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This easy beef and noodles recipe is a homestyle favorite! It’s made in 30 minutes with pantry staples, and the rich gravy is a comforting treat you’ll crave again and again.
I think you’ll also enjoy my Easy Hamburger Gravy or Salisbury Steak next.
Why you’ll love it
Like my Chicken and Noodles, this beef and egg noodles recipe is just good old-fashioned comfort food that’s affordable and no fuss. You need very few ingredients for this one to hit the spot. It has seasoned tender ground beef and is ready in a jiffy for a quick family meal that’s made on the stovetop.
This definitely is not a fancy recipe, and mysteriously that seems to be the best kind of meal for picky eaters! If you’ve got kiddos in your home, they will devour this ground beef and noodles with gravy made from scratch. It’s one of my favorites for when motivation to cook is lacking but you’re craving a cozy dinner fast.
What you’ll need
- Egg noodles – they’re the traditional choice for this recipe since they’re a hearty pasta that’s perfect to coat with the gravy
- Ground beef – I prefer at least 90% lean. We love ground beef for this one since it’s cheaper than other cuts but every bit as tasty.
- Onion and garlic – sweet (Vidalia) onions are my usual pick, but yellow is fine
- Worcestershire sauce – it’s a staple in my pantry and my secret weapon to impart tons of savory flavor in many recipes. Don’t skip it!
- Italian seasoning – a fantastic blend of dried Italian herbs like rosemary and thyme that you’ll find all in a single jar for convenience
- Flour – to thicken the gravy
- Beef broth – for even more rich, deep flavor
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- For the garlic, this press makes it easy to mince the cloves since you don’t need to peel them first. I store the rest of the garlic in a cute garlic saver.
- Here’s the skillet I use.
- Store dry pasta in one of these handy airtight containers.
How to make beef and noodles
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Boil a salted pot of water, and cook the noodles until al dente. In a skillet, add the ground beef and onion, cooking until the meat is nicely browned. Don’t drain the fat. Add in the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning and cook for a minute. Stir in the flour and cook for another few minutes.
Gradually pour in the beef broth, scraping up any delicious brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the flour has dissolved. Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy has thickened up. Drain the noodles, toss with the beef mixture, and season with salt & pepper to taste.
Helpful tips
- I like using lean ground beef for this recipe since you can skip draining the fat. There’s just enough to help make the gravy.
- While there’s no shame in opening up a can of “cream of” soup, it’s definitely not necessary here. Try my homemade gravy, and you won’t want to go back to recipes with canned soup.
Substitutions and variations
- This recipe is designed to be inexpensive, quick, and kid-friendly. There’s endless ways to jazz it up if you are looking for something more fancy than the base recipe was intended to be.
- Try adding in some frozen mixed veggies or canned corn for a bit of color. Add in during step 6.
- You could stir in a couple handfuls of fresh spinach during the last couple minutes of cooking time.
- Readers have customized this by adding in mushrooms and/or green peppers, added in a splash of wine, and stirred in sour cream or cream cheese at the end.
- If using ground turkey or a leaner ground meat, you may need to add a tablespoon or so of oil or butter prior to adding the flour to help make the gravy.
- Feel free to swap the egg noodles with a different kind of pasta or even use rice.
What to serve with beef and noodles
- I like to serve beef and noodles with a big slice of my Cheesy Garlic Bread or a dinner roll.
- It goes with pretty much any veggie side dish. Try my Honey Roasted Carrots or Simple Sautéed Leeks.
- A side salad is another great option. Try mixed greens with my Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing, a reader favorite.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days, but keep in mind the noodles may soak up more of the sauce the longer they sit.
- Reheat on the stove or microwave over low heat until warmed through.
- If freezing, I recommend doing so without the cooked noodles and cooking some noodles just prior to serving.
More comfort food recipes
If you made this simple beef and noodles recipe or have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below! You can also find me on Instagram to show me your creations.
Easy Beef and Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked egg noodles
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for the egg noodles and cook according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add the ground beef and onion to a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as you go along, until it's nicely browned (about 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 stir in the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning, and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring often (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 cooking for another 5-10 minutes (stir occasionally) or until the gravy has thickened to your liking. If it gets too thick, add in a splash more beef broth.
- Drain the cooked egg noodles, add them to the skillet, and toss with the beef mixture. Season with salt & pepper if needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- This dish is designed to be a very simple, inexpensive, quick, and kid-friendly recipe that uses everyday (mostly pantry) ingredients, and so it’s very easy to jazz it up if you’re looking for something more than the base recipe. Readers have added veggies in (try mushrooms or green peppers), upped the herbs and seasonings, stirred in some sour cream or cream cheese at the end, and even added a splash of wine.
- It can also be found in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this dish, but it taste like flour What can I do different?
Hi Louis! Ensure that you cook the flour for a bit longer (step 4). Give it a good stir during that step. Ensure that there’s enough fat left in the pan and that it blends in nicely.
Good stuff 👏!!! Easy & can almost make it from memory.
I make every 2 weeks, my 90 y.o. mother loves loves loves it.
That’s so nice to hear, Craig!! 😀 Thank you!
Made this tonight and it was a hit!! But I did need to add more seasoning.
Wonderful! Thanks, Jill!!
My husband and I and our 21 year old twins LOVE this meal! It’s on a weekly rotation in our house. The only part of the instructions that confused me (and I’m certain it’s just me) was where it said “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).” I always use lean ground beef so I wasn’t sure if you were saying not to drain it or drain it. Either way, I leave some in there. We just love it and I am making it tonight!! Thank you!!
Hi! I’m so happy it’s a fam favorite! 😀 That’s right – fattier ground beef will need to be drained, so that’s why I put the note in there. I don’t drain when using lean.
I think that this may be the easiest meal that I have EVER made!
Aww thank you!!
This is a good, cozy meal. I used penne because I didn’t have egg noodles and it turned out fine. Next time I think I’ll add some mushrooms and a bit more Worcestershire sauce just to bump up the flavor. Will definitely make again!
Excellent! Thank you!
Boring, I like Hamburger Helper better.
Cool.
Hamburger Helper is full of preservatives and other unhealthy ingredients, you obviously don’t know much or care about what you put in your body. The fact that you had to voice your preference for a boxed meal in the manner you did says alot about you as a person, too bad you thought other people cared about your opinion. Miserable people aim to make people miserable, hope you find a better way to be human.
Huh. Weird flex but ok. We can’t all be decent cooks, I suppose. 🤣
Why do any recipes call for egg noodles
They suck!!!!!
Hi Cheryl! I guess everyone has different tastes. The world would be pretty boring if we all disliked egg noodles. 😉 With that said, feel free to swap with a different variety of noodles or pasta.
Excellent!!
Thanks so much, Pam!
I have already cooked beef tenderloins in the freezer. What if I cut them into chunks instead of browning ground beef?
Sure!
What is a serving size, a cup, 2 cups per 282 calories??
Thank you
Hi! It’s 1/4 of the recipe (4 servings total indicated at the top of the recipe card). Nutrition info is calculated automatically from a database of ingredients and is just an estimate. You’d have to weigh your own ingredients and plug it into something like My Fitness Pal for info beyond that.