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Across Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas and a good stretch of country around them, beef and noodles over mashed potatoes is what was served at town suppers, school cafeterias and every Sunday table that had a chuck roast to work with. People from elsewhere ask why anyone would put noodles on potatoes. People who grew up with it do not understand the question.
The dish is simple and it takes an afternoon. A chuck roast is browned hard, then simmered low in beef broth with an onion and a bay leaf for three hours, until it falls apart when you look at it. Then the thick egg noodles, the wide floury kind, are cooked right in that broth, never in a separate pot of water, and the flour on them turns the broth to gravy on its own. The beef goes back in, and it is all ladled over mashed potatoes with a dent in the middle.
Why this beef and noodles works
- Chuck roast, browned on every side. Chuck melts over three hours into tender shreds, and the browning is where the flavor of the gravy starts.
- Noodles cooked IN the broth. They soak up beef flavor instead of plain water, and the flour they shed thickens the broth. Boil them separately and you lose both.
- Thick egg noodles. Frozen egg noodles are dense and chewy, closer to a dumpling than to pasta, and they stand up to 20 minutes of simmering.
- Stiff mashed potatoes. Potatoes mashed a little firmer than usual hold their shape, and their dent, under a ladle of hot gravy.
Ingredients
Serves 8 over mashed potatoes. The measurements are in US cups and pounds with grams in brackets.
For the beef and noodles
- 1 chuck roast, about 3 pounds (1.4kg)
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to finish
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus plenty more to finish
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cups beef broth (1.4 liters)
- 1 bay leaf
- One 16 ounce bag thick egg noodles (450g), the frozen kind if you can get them
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch stirred into 2 tablespoons cold water, only if needed
For the mashed potatoes
- 3 pounds russet potatoes (1.4kg), peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 tablespoons butter (55g)
- 1/2 cup warm milk (120ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Frozen thick egg noodles go into the pot still frozen. Low-sodium broth is the safer choice, because the liquid reduces.
How to make beef and noodles
The beef
- Pat the chuck roast dry and season it all over with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the roast on every side, 4 to 5 minutes a side, until it has a deep brown crust.
- Add the chopped onion around the roast and stir it for 2 minutes. Pour in the 6 cups of beef broth, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom, and add the bay leaf. Bring it to a simmer, put the lid on, turn the heat to low and cook for 3 hours, until the beef falls apart when you press it with a fork.
- Take the beef out onto a board and shred it with two forks. Fish out the bay leaf.
The noodles
- Bring the broth in the pot to a boil. Add the egg noodles, stir well, and cook them in the broth, uncovered, at a steady low boil for about 20 minutes, stirring often so they do not stick. They are done when they are tender and the broth has thickened into a loose gravy.
- The flour from the noodles thickens it. If the gravy is still thin once the noodles are tender, stir in the cornstarch and cold water and boil for 1 minute.
- Put the shredded beef back in the pot. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper, and heat it through for 2 to 3 minutes.
The potatoes and the plate
- While the noodles cook, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain them well, then mash with the butter, the warm milk and the salt. Keep them a little stiffer than usual.
- Put a pile of mashed potatoes on each plate, press a dent into the middle with the back of a spoon, and ladle the beef and noodles over the top so the gravy runs down into the potatoes.
Tips that make the difference
- Do not rush the browning. A pale roast makes a pale, flat gravy.
- Keep the simmer low. The broth should barely bubble under the lid. A hard boil toughens the beef.
- If the pot looks dry, add hot broth, 1/2 cup at a time.
- Pepper is the main seasoning of this dish. Use more than seems reasonable.
Variations
- Slow cooker. Brown the roast, then cook it with the onion, broth and bay leaf on low for 8 to 9 hours. Cook the noodles in the broth on the stove as written.
- Oven braise. After adding the broth, cover the pot and put it in a 300°F oven for 3 hours instead of on the burner.
- With vegetables. Add 2 sliced carrots and 2 sliced ribs of celery with the onion.
- Chicken and noodles. The same dish made with a stewed chicken and chicken broth goes over mashed potatoes too.
Storage and make-ahead
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 4 days. The noodles go on soaking up gravy, so the pot will be very thick the next day. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth.
To make it ahead, braise and shred the beef a day or two early and refrigerate it in its broth. Lift off the fat, boil the broth, and cook the noodles fresh.
The shredded beef freezes well in its broth for 3 months. Cooked noodles turn soft when thawed, so add them on the day.
Frequently asked questions
Why do you serve beef and noodles over mashed potatoes?
Because the gravy needs somewhere to go. It is the traditional way across the Midwest, where the dish came out of farm kitchens, and the potatoes turn one pot roast into dinner for eight.
Can I use dried egg noodles instead of frozen?
Yes. Use 12 ounces of wide dried egg noodles, cook them in the broth for only 8 to 10 minutes, and expect a thinner gravy. The cornstarch and cold water will fix that.
What cut of beef is best for beef and noodles?
Chuck roast. It has the marbling to turn tender and juicy over a long simmer.
How do I fix beef and noodles that came out too thick or too thin?
Too thick: stir in hot broth a little at a time. Too thin: simmer a few minutes more, or add the spoon of cornstarch in cold water and boil for a minute.
Make the potatoes a little stiff, press the dent, and ladle it on. Whoever has never seen noodles on potatoes will take one bite and stop asking questions.
Beef and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes (The Midwest Classic)
Old-fashioned Midwest beef and noodles: a chuck roast braised until it falls apart, thick egg noodles cooked right in the broth until it turns to gravy on its own, all of it ladled over a pile of mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 chuck roast, about 3 pounds
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to finish
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus plenty more to finish
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- One 16 ounce bag thick egg noodles (450g), the frozen kind if you can get them
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch stirred into 2 tablespoons cold water, only if needed
- 3 pounds russet potatoes (1.4kg), peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pat the chuck roast dry and season it all over with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the roast on every side, 4 to 5 minutes a side, until it has a deep brown crust.
- Add the chopped onion around the roast and stir it for 2 minutes. Pour in the 6 cups of beef broth, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom, and add the bay leaf. Bring it to a simmer, put the lid on, turn the heat to low and cook for 3 hours, until the beef falls apart when you press it with a fork.
- Take the beef out onto a board and shred it with two forks. Fish out the bay leaf.
- Bring the broth in the pot to a boil. Add the egg noodles, stir well, and cook them in the broth, uncovered, at a steady low boil for about 20 minutes, stirring often so they do not stick. They are done when they are tender and the broth has thickened into a loose gravy.
- The flour from the noodles thickens it. If the gravy is still thin once the noodles are tender, stir in the cornstarch and cold water and boil for 1 minute.
- Put the shredded beef back in the pot. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper, and heat it through for 2 to 3 minutes.
- While the noodles cook, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain them well, then mash with the butter, the warm milk and the salt. Keep them a little stiffer than usual.
- Put a pile of mashed potatoes on each plate, press a dent into the middle with the back of a spoon, and ladle the beef and noodles over the top so the gravy runs down into the potatoes.
