Easy Beef and Noodles

This easy beef and noodles is a lighter, faster version of beef stroganoff, which is known for its rich, creamy sauce and juicy meat. This version saves time because it uses pre-cooked deli roast beef simmered in a savory beef broth. The entire recipe, including cooking the noodles, takes less than half an hour to complete. It also makes two servings, which makes it perfect if you prefer to avoid leftovers.

Easy Beef and Noodles Ingredients

• Noodles: Choose yolk-free noodle brands if you can.
• Fresh mushrooms and onion: Mushrooms and onions help to bulk up the recipe, adding chew and some earthy-sweet flavor.
• Beef broth: Simmering the beef, mushrooms and onions in beef broth helps to tenderize them while adding rich, meaty flavor.
• Deli roast beef: Forget hours spent cooking beef for this recipe; get sliced deli roast beef that just needs to be warmed up.
• Sour cream and fresh parsley: These are optional garnishes to add just before serving.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the noodles and simmer the beef

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Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the mushrooms and onion in oil until both are tender. Add the broth, the roast beef and some pepper. Bring the broth to a boil and then turn down the heat to let the dish simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Assemble and garnish the noodles

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Drain the noodles and stir them into the skillet. Garnish the dish with sour cream and parsley before serving, if desired.

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Easy Beef and Noodles Variations

• Try another noodle shape: Most will reach for a standard, short and twisty noodle shape for this dish, but if you want, you can try other shapes, like farfalle. Check out all the different pasta shapes that you can choose from with our ultimate guide to pasta shapes.

How to Store Easy Beef and Noodles

This recipe makes only two servings, but if you still end up with leftovers (or if you doubled the recipe), place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to four days. Keep in mind that when you want to eat the leftovers, reheating them could affect the texture of both the noodles and the beef.

Can you make easy beef and noodles ahead of time?

This dish doesn’t lend itself well to being made ahead of time. Cooked noodles can become sticky and mushy when stored in the refrigerator, and the repeated heating and reheating of the roast beef can make it dry and tough. Reheating it yet again to serve would take its toll on the beef’s texture. That might not be such an issue when you’re grabbing some leftovers for a quick lunch, but it could be an issue if making the entire dish to serve later. That repeated heating and cooling could also increase the chances that the meat will spoil. There are plenty of other make-ahead healthy beef dinners that will work better.

Easy Beef and Noodles Tips

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Do the noodles need to be yolk-free?

If all you have on hand are whole-egg or egg-free noodles, go ahead and use what you have. However, if you have a choice, go for yolk-free noodles. Egg noodles that are yolk-free are richer in flavor than egg-free noodles but not as rich and tender as whole-egg noodles. Because this recipe focuses on both the noodles and the beef, you want the flavor and texture of the noodles to be equal partners with the beef. Egg-free noodles may be overwhelmed by the flavor of the beef, while whole-egg noodles will taste a lot richer and have a noticeably tender texture that would outshine the tenderness of the beef. Yolk-free noodles strike that necessary balance.

What type of mushrooms are you supposed to use?

Button and cremini mushrooms are both mushroom types that work well, and they’re both easy to find in stores. Any mushroom that keeps its shape well when sliced and cooked and that has a mild flavor should do. Mushrooms with more pungent or stronger flavors may be too strong for this recipe.

Does the type of onion matter?

Yellow or white onions are the best types of onions for this recipe, with yellow taking the lead. Red onions can be too pungent at times (it’s hit or miss; it’s hard to know whether a red onion will be too strong until you taste it), and sweet onions are better for eating in salads as their flavor is milder.