Beef and Noodles is a creamy comfort dish that your whole family will love! Done in about 30 minutes, this is a perfect weeknight dinner win.
I have another dinner win for you today! This recipe is done in 35 minutes, made with simple ingredients, and is loaded with flavor. It is comfort food at it’s finest and your family will love it.
I’m so happy that you all can’t see me as I take photos of the food you see. Not only is my hair usually in the mad scientist category, so often I am sneaking bites of what I’m shooting. It just looks too good!
This Beef and Noodle recipe was no exception. The creamy deep flavor is irresistible, and I know you are going to make this a regular in your family’s rotation.
Absolutely delicious, excellent for those days comfort food are needed. Even my husband who detests any type of ‘casserole’ dishes enjoyed it and will happily eat it again. Will definitely become part of our meal rotation. Thanks!
Beef and Noodles Ingredients
These simple ingredients come together to make the most perfect comfort food!
- Ground Beef
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Onion
- Flour
- White Wine
- Heavy Cream
- Milk
- Noodles
- Paprika
- Salt & Pepper
Cooking with Wine
I love cooking with wine, because it is such an easy way to add depth of flavor to a recipe. If you are new to cooking with wine, here are two things to consider.
- Don’t buy wine that is labeled cooking wine. The flavor tends to have a more vinegar taste that will intensify with cooking.
- Use a wine you would drink a glass of. Since the flavor gets deeper with cooking, you want something you really like.
Pro Tip: You don’t have to break the bank! You can get the cheaper varieties that come in small bottles of four. That way you can use a little without opening a whole bottle.
Alternatives to Wine
If you or someone you are cooking for doesn’t drink wine, you can substitute beef stock and about a teaspoon of lemon juice for it in this recipe. It will have a slightly different flavor, but will still be delicious.
Cooking Noodles
When adding pasta to dishes, I like to offer tips on cooking it. I know it seems straight forward, but there are a few details that can make a big difference.
- Make sure you use enough water. A pound of noodles requires 4 quarts of water.
- Bring the water to a roaring boil before adding noodles.
- Salt the water. I like to add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
- Before adding the noodles make a note of the cooking time for that noodle on the box. Cooking time varies, so make sure you look.
- At the bottom of the cooking time range (ie at 10 minutes on a noodle that says 10 to 12 minutes), check a noodle. It should have a little bite to it left. It should not be super soft.
- FOR THIS RECIPE: Make sure you pull out some of that starchy cooking water.
- Immediately drain the noodles.
If at the end of the recipe the noodles are all clumped together, you can rinse them in warm water for 30 seconds. They will loosen up and be easier to stir into your recipe.
Saving Time On This Recipe
There are a few important tips that help you save time in this recipe.
- Start the pasta water before you do anything else. You are boiling a whole pound, so it will take time for the water to come to a boil and the noodles to cook.
- Buy pre sliced mushrooms. I love the baby bellas that are pre-sliced. It cuts a decent chunk of time.
- Once the beef is cooking, use that time to measure out the spices, flour, wine, milk and cream.
Other Great Pasta Dishes
- Broccoli Pasta: This recipe is getting great reviews! It’s simple, fast, and economical.
- Philly Cheesesteak Casserole: This is one of my most popular recipes. It’s easy and families love it.
- Noodle Stir Fry: This is our go to dinner when we don’t know what else to make!
Recommended Tools:
- Good Knives: I love these ones. They are workhorses and never quit.
- Measuring Spoons: My favorite part of these are that they are double sided. But I also love that they are magnetic for easy storing.
- Skillet: I’m obsessed over the Ikea Skillet you see pictured here. It just cooks things perfectly. And it is oven proof!
Beef and Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef I used 80/20
- 8 ounces baby mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 pound rigatoni noodles (Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.)
- fresh curly parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Heat a large skillt over medium heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up.
- Once the beef is cooking dice the onion, slice the mushrooms, and mince the garlic. Measure out the salt, paprika, and black pepper.
- After the meat is completely broken up and has browned on the outside, add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Drain the excess grease. Season with salt and peper, and add in the paprika. Whisk in the flour.
- Add in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits. Whisk in the heavy cream and milk. Bring to a simmer and cook on low for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the drained noodles. Add a little reserved pasta water if necessary to loosen up the sauce. Serve with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!
Carl Pirro says
Yummy Lisa, sounds great.
I hope you love it, Carl!
Kristin M Brockman says
This looks & sounds delicious! A very comforting meal!! Thanks for sharing!!
I hope your family loves it, Kristin!
Debra Keleher says
Yummy dishes family loved it
Thank you
So glad to hear that Debra!
Jeri Promer says
What kind of noodle did you use
Sorry about that Jeri! It should have been noted in the recipe. I used Rigatoni.
Kent A says
Nice recipe! This looks very similar to a seashell pasta casserole that my mom used to make, so I can’t wait to try it. Just one extra note: cooking wine not only tastes more vinegary, it’s required by law to have lots of salt to make it undrinkable which IMO makes it almost useless for cooking as well.
Oooo, thank you for this, Kent! I didn’t know this!
Gracie says
Absolutely delicious, excellent for those days comfort food are needed. Even my husband who detests any type of ‘casserole’ dishes enjoyed it and will happily eat it again. Being me, I had to add a few things..1/4 tsp red pepper flakes to give it a kick and a 1 cup of frozen peas that I added to the pasta for the last couple of minutes of it cooking. Will definitely become part of our meal rotation. Thanks!
I’m so glad you and your husband liked it!
Taylor says
Delicious!
I used maybe 3/4 the amount of pasta. We like it more meaty. :)
Will definitely make again!
Teri L Byrne says
Hi Lisa,
1. Can I use Almond milk as a substitute for milk in your recipes?
2. What about the heavy cream? Any non-dairy substitute that you know about
Hi Teri! I can’t give you a blanket, yes use almond milk as a replacement for milk in every recipe. In the Beef and Noodles, almond milk will work as a substitute. For the heavy cream, I know some people have had good luck with full fat coconut milk. (I would look for unsweetened)
JOHN says
PERFECTION!
So glad you liked it!
Judy Clark says
I really enjoy your posts however, I have a question…..I am widowed but still love to cook so I downsize the post to serve 2 so I have a leftover. When I do that I cannot figure out your measurements such as .17 cup. How do I derive that? Hope you can understand what I am trying to get at. Thank you for an answer.
I’m so sorry, Judy. That is a major flaw in our site that we need to work on. In the meantime, I suggest googling “.17 cup to tablespoons.” It will make it much simpler.