Minced Beef and Noodles

A while back I made a huge pan of this for some friends as part of a care package. Since then I’ve been asked for the recipe, so here it is. I make this version in my crock pot, but you can bake this off in the oven, about 3 hours at 350 degrees if you decide to go that route. Thicken and shred the meat the same way as the crock pot version.

• 6 tbsp. butter, divided
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. beef chuck roast
• salt/pepper
• 1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms, button, cremini or whatever you like will work
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 cloves minced garlic (about 1 tablespoon)
• (1) 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. bouillon
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. ground or whole dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 3 tbsp. quick mix flour (like Wondra)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional – but yummy!)
• 1 package egg noodles (prepared according to package directions)

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In a large cast iron or regular skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil over medium high heat. Season both sides of the beef roast with about 1 tsp kosher salt (total 1 teaspoon on the meat) and cracked black pepper. Once the skillet is hot and the butter is melted add the roast and let it brown for about 5-7 minutes per side to sear it off in the butter and oil. Add about 1 cup of stock to the bottom of your crock pot, then add the seared meat.

In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook the onion and mushrooms until they just start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and let that cook out for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, Worcestershire, dried thyme and oregano, bouillion, about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh cracked pepper. Stir together and pour over the beef in the crock pot. Add the remaining 1 cup of beef stock and make sure the meat is mostly submerged in the cooking liquid. Add a little more stock if needed. Cook in the crock pot on high temp for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Whatever works for your scheduled is fine…it will be great either way.

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After a couple of hours and/or towards the end of your cooking time, taste for seasoning. Add salt, pepper Worcestershire, or any of the dried seasonings that you feel you need. I do this a few times during the cooking process if I’m home. No rules here, just however you want it to taste is great! Continue cooking until the meat is fork tender – it pull apart very easily with a fork turned in it – then remove the meat to a rimmed baking sheet. Use a couple of forks or a knife to shred/chop the meat into the size chunks you like. Ladle out most of the cooking liquid from the crock pot and put it in a stock pot. It’s OK if you grab a mushroom or two…they are all going back in the same pot eventually. Return the shredded meat to the crock pot and put the lid back on. Lower the temp to Low if you were cooking on high, just to keep it warm.

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Now we are going to thicken up the sauce, kind of like making gravy. Heat the liquid up in the stock pan under medium heat until it starts to simmer. Mix the flour with about 1/2 cup of cold water in a measuring cup, and stir until the flour dissolves. Whisk the flour/water into the simmering stock and continue stirring until the sauce starts to thicken up, just like gravy. Taste this for seasoning too, add Worcestershire, salt, pepper etc. to taste. At this point you can add 1/2 cup or so of heavy whipping cream to make the sauce a little more luxurious. Totally optional. Pour the gravy back over the meat and veggies in the crock pot and stir to combine the meat and sauce. Let that hang out together while you make the egg noodles according to the package directions – I suggest adding butter to the cooked noodles, but again, that’s optional. To serve, add egg noodles to a serving bowl and ladle over the meat and sauce. I’m also thinking this would be good over cheesy polenta or creamy mashed potatoes but I’ve not tried that yet. If you roll that way let me know how that is. This is really good with garlic bread or some yeast rolls and butter on the side, just sayin’! Yum! Enjoy!