French Onion Beef and Noodles is a creamy one-pot dinner: savory bites of beef stew meat and soft egg noodles simmered in beef broth and a can of French onion soup, then stirred with tangy sour cream and parmesan and finished with a crunchy layer of French fried onions. It’s an easy weeknight meal that serves 4 and is ready in about 40 minutes.
How to make it: Sear the seasoned beef for 3 to 5 minutes, simmer it on low in the broth and soup for 10 minutes, then cook the noodles right in the pot for 10 more minutes. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream and parmesan and top with the fried onions.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pot: the noodles cook in the same broth as the beef, so there’s no second pot to boil and drain.
- Quick for a beef dinner: 5 minutes of prep, and the rest is searing and simmering.
- Budget friendly: stew meat is one of the cheaper cuts of beef.
- Creamy and crunchy: a silky sauce under a layer of crispy fried onions.
Ingredient Notes
Beef stew meat: One pound. The section below covers how to get it tender.
French onion soup: One 10.5-ounce can. With the broth, it’s the liquid the noodles cook in and the base of the sauce.
Beef broth: Three cups. Beef bone broth works in its place.
Egg noodles: 12 ounces, straight from the bag into the pot. Extra wide egg noodles work well too.
Onion powder and garlic powder: One teaspoon of each, plus salt and pepper, season the beef right in the pot.
Sour cream and parmesan: Half a cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup of parmesan go in last, off the heat, and turn the broth into a creamy sauce.
French fried onions: One cup of the crispy fried onions, sprinkled over the top.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound beef stew meat
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 10.5 ounces French onion soup (1 can)
- 3 cups beef broth
- 12 ounces egg noodles, uncooked
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup French fried onions
How to Make French Onion Beef and Noodles
1. Heat the oil. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Season the beef. Add the beef and season it with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Sear the beef. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the beef is seared on all sides. It will still look a little pink inside; it finishes cooking in the broth.
4. Add the soup and broth. Add the French onion soup and beef broth and bring to a simmer.
5. Simmer, then add the noodles. Simmer the beef on low for 10 minutes. Add the egg noodles and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally and pushing the noodles down into the broth so they cook evenly, until the noodles are tender and the beef reaches at least 145°F on a food thermometer.
6. Finish and serve. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and parmesan cheese, then sprinkle the French fried onions over the top.
What Beef to Use and How to Make It Tender
Buy beef stew meat. It’s the cut this dish is built around, and it’s easy on your budget. The catch is that stew meat can also be tough, so it needs its time simmering in the broth.
Sear for color, not to cook it through. The few minutes in hot oil are only there to brown the outside. Don’t worry if you still see some pink when the soup and broth go in; the beef keeps cooking from that point on.
Don’t skip the first simmer. Those 10 minutes on low, before any noodles go in, are what tenderize the beef. Then it gets another 10 minutes while the noodles cook, so your beef simmers twice as long as the noodles do.
Want it fall-apart tender? Give it hours instead of minutes. USDA FSIS notes that the low heat of a slow cooker helps less expensive, leaner cuts of meat become tender. The Instant Pot gets you there faster. Here’s how the three methods compare:
| Method | Beef | Noodles |
|---|---|---|
| Stovetop | Sear 3 to 5 minutes, then simmer 10 minutes on low | Uncooked egg noodles, 10 more minutes in the pot |
| Slow cooker | 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high | Frozen egg noodles, 20 to 30 minutes on high with the lid on |
| Instant Pot | 20 minutes at high pressure, then a 10-minute natural release | Frozen egg noodles on the sauté setting, stirring often, until cooked through |
Tips for Success
Why does it look like way too many noodles?
When the dry noodles first go in, it will seem like a lot of noodles for the pot. That’s fine: they cook down into the sauce as they soften.
Why are some noodles still firm or stuck together?
They were sitting above the liquid. Noodles only cook evenly under the broth, so stir occasionally and keep pushing them down while they simmer; the stirring also keeps them from sticking.
When should the fried onions go on?
Right before you serve, once the sauce is creamy. Use as many as you like, and add a little parsley on top if you have some.
Variations
- Slow cooker: melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet and sauté 1 large thinly sliced onion for 5 minutes, then move it to the slow cooker. Toss 20 ounces of thawed stew meat with 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 packet of onion soup mix and a bay leaf, then cook for the time in the table above. Remove the bay leaf, stir in 12 ounces of frozen egg noodles and cook until tender, then stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of sour cream.
- Instant Pot: use the same ingredients as the slow cooker. Sauté the onion in the butter on the sauté setting for 5 minutes, add the beef, seasonings, water, soup mix and bay leaf, and pressure cook as in the table. Discard the bay leaf, cook the frozen noodles on sauté, then stir in the balsamic vinegar and sour cream.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Freezing is safe, but FSIS lists cream sauce among the foods that don’t freeze well, and cream can separate and look curdled after thawing, so the fridge is the better home for this one. Reheat it covered on the stove or in the microwave until it reaches 165°F, adding a little liquid if needed. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
It’s a full meal in one pot, so bring it to the table in the pot with the fried onions on top and let everyone help themselves. If you love beef and noodles, try slow cooker Amish beef and noodles in a rich gravy, or slow cooker 4-ingredient beef and noodles for a hands-off day. Ground beef stroganoff is another creamy sour cream dinner. For more French onion flavor, make French onion meatloaf, 4-ingredient French onion chicken or French onion pork chops.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients for French onion beef and noodles?
The base is beef stew meat, beef broth, a can of French onion soup and egg noodles. Onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper season the beef, sour cream and parmesan make it creamy, and French fried onions go on top.
What kind of sauce goes with beef and noodles?
Here the sauce makes itself. The noodles simmer in beef broth and French onion soup, and a last stir of sour cream and parmesan turns that savory liquid into a creamy French onion sauce.
Can you use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder?
Yes. Stir 1 teaspoon of minced garlic into the hot oil until it begins to brown, then add the beef and season it with salt and pepper. Leave out the garlic powder.
Can you make it without parmesan?
Yes. Leave the cheese out and stir in 8 ounces of sour cream instead of 1/2 cup.
Final Notes
Use a large pot or Dutch oven so the noodles have room to stay under the broth while they cook. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
French Onion Beef and Noodles
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound beef stew meat
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10.5 ounces French onion soup 1 can
- 3 cups beef broth
- 12 ounces egg noodles uncooked
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup French fried onions
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef and season it with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the beef is seared on all sides. It will still look a little pink inside; it finishes cooking in the broth.
- Add the French onion soup and beef broth and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer the beef on low for 10 minutes. Add the egg noodles and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally and pushing the noodles down into the broth so they cook evenly, until the noodles are tender and the beef reaches at least 145°F on a food thermometer.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and parmesan cheese, then sprinkle the French fried onions over the top.
