Fall weeknights. The days get shorter yet somehow we seem busier than ever. School and sports have started back up. Dinner is either at 4:30 pm or 9 pm. I have had the best intentions to pack healthy on-the-go snacks and meals between school and activities. Some days, I knock it out of the park and sometimes we eat hot dogs and pretzels sitting in the stands. That’s just the reality of life as a busy parent and busy weeknights.
Busy weeknights can be a challenge, but there are a few things you can do to make them a little easier. First, try to plan ahead and have meals and activities prepared in advance. This will help you avoid last-minute scrambling and stress. Second, focus on the essentials and let go of the rest. So how do I prepare meals for the whole family in a pinch? I keep an arsenal of simple recipes at the ready and in the fall and winter months, most involve a chuck roast, a sirloin roast, or stew meat. Add a slow cooker and you are able to set your whole family up for success.
I am a big fan of crock pot beef. You can create a delicious recipe that cooks all day long and is warm when the family is home and ready for a great meal. All I have to do is pull a beautiful chuck roast out of the freezer, add it to the slow cooker for 8 hours, and create my own recipe card. So what’s the best way to create your own easy recipe? It starts with the perfect cut of Prime Angus Beef. To make mouth-watering slow cooker beef, a chuck roast is pretty tough to beat.
So what exactly is a chuck roast?
A chuck roast is a cut of beef that comes from the shoulder of a cow. It is known for its rich flavor and tenderness when cooked properly. Chuck roast is a popular choice for slow-cooking methods like braising, pot roasting, and slow cooking because it contains a good amount of connective tissue, which, when cooked low and slow, breaks down and results in a tender, flavorful roast.
Chuck roast typically has a moderate amount of intramuscular fat, which adds flavor and juiciness to the meat, creating the perfect amount of marbling. Chuck roast contains connective tissue, such as collagen, which is responsible for the roast’s tenderness after slow cooking. Chuck roast has a robust beefy flavor, making it ideal for the best comfort food. Slow-cooking a chuck roast creates its own beef stock which can be used to create a delicious shredded beef gravy or beef tips and homemade noodles or egg noodles. The best part, it’s the perfect meal for dinner tonight as well as the next day!
What are my family’s favorite shredded beef meals?
- Slow cooker shredded beef stroganoff
- Chuck roast beef and potato soup
- Beef and homemade egg noodles
- Homestyle beef and gravy
I’ll share with you the full recipe for Beef and homemade egg noodles. It’s a classic dish made with a comforting chuck roast and a homemade noodle recipe. The best part is, prep time is only 30 minutes. Yes, you heard me…a hearty meal the whole family will love with only 30 minutes of your precious time. Slow cooker meals are the way to go for busy moms who wish to feed their family when time is of the essence. 8 hours of cooking time and minimal effort give you perfectly tender beef.
Beef and homemade egg noodles
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 Prime Angus Chuck Roast
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 2 cups Beef Broth
Homemade Egg Noodles
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 2-4 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Add chuck roast, seasonings and beef broth to a slow cooker.
- Set slow cooker for 8 hours and walk away.
- 30 minutes before the slow cooker is finished make your homemade noodles.
Homemade Noodles
- Dump 2 cups of flour on a large worksurface and create a "well" in the middle of the flour.
- Add your eggs and gentle whisk the eggs together.
- Continue to slowly mix the egg into the flour. Add a pinch of salt.
- Start with 2 tbsp. of water and slowly add to your well. At this point, your egg noodles should begin to form into a dough like ball. Add water until the dough itself is firm.
- Knead out dough onto a large floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to your desired thickness.
- Cut noodles into smaller pieces and add to your hot slow cooker.
- Allow your noodles to cook along your chuck roast and serve!
The next time you find yourself stressing about what you are going to get on the table, don’t fret. Grab that slow cooker and create delicious beef recipes that the whole family will ask for time and time again. Your simple recipe can create homemade beef dinners for years to come. Get creative and don’t fear those large pieces of meat such as roast and stew meat. You can use simple ingredients to create the best beef recipes. The best comfort food is only a chuck roast and slow cooker away!