Asian Beef And Pepper Noodles–Quick Dinner

What dinner can be quicker than a stir fry? The answer to that is not too many.

Anything Asian is likely full of flavor. Most Asian stir fries are also economical because meat is, more than likely, used as a condiment. Stir fries are also a great place to use any leftover fresh veggies and meat. If you’re like me, you probably have bits and pieces of fresh veggies in your crisper. With me it’s usually bell peppers–I’ll have half or a quarter of a pepper. That’s perfect for this Asian beef and pepper noodles. With this, I was lucky enough to have several colors of bell peppers due to a sale.

Noodles

I use the Asian stir fry noodles because I love the chewy texture. They have a satisfying texture that spaghetti does not. But since my mantra is always “use what you have” then if you have good old spaghetti, use it here. Trust me I’ve made it with spaghetti and it’s very good.

If I’m using regular spaghetti, I tend to use the No. 8 because it’s a bit thicker that No. 9. Sometimes No. 8 is called spaghetti where No. 9 is called thin spaghetti.

Leftovers?

You betcha!

This is the perfect dish to use them up. I had some leftover uncooked round steak and pepper halves so I took advantage.

Now, I used beef but if you have some rotisserie chicken left over, then use it here. Also, feel free to change up the veggies either to what you have left in the crisper or to ones you prefer over my choices. The two constants here should be onion and garlic–unless you have allergies to either.

The Recipe

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Asian Beef & Pepper Noodles

Leftovers work great here.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: easy stir fry with leftovers, lo mein stir fry, using lo mein noodles

Servings: 4

Calories: 400kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1/2 each yellow orange & red bell peppers, cut in matchsticks
• 1 small onion thinly sliced
• 2 cups Napa cabbage shredded
• 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
• 8 oz beef round steak cut in thin strips
• 2 tbs oil
• 8 oz lo mein noodles or spaghetti

Noodle Sauce

• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
• 2 tsp dark sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Cook noodles per package directions. Drain and set aside
• Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or wok. Add the beef and cook until browned.
• Add the peppers, onions, cabbage, and garlic in the same pan and stir fry until crisp-tender.
• Add the cooked noodles and sauce and toss until coated and heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 1734mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg

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Authentic Lo Mein

There’s nothing I like better than a nice hearty lo mein. In fact, it’s my go-to dish when I go to a Cantonese restaurant.

You can duplicate the restaurant or take-out place right at home. This recipe is pretty basic and it’s pretty much the standard for most restaurants. There are slight variations, for instance when I lived in New York City, carrots never formed a part of this dish. At least at my favorite place. Carrots are used in it and it’s still authentic. Since I like carrot, I add it. But you can go beyond the basic if you wish and add veggies you think would go well.

Chinese BBQ Pork

This recipe uses pork, specifically Chinese-style roast/BBQ pork. The recipe for that is included in the card below.

However, if you happen to have any leftover roast pork, that will work just as well and eliminate that step. Likewise, instead of pork, chicken (leftover or breast you cook in the dish) will work too as well as shrimp. Leave out any meat or seafood and it’s vegetarian. This lo mein is quite versatile when you think about it.

And if you make the pork in this recipe, any leftovers can be combined with broccoli and a stir fry sauce to make up some pork and broccoli or Chinese vegetables.

Dark Soy Sauce

The stuff that’s available on your grocery shelf such as a house brand is actually light soy sauce–and that doesn’t mean lower sodium. It’s just a distinction made in Asian condiments.

This recipe calls for that variety plus the dark variety. Dark soy sauce is not as liquidy as the typical kind. It’s a bit thick and slightly sweet. It adds a great depth of flavor.

You may be able to find this in a larger supermarket if you live in a major metropolitan area. Of course it is also available in Chinese and Asian markets. I got my dark soy sauce (affiliate link) from Amazon. It may seem a bit pricy, but it lasts for ages.

The Recipe

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Authentic Cantonese Lo Mein

Just like the restaurant!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Marinate2 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Main, Main Course, Main/Side

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: chinese roat pork, restaurant style lo mein, take-out pork lo mein

Servings: 2

Calories: 1083kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 4 oz Chinese roast pork
• 8 oz Chinese lo mein noodles uncooked
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup sliced bok choy
• 2 tbs julienne carrots
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 3 tbs oil
• 2 scallions sliced for garnish.

Sauce:

• 2 tbs dark soy sauce
• 2 tbs regular soy sauce
• 1 tbs Chinese wine or dry sherry
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp white pepper

Chinese Roast Pork:

• 2 lbs boneless pork loin

Marinade:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Chinese wine or dry sherry
• 2 tbs hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp red food coloring Optional
• pinch Chinese five-spice powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• To make roast pork: mix all marinade ingredients. Poke a few holes in the pork with a fork. Place the pork in a zipper freezer bag and pour in marinade. Squish the bag a bit to coat the roast. Place in the refrigerator and marinate at least 2 hours but overnight is better.
• Spray a small pan with non-stick spray and preheat oven to 375F/190C. Roast meat for 1 hour or until internal temperature is 145F/63C. Let rest for 10 minutes then slice 4 oz/113 g of the roast into strips about 1/4-inch/0.64 cm wide. Set aside.
• To make lo mein: Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Cook Chinese lo mein noodles per package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it just begins to get golden; remove and discard. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to sear. Add the bok choy and carrots; stir fry for 1 minute.
• Add the cooked noodles and the sauce. Toss until the noodles are well coated with sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so the cornstarch cooks.