Beef Stew and Noodles

Beef Stew and Noodles combines tender beef, hearty vegetables, and pasta noodles in a rich, flavorful broth. This comforting one-pot meal is perfect for cold nights when you’re craving something cozy and filling. It’s easy to make, family-friendly, and guaranteed to become a go-to recipe all year long!

Love More Beef Stew Recipes? Try My French Beef Stew or this Crock Pot Beef Stew next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe delivers fall-apart tender beef with noodles that soak up all that rich, savory flavor. It’s simple, satisfying, and built on pantry-friendly ingredients that make dinnertime stress-free. Best of all, it carries that nostalgic, home-cooked taste that feels just like grandma’s kitchen—only easier, with multiple cooking methods to fit your schedule.

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Ingredient List

Meat stuff:

• 1 tablespoon oil (whatever kind you have)
• 2 pounds beef chuck, cut up into chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, sliced however
• 2 tablespoons flour

Liquid:

• 3 cans chicken broth (the regular size ones)
• 3 cups water

Everything else:

• Carrots, about half a pound, cut up
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chunked
• 2 cups egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped up
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Don’t have chuck? Stew meat works. No fresh parsley? Use dried but less of it. I’ve used broken spaghetti when I was out of egg noodles and it was fine.

Why These Ingredients Work

Chuck has fat in it. That’s what makes it get tender when you cook it forever.

The noodles cook right in the beef broth so they taste like beef instead of plain noodles. Mom always said the noodles were the best part.

Flour makes it thick. Not gloppy thick like when people use cornstarch. Chicken broth tastes better than beef broth for this.

Potatoes make you full and help thicken everything up. Carrots are sweet and make it not look like brown mush.

That vinegar at the end makes it taste brighter. Got that tip from Carol next door who’s from New Orleans.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big pot (I have a Dutch oven but any heavy pot works)
• Knife for cutting stuff
• Cutting board
• Spoon for stirring
• Measuring cups
• Can opener

How To Make Beef Stew and Noodles

Brown the Meat & Aromatics

Get the oil hot in your pot. Medium high heat works.

Put the beef chunks in there and salt and pepper them. Don’t stir them right away or they won’t brown. Just let them sit for six minutes.

Put the onion in and cook it another five minutes until it gets soft. Should smell good now.

Build the Base

Sprinkle the flour all over everything and stir it around for a couple minutes. Don’t let it burn.

Pour the broth and water in slowly while you scrape the bottom with your spoon. Get all those brown bits up. That’s where the flavor lives.

Simmer with Veggies

Let it boil then turn it way down so it just bubbles a little. Put a lid on and cook for 25 minutes.

Add your carrots and potatoes. Cook another ten minutes until you can stick a fork in the potatoes easy.

Finish with Noodles & Herbs

Put the noodles in and cook eight minutes until they’re soft but not mushy. Stir them so they don’t stick together.

Taste it and add salt and pepper. Most people don’t use enough salt.

Stir in the parsley and vinegar right before you serve it. Don’t add them too early or they won’t taste right.

You Must Know

Brown the beef right. Don’t crowd the pot or it steams instead of browns. Do it in batches if you have to. I used to rush this part when I was in a hurry. Always came out blah.

Personal Secret: I cook the onions way longer than most people. Until they get brown edges and smell sweet. Dave’s mom taught me that. She’s made stew for forty years so I listen.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Cut beef pieces same size. Otherwise some are tough and some fall apart. Learned this watching Food Network.
• Get all the brown bits up when you add liquid. That’s pure flavor right there.
• Taste before serving. Add salt if it needs it. Most people are scared of salt. Don’t be scared of salt.
• Too watery? Cook with the lid off longer. Steam goes away and it thickens up.
• Want it richer? Add tomato paste with the flour. Don’t always do this but it’s good sometimes.
• Don’t use fancy wine for cooking. Cheap stuff works fine. Won’t cry if you spill it.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Here are some different ways to make it if you get bored with the regular version or want to impress somebody:

• Put a bay leaf in while it cooks but remember to fish it out before you serve or someone might bite into it. Bay leaves make everything taste more sophisticated but they’re not meant to be eaten.
• Cook some sliced mushrooms with the onions if you like mushrooms. My husband doesn’t so I skip this most of the time but when he’s not home I add them.
• Use red wine instead of some of the water. About a cup works good. Makes it taste fancier and uses up that wine that’s been sitting in your fridge.
• Add some smoked paprika with the flour if you want it a little smoky. Not too much or it gets weird and overpowering.
• Use parsnips instead of some of the potatoes. My friend does this and says it’s better but I like regular potatoes fine. Change is hard for me.
• Throw in some frozen peas at the very end just to heat them through. Adds color and my kids liked it when they were little.

