Slow Cooker Beef Tips And Noodles Recipe

There's nothing quite like a home-cooked meal after a long hard day at work — especially when you barely lift a finger to prepare it. Even better is when you've enjoyed a productive day at home on the weekend tackling projects, and all you have to do is sit down at the table and dive into a delicious dinner where most of the work has been done by none other than a slow cooker. Beef tips and noodles make up a hearty meal that you could fix on the stovetop, but the flavors are brought to amazing heights when you prepare it in a slow cooker. Recipe developer Mackenzie Ryan of Food Above Gold describes this dish as "comfort food in a bowl," and we are so here for it.

"The deep, savory, roasted flavor of the meat in the gravy tastes like you spent hours [working in the kitchen], even though the slow cooker did most of the work for you," Ryan says. "The slow cooker is perfect for this recipe, because the low and slow cooking time allows the meat to cook to fork-tender perfection without having to constantly supervise the liquid content and making sure that nothing scorches to the pan."

If you're ready to whip up a recipe that your family and friends will surely fall in love with, grab your shopping list, and get your slow cooker out of the cupboard.

For this recipe, you'll need to pick up 3 pounds of sirloin tips, olive oil, butter, flour, beef broth, dried parsley, paprika, dried marjoram, whole-grain mustard, Worcestershire sauce, an onion, minced garlic cloves, a bay leaf, stems of fresh thyme, and dried egg noodles. 

Ryan advises that if you have the time to make homemade beef broth yourself, it's totally worth it. "The flavor of a quality homemade broth surpasses store-bought any day. If store-bought is the way you need to go, look for a beef stock instead of a beef broth for more flavor," she explains.

When selecting sirloin beef tips for this recipe, Ryan says they may not be readily available at the store, so in a pinch, you can substitute stew beef meat or a beef chuck roast that you cut yourself. "I prefer the beef chuck roast, because it has more connective tissues, which make the sauce more gelatinous," Ryan says. "The sirloin tip actually comes from the round primal cut, not the sirloin, so if you don't find it labeled as a sirloin tip, try looking for a round tip. They are the same thing, different names. Also, you can get a tip roast, center roast, or side roast, and cut them into the pieces. All three are perfect for slow cooking and a pretty economical cut."

Take out a heavy-bottomed pan, and over medium-high heat, warm up 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it's hot. Ryan prefers a basic olive oil, because it tends to have a higher smoke point than an extra-virgin or virgin olive oil. "You're looking to add just the vaguest hint of flavor, but the focus is more on quality browning. You can easily substitute with neutral cooking oil as well," she says.

Once the oil is hot, add the 3 pounds of sirloin tips or other cut of meat, and cook until deeply browned, which should take approximately 10 minutes. Be sure to stir as needed. Remove the beef from the pot, and transfer it to a plate for the time being.

Beef tips and noodles don't have the pizazz that's needed without a rich, thick, and creamy roux as a base. Using the same pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter, and once in liquid form, whisk in ¼ cup of flour. Cook the roux mixture until it smells toasty and is lightly browned, which should take you only a couple of minutes. Whisk in 6 cups of beef broth very slowly, and allow the mixture to reach a boil.

"The hardest part of this dish is the patience to let the sirloin tips brown well enough. This process can take up to 20 minutes, depending on how large your pan is, as well as the roast size and how small you cut them. The more time and attention you pay to this, the better your gravy will be. Other than that, this recipe is a cinch. Just set it and forget it," Ryan says.

Ryan's recipe for slow cooker beef tips and noodles has an extra kick with a load of spices and seasonings that other recipes don't necessarily call for. Next, stir in 1 teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of dried marjoram, 1 tablespoon of dried parsley, 1 teaspoon of whole grain mustard, and 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the mixture until the sauce is slightly thickened.

According to Ryan, "The paprika and thyme are a great base layer for the dried spices, but the marjoram adds a certain punch. Marjoram has a woodsy flavor to it, similar to thyme or oregano, but isn't used nearly as much. As a result, it provides a unique profile that sets this recipe aside from others."

Carefully put the browned beef tips into the slow cooker, and cover with one chopped onion, six minced garlic cloves, one bay leaf, and four to six stems of fresh thyme. Gingerly pour the roux into the slow cooker on top of the other ingredients, and cover with the lid. Set the slow cooker to low, and cook for six hours, but Ryan points out that the slow cooker can be set on low for a longer period of time if needed. "This recipe should create plenty of sauce so it won't burn if you're away from the slow cooker longer," she says.

Whether you're tackling a project at home, away at a kiddo's activity, or behind the desk for work, the slow cooker now will do all the work for you. When the cooking time is up, you'll bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook 24 ounces of dried egg noodles according to the instructions on the package.

Since the gravy for this recipe is already thickened with a roux, Ryan prefers to use dried egg noodles. "If you chose not to thicken the gravy, you could use the frozen [kind], and the starch would thicken up the gravy for you. This is a lot easier if you have a slow cooker with a cast-aluminum insert that goes from slow cooker to cooktop without making more dishes," she explains.

Once you lift the lid off the slow cooker, you can smell how amazing this recipe is. Do not be surprised if your stomach begins to growl. Before serving, remove the thyme stems and bay leaf from the beef tips, and season the dish with salt and pepper. For an extra kick, add butter to the warm egg noodles, and let it melt onto the noodles before scooping up the beef tips and roux and adding them on top of the noodles. The richness of this recipe will astound you and make it quickly become a favorite in your home.