Crock Pot Beef Noodle Soup

Delicious Beef Noodle Soup .. perfect for a cold night and easy too... a hearty dinner with only a few minutes of prep .... what could be better?  Let the crock pot do the work for you.

TIPS

A lot of people brown the meat in a skillet first... you certainly can do it.. but it isn't necessary...

I strongly recommend you cook it on low.. the longer cooking time lets the meat become tender... you can speed things up by cooking it on high but the meat may not be as tender.

Warren doesn't care for celery... and honestly.. I never cared for it much in stews.. it can become stringy... but it adds great flavor... you can cut your celery stalks in half.. and put it in that way... then fish them out before serving.

I wrote this recipe for 4 servings...

If you need more just adjust it by adding more ingredients.... the meat to veggie ratio is really up to personal taste... if you like carrots and want more.. add more. it's really that simple. 

As for the seasonings... I didn't measure... I sprinkled the garlic powder and onion powder heavily.. stirred it to get the pieces on the bottom.. and sprinkled more....just a quick sprinkle of salt and pepper... the only thing I measured was the paprika... just increase it by the same amount you increased the meat.. if you doubled the meat.. then double the paprika.

I used about 3/4 of a bag of Muellers extra wide noodles... add them by handfuls... and then stir.. if you want more or less.. do what you prefer.. it won't affect the recipe.

I cooked my noodles in the soup...you can cook them separately.. but I like to cook it in the soup.. the starch from the noodles thickens the soup ... in my opinion... perfectly.

I sprinkled a little fresh chopped parsley over the soup before serving.. it added a bit of color and flavor.. it's optional.

I used 1/2 can of tomato paste... I used the "plain" one.. they come in "flavors" now.. if you want to add a bit more of flavor to your soup.. you can use one of the other varieties... like basil, oregano and garlic.

I added quartered baby Portobello mushrooms to the soup... I love the earthy subtle flavor it adds.. it's totally optional.. you can use regular mushrooms or leave it out.

I added 1/4 cup dry red wine.. a Cabernat Sauvignon works well... it is optional.

Serve this with a crusty bread.. and you have a wonderful dinner chocked full of good things and flavor.

Recipe:  Crock Pot Beef Noodle Soup

All you need:

1 pound lean stew meat

Sprinkling of garlic powder

Sprinkling of onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt

Pepper

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped *See TIPS

1 cup chopped carrots

1 bay leaf

1/2 can tomato paste

About 24 oz beef stock or broth

1/4 cup dry red wine (optional)

8 oz quartered baby Portobello mushrooms (optional)

Dried extra wide noodles

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

All you have to do:

Place the meat into the crock pot.  Sprinkle heavily with garlic and onion powder... and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Stir the meat to coat all sides.

Add the chopped onion, celery, bay leaf, tomato paste and red wine.  Stir well.  Then add enough beef stock or broth to cover and have about 1/4 over the meat and vegetables.

Cook on low for 7 hours.  Then add the quartered Portobello mushrooms.  Cook for 1/2 hour... then add the noodles.  Cook until the noodles are soft about 25-30 minutes depending on the brand of your noodles.

Remove the bay leaf and serve in bowls.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.