- 1½ to 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1½-inch cubes (boneless beef chuck roast cut into chunks works equally well, as does pork shoulder for a slightly richer, sweeter result)
- 2 cans (10.5 ounces each) condensed French onion soup, undiluted — do not add water; the concentrated soup is what creates the thick, flavorful gravy
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted — this adds body, creaminess, and an earthy depth that rounds out the onion-forward French onion soup beautifully
- 8 to 10 ounces wide egg noodles or ribbon pasta — wide egg noodles are the classic choice, but any broad, flat pasta will work; the width is important because wider noodles hold the thick sauce better than thin pasta would
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1: Load the Slow Cooker
Place the beef cubes in an even layer in the bottom of a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. There is no need to brown the meat first — while browning does add additional flavor through the Maillard reaction, the long, slow cooking time with the condensed soups will develop enough depth that the extra step is genuinely unnecessary for this recipe. Pour both cans of condensed French onion soup and the can of condensed cream of mushroom soup directly over the beef. Use a spoon or spatula to gently push the beef pieces so they are mostly submerged in or well coated with the soup mixture. Do not add any additional water or liquid — the condensed soups contain all the moisture needed for the beef to cook properly and for the sauce to develop its concentrated flavor.
Step 2: Cook Low and Slow
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. The longer, lower cooking time is preferred if you have it available — the beef becomes more tender and the sauce develops more complex flavor over 7 to 8 hours on LOW than it does over the shorter HIGH setting. By the end of the cooking time, the beef should be completely tender and beginning to fall apart at the edges, and the sauce should be thick, dark, glossy, and deeply fragrant with caramelized onion and savory beef aromas.
