If you’re into soups packed with tender beef, veggies galore, and noodles that soak up every bit of delicious broth, then this is your new go-to. It’s hearty, it’s filling, and trust me, it’s not just another noodle soup. This Beef Noodle Soup is all about layering rich flavors—starting with the perfect sear on the beef, adding plenty of veggies for both texture and taste, and finishing with wide egg noodles that make every spoonful a little bit of magic. Think of it as comfort in a bowl, made to satisfy in the most delicious way. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 1½ pounds of beef stew meat and brown it on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Don’t overcrowd the pot; if needed, brown the beef in batches. Browning adds flavor, so don’t skip this step! Once browned, remove the beef from the pot and set it aside. Tip: Browning the beef creates those tasty caramelized bits on the bottom of the pot, which add tons of flavor to the soup. In the same pot, add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Cook everything for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften. You might need a little more oil if the pot is too dry. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant. Return the browned beef to the pot with the veggies. Pour in 8 cups of beef broth, 1 cup of water, and toss in 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme and rosemary, plus 2 bay leaves. If you’re using beef bouillon, crumble 1-2 cubes into the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and give it all a good stir. Bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 1 hour, or until the beef is tender and the flavors have melded together. Tip: The longer you let it simmer, the more flavorful the soup becomes. Just be sure to check the beef for tenderness. Stir in 2 cups of wide egg noodles or your favorite pasta and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add 1 cup of frozen peas. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
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title: “Beef Noodle Soup” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-03” author: “Michael Forde”
Be sure to try my Slow Cooker Beef Stew and my Steak Bites recipes next!
Beef Noodle Soup
I can’t think of anything more cozy than a nice warm bowl of this Beef Noodle Soup. The techniques used in this recipe ensure the most flavorful and tender beef, rich and savory broth, and endless vegetable combination options. You can use a variety of different cuts of beef, and it’s definitely a good candidate for the slow cooker as well as the stove top. Be sure to check out all of my PRO tips and information below, this soup is a labor of love, but very much worth it- you’ll know it once you taste it!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. See notes section of the recipe card for the Crock Pot Method. Heat olive oil and sauté the mushrooms in batches until golden on each side. Set aside. Season and sear the meat on each side until just browned on the outside, leave the middle red and cold. Transfer to a plate.
Deglaze the skillet with wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the butter, onions, carrots, and celery and soften for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and soup seasonings. Add the beef and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the meat and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the peas while you cook the noodles separately. (See section below as to why that’s done separately.) Add the mushrooms back to the soup. To serve, add the cooked noodles to serving bowls and ladle the soup on top. (If you don’t anticipate leftovers, you can add the cooked noodles to the pot of soup.)
Cooking the Noodles Separately
Although it’s convenient to cook the noodles right in the soup, there are 3 reasons why I recommend boiling them separately and adding them directly to serving bowls:
Boiling the soup to cook the noodles will cause the meat to become tough and chewy instead of tender. Alternatively, cooking the noodles slowly in the soup can make them gummy. Noodles absorb a lot of broth during storage, (and while they cook), so it’s best to store the soup and the noodles separately. To serve, add the noodles directly to serving bowls and ladle the soup on top. Cooking the noodles in the soup also makes the broth starchier. I use Riesa Wavy Egg Noodles for this recipe. Feel free to butter the noodles when they’re done cooking to prevent them from sticking together. You can then refrigerate leftover noodles in an airtight container.
*If you’ve reviewed the info above and still prefer to cook the noodles in the soup, feel free to do so. You may want to use an extra cup of broth to account for what will be absorbed during cooking.
Best Cuts of Meat to Use
Sirloin and Tenderloin Roasts are pricier but more tender, which requires less cooking time to render down than tougher cuts of meat. (Ideal for stove top cooking.) Chuck Roast, Rump Roast, and Bottom Rounds are more economical cuts that render down nicely if cooked using the slow cooker method. The best option is Chuck, then Rump, then Bottom Round. You may also have the option to buy packaged stew meat that’s already cubed. While this also will work, I prefer to purchase it whole so that I can choose the cut I want. Stew meat isn’t always clearly labeled as to what cut it’s from. (But it’s almost always a tougher cut that requires slow cooking.)
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This soup freezes well, and freezes best without the noodles. If freezing with noodles, be sure to set a timer to avoid overcooking them so that they aren’t mushy when reheated.
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4.5 Quart Dutch Oven– This is the one pictured in this recipe. Meat Tenderizer– I cut the meat myself instead of purchasing cubed stew meat. This allows me to choose the cut, and to tenderize each side before cubing for more tender results. Chef Knife– I have this one, it works well for cutting meat. Kitchen Tongs– Easy to handle/flip the meat while browning. Slow Cooker– This one has a browning/sauté function so that you can sear the meat right in the pot before slow cooking. (It also functions as an Instant Pot.) Better Than Bouillon– I use this for my recipes as it’s easy to measure out customized amounts of broth and takes up very little storage space in the fridge. One jar lasts a long time! 16 oz. storage containers I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
