Comfort food this time of year is an absolute must at times. The cold weather makes me want to stay inside and eat carbs all day, anyone else? But why do all the great comfort food recipes have to be loaded with processed ingredients and countless words we can’t pronounce? Just in Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup (a typical ingredient used to make beef & noodles) we have loaded GMO ingredients like VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA, AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE (hello digestive nightmare), and DEHYDRATED WHEY.
Then there’s the typical Onion Soup Mix with ingredients of CARAMEL COLOR, MALTODEXTRIN, CORN SYRUP, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, and many more. I could go on and on about just these ingredients but CARAMEL COLOR, some types of this coloring contain a potentially carcinogenic ingredient. For more reasons to avoid caramel color, check out this link: https://www.livestrong.com/article/481406-health-effects-of-caramel-colorings/ My big question, why do we need corn syrup and caramel color in our dry soup mix? It’s not necessary. Yeah I’ll pass on that nonsense in condensed soup and dry soup mix, thanks. Let’s just add the real ingredients to this recipe and call it delicious.
Looking for some comfort food recipes got me thinking, there has to be a healthier version that can be made with the simplicity of a crock pot. I don’t want to have to actually cook something. I started searching for a simple and easy crock pot beef & noodles recipe that could be made, but my efforts produced no results. Thus, I took the idea and created my own with real ingredients and the only work you have to do is boil noodles for about 7 minutes. Doesn’t get much easier in my book.
Enjoy this delicious comfort food recipe from our kitchen.
Instructions
· Place meat, mushrooms (optional), onions, and garlic in crock pot.
· Add in broth, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
· Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
· On a stove top, cook egg noodles according to package.
· While noodles are cooking, In a small bowl combine sour cream, flour, and mustard.—stir into crock pot until mixed well.
· Serve beef mixture over cooked egg noodles.
Helpful Tips
· Buy minced garlic in a jar, saves you a ton of time (Aldi sells a small jar of minced garlic in the baking aisle)
· Use a food chopper or processor to chop onion
· Buy the cut beef stew meet in packages. Fresh Thyme offers a package of grass fed beef stew meat already cut and Aldi occasionally has organic cut stew meat
· For a more tangy taste, add in a full tablespoon instead of 3/4 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

eat your heart out condensed soup
Warning! This recipe is full of flavor and real ingredients. If you are allergic to flavor, take caution in the amount of mustard used in the recipe.