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beef tips and gravy over noodles
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4.97 from 130 votes

Classic Beef and Noodles

Beef and Noodles using Granny's classic easy 5-ingredient recipe made even quicker in the Instant Pot, but can be made using the crockpot or stove top too.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
time to come to pressure10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound beef stew meat cut into one inch pieces
  • 22 ounces cream of mushroom soup two 11-ounce boxes from Trader Joe's recommended, see note below
  • 2 Tablespoon onion dip mix
  • 1 cup beef broth more if needed, see instructions below
  • 8 ounces egg noodles
  • 1 Tablespoon salt for cooking the noodles

Instructions

Instant Pot directions:

  • Add olive oil to pressure cooker pot and set to sauté function. Divide meat in half and brown the first half, turning only once. Remove from pot and set on plate. Brown second half of meat. 
  • Add first batch of meat back to the pressure cooker along with any juices that may have accumulated on the plate. Add cream of mushroom soup, onion dip mix, and beef broth. Stir to mix. Note: if your Instant Pot gives you burn notices, you may want to increase the beef broth to 1 1/2 to 2 cups to prevent that from happening.
  • Close lid and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. When done, allow to release naturally. 
  • While meat is cooking, cook egg noodles in large pot of salted boiling water to al dente doneness, drain, and set aside. Note: I recommend using egg noodles but in the video, the recipe was made with traditional pasta. Either works.
  • To serve, top egg noodles with beef and mushroom mixture or simply stir the noodles into the beef gravy mixture.

Stove top directions:

  • Brown meat in heavy bottom pot over medium high heat using same procedure. Once all ingredients (not the egg noodles which will need to be cooked separately) have been added to pot, cover and allow to braise at a simmer for at least an hour. When done, stir in the drained cooked noodles.

Slow cooker directions:

  • Brown meat in heavy bottom pot over medium high heat using same procedure. Transfer to slow cooker with remaining ingredients (not the egg noodles which will need to be cooked separately). Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low (recommended) for 6-8 hours. When done, stir in the drained cooked noodles.

Video

Notes

  • Choosing the best ingredients:
    • Cream of mushroom: I highly recommend Trader Joe's Portabella Cream of Mushroom soup. Every fall I buy enough to last all year because it's a seasonal item. Pacific Foods makes a good version too. I find that Campbell's is thicker and may require thinning. You may need to add additional liquid to avoid the burn notice on the Instant Pot.
    • Beef broth: I also highly recommend making your own roasted beef broth and storing it in the freezer in quart sized containers. I always have some on hand! Otherwise, your favorite store bought beef broth works fine.
    • Beef: Stew meat works best for this recipe but any cut that says chuck (chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck eye-roast, etc.) will work as long as you cut them into bite sized pieces and remove most of the fat. Beef tips are another great option.
  • Instant Pot burn notice: I've had many readers that tell me they get the burn notice when making my beef and noodles recipe. That has never happened to me, however this is easily preventable by increasing the amount of beef broth you use.
  • Searing the meat: For the best flavor, it is important you properly sear the meat. That often means you'll need to sear the beef in small batches in order to keep the pan super hot and prevent crowding which would result in tough steamed meat, rather than meat with a nice browned sear.
  • Freezing: This recipe can easily be frozen, so feel free to double or triple the recipe for future leftovers. Just make everything as written except for the noodles. Chill in the refrigerator and then freeze in an air tight container.
  • Reheating: Fully thaw before reheating. I recommend either reheating in a covered pot on the stove over low heat or in the microwave on 50% power in 1 minute increments.

Nutrition

Calories: 568kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1682mg | Potassium: 645mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 5mg