Make-Ahead Options

Make everything but don’t add the noodles yet. Put it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

When you want to eat it, heat it back up and add the noodles for the last 8 minutes.

You can freeze the stew part too but don’t freeze it with noodles. They get mushy.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• The stew gets thicker when it sits and cools down. This is normal and actually kind of nice.
• If you have leftover stew, the noodles will have soaked up more liquid so add some extra broth when you heat it up the next day.
• Fresh parsley really does taste better than the dried stuff. I keep it in a glass of water on the counter and it lasts longer.
• Add that vinegar at the very end or it won’t taste right. Something about cooking it too long makes it taste off.

Serving Suggestions

This is good with some crusty bread for dipping in the broth. I usually just buy whatever bread is on sale and warm it up in the oven. Sometimes I make a simple salad to go with it but honestly the stew is filling enough on its own.

Serve it in deep bowls so you can get a good amount of broth with each bite. Sprinkle some extra parsley on top if you want it to look fancy. Goes good with a glass of red wine if you drink wine, but it’s just as good with water or whatever.

My kids still ask for this every time they visit. My son says his girlfriend tried to make it but it didn’t taste the same. I told him it’s because she probably didn’t brown the beef long enough. That’s usually what goes wrong when people try to copy this recipe.

How to Store Your Beef Stew and Noodles

Fridge: This keeps for about 4 days if you cover it good. Actually tastes better the next day because all the flavors have time to get to know each other. I usually make extra on purpose so we can have it for lunch the next day.

Freezer: You can freeze the stew part but don’t freeze it with the noodles already in it. The noodles get weird and mushy when you thaw them out. Freeze it for up to 3 months in containers or freezer bags. Write the date on there because you’ll forget when you made it.

Heating it back up: Heat it slow on the stove over medium low heat. Don’t rush it or it might burn on the bottom. Add some broth or water if it looks too thick because the noodles keep soaking up liquid even after it’s cold.

Allergy Information

Has gluten in it: The flour and egg noodles both have gluten so if you can’t eat gluten this won’t work as written.

To make it gluten free: Use gluten free flour instead of regular flour and rice noodles instead of egg noodles. I haven’t tried this myself but my neighbor has celiac and she says it works fine.

No dairy: There’s no milk or cheese or butter in this recipe so if you can’t eat dairy you’re good to go.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I make this in a slow cooker instead?

Sure can. Brown the beef and onions in a pan first like the recipe says, then put everything except the noodles in your slow cooker. Cook it on low for about 6-8 hours until the beef is tender. Add the noodles for the last 30 minutes. Some people skip browning the beef first but it won’t taste as good.

My stew came out too thick, what did I do wrong?

Probably nothing wrong, just add more broth or water until it looks right to you. Sometimes the potatoes break down more than other times and make it thicker. Not a big deal.

Can I leave out the potatoes?

You can but they help thicken the stew naturally. If you skip them you might want to add another tablespoon of flour with the first tablespoon or it might be too thin. Some people don’t like potatoes in their stew and that’s fine too.

Why do my leftovers always look thicker than when I first made it?

The noodles keep soaking up the liquid even when it’s cold. Just add some broth when you heat it back up and it’ll thin out again. This happens to everyone.

Can I cut up all the vegetables the day before?

Yes, that’s what I do sometimes when I know I’ll be busy. Cut them up and put them in containers in the fridge. They’ll keep for a day just fine. Don’t cut the onion too far ahead though or it starts to taste funny.

What if I don’t have red wine vinegar?

Regular white vinegar works fine. Or apple cider vinegar. Even lemon juice works if that’s all you have. The point is just to add some acid to brighten up the flavors.

💬 Made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments. I love hearing from people who try my recipes, especially if you changed something or made it your own way.