. Please just comment on the outcome of the recipe after you’ve made it and leave all the other stuff. It’s not helpful..
You live alone with your cats I imagine.
Real comfort food here and very adaptable to personal tastes. I like foods robust in flavor, so I add 1/4 cup of red wine, 4 large cloves of minced garlic and 1/4 cup of minced onion. I have my veggies prepped, the noodles measured and ready to go when I leave in the morning. When I get home, everything is ready to eat in under 30 mins. No sacrificing flavor or quality for lack of time with this recipe.
Thanks so much! Your additions sounds perfect!
My wife and I love this dish. We use less than two pounds of meat. We Use one packet brown gravy and one packet Au Jus. We want more of the sauce. How do we increase the amount of sauce? Simply adding more water does not seem correct. Ty
For more sauce, you’d need to double the water, and add another packet of brown gravy and au jus mix.
Great. Perfect for two.
Thanks, Howard!
Delish! I used almost a whole 48 oz of beef broth, added 2 beef bullion cubes along with an Italian beef packet and brown gravy packet, cooked 8 hours, added 1lb bag of Amish Noodles and let cook in broth about 45 min. It was Aaahhhhmmmazzzing!
Looks amazing!! So glad you enjoyed it!
This is an excellent recipe that is both easy to prepare and delicious. I have prepared it numerous times and without fail, it always leaves people asking for seconds.
Awesome! So glad to hear it!
I can’t wait to try this recipe and many others I’ve seen this morning. What I’m enjoying about your site is how you present your recipes and tips with true Southern style. Your emails are so refreshing and uplifting and super engaging. You were spot on about Duke’s mayonnaise. It’s great! Thanks! Can’t wait to browse your site and to receive the next email! God Bless You!
Thanks so much, Debbie! Your comment put a huge smile on my face this morning!
Love your recipes and tips. I’ve learned I can trust your recommendations. Thanks!
That means a lot to me!
Can I use frozen stew meat or do I need to thaw it first?
I would recommend you thaw it first but it will work from frozen!
What’s the cooking time for high
Probably about 4 to 6 hours.
I’m a single guy always looking for easy but delish meals to make and it’s a plus when they can be thrown in the crock pot – set it and forget it style. This turned out great for me! Being at the mercy of my grocery delivery, the stew meat package was closer to 1 lb than 2. I still used 1 packet of au jus and 1 packet of brown gravy and 1 cup of water. Cooked on high 4 hrs instead of low for 8 and the gravy actually came out plenty thick. If anything I might add more water with next time to make more gravy. But it turned out very very tasty! No lack of sodium for those that love a little salt in their lives. Could be taken back to lower sodium packets to take that edge off. May even try with an onion soup packet in the future to give it a little oniony twist. Super simple recipe but something I never would’ve thought of myself. Looking forward to discovering more of your ideas. Thanks Stacey!
Awesome! So glad to hear this one turned out great for you, Tyler!
I usually avoided stew beef, because I never knew how to cook it. Now I do! The meat came out incredibly tender. I used Knorr Au Jus and Beef Gravy mix because that is what I had in the pantry, and it made a succulent gravy. I made some sliced baby portabello mushrooms on the side as the egg noodles cooked. This was fantastic. Thank you. A great template too. I was thinking of adding broccoli next time.
So glad to hear it turned out great for you!
This is one of our favorites, too! Easy and delicious, you can’t beat that. We like it over white rice.
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed it! We love it over rice, too!
Hi I live in England but I’m America and my mother use to make this alot so I’m looking forward to making this the only problem is I cant get hold of Au jus is there a recipe to make this if not what else can I use .thank you .
You could use two packets of brown gravy mix.
Thank you for all the awesome recipes. Many of them have become new family favorites. Sending prayers and positive thoughts for your grandmother.
Thanks so much, Mollie!
Thanks for sharing this. Your recipes are always a treat and I look forward to opening them in my email. Too often I fail to let you know how much we enjoy your great food, and we’ve never been let down for trying even one of them. That’s a compliment!! Blessings to your grandmother and trust her diagnosis will be positive and she’ll get home soon. Oh, also wanted to let you know how much I love the photos that accompany your recipes. Great Job!
Thank you so much, Paula! This comment was just the Monday pick-me-up I needed!
Do you need to take the meat out of the crockpot first to add the extra water and cornstarch on it high
No, there’s no need to take the meat out.
WOW! Confession time. At beginning of Covid lockdown I panic bought huge bags of pinto beans and then for some reason I bought a slow cooker. I have given away or sold at least two crock pots so what possessed me, I dunno. Gave away some of the beans and Never even opened the box of the slow cooker until yesterday. But I just had to try this recipe I frequently cut up a small steak and come up with something similar to your recipe but I am just a good eater not a good cook. So glad I made this recipe! Very good, tender beef, wonderful smell toward end of cook time. I had more stew beef than called for so used extra packet of gravy. Next time I will double down on au jus and go for more gravy altogether. Thank you so much Blessings to ALL in 2021.
This is one of my favorites. So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Instead of using Au Jus, can I use 2 packets of brown gravy?
I don’t see why not. 🙂
My 4 year old grandson who does not usually eat meat said, “I like this meat.” So easy and delicious. Thanks for a new favorite.
Awesome! I’m tickled to hear your little guy enjoyed it!
Couldn’t find the packets of au jus at the supermarket so I bought canned. Do you know how much canned to use? Will it be the same?
I can’t say for sure. I’ve never used the canned kind.
Stacey, this turned out very good. I thickened the gravy as you suggested and it was perfect over the egg noodles. Fried up some okra to go with it so we had a very hardy meal. Thanks so much.
Now that’s a meal! Sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed it!
I make this often. Thank you!! I add mushrooms and onions and serve over rice because my husband prefers rice. Such an easy meal. Thank you again!
Sounds great! I love mushrooms and onions in this – my family not so much. 🙂 Glad you’ve enjoyed it!
I am making this for supper tonight I bought some of those frozen noodles was planning on adding them towards the end of cooking, do I need to do anything different before adding the noodles?
I would suggest cooking the noodles first and then adding them to the meat mixture. Otherwise, if you want to try to cook the noodles with the meat, you’ll need to add additional water or broth.
I have made this recipe and it was always a hit with stew meat. Yesterday I cooked a chuck roast with this recipe but substituted a can of french onion soup instead of the water. Winner for sure! Now I am searching your site for more easy and delish recipes that I haven’t tried.
So glad you enjoyed this one and hope you find lots more you like just as well!
Do I follow directions of gravy & au jus packet mix? Or do I ONLY add 1 cup of water???
Nope, just follow my recipe. You’ll only use the 1 cup of water total.
Simple and tasty, recipe is a keeper. I added an extra cup of water with some cornstarch for extra gravy to feed 5.
So glad y’all enjoyed it!!
I have a crock pot, but I’ve recently gotten an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Any idea about the cook time for this?
I made this and it was so amazing . My husband already wants it again:) thank you so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Have you ever made it with beef bullion instead of adding the water? I’m just wondering if this would intensify the flavor.
You really don’t need to add any additional flavor, but you certainly are welcome o try it. Just opt for a low sodium version.
Do I need to search the beef before putting it in the crock pot?
Sear not search
You can, but there’s no need for the extra step in this dish.
Delicious foods recipes
This was so delish! Thanks for this recipe! It will be made iften.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I assume I cut the meat first into cubes?
Yes, most stew meat is sold already cut up, but if your’s isn’t, you’ll want it in about 1-inch cubes.
I stumbled over this recipe an am glad I did. I doing the cooking for my wife and I, she works and I am retired. Look for Quick and Easy meals that we can both enjoy. This meal was outstanding……
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
I just doubled this recipe to feed 6 big appetites. All I can tell you is that this is an easy meal that went over extremely well. And that’s no easy task with picky teens! I did absolutely nothing differently other than fixing mashed potatoes also so they could choose their favorite. Thanks for making me look like an awesome cook! I did have some left overs……..good enough for my & hubs lunch. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed it!! It’s certainly one of my family’s favorites!
Stacy, your beef and chicken crockpot recipes are always winners in my book. I’ll have to try this one. 🙂
Thanks, Aileen! I sure hope you’ll enjoy!!
I will make this. This is a easy recipe and can put it on an forget it.
Absolutely! I hope it turns out great for you!
Can I cook stew beef on high in crockpot
This cane out so delicious. Gravy was perfect at the end of cooking.. Thank you southern bite ❤️
So glad it turned out great for you!! Thanks for letting me know!
I’m going to make this tonight. Can I add baby carrots & mushrooms to this or do I have to wait till almost done.
I think you can absolutely add carrots and mushrooms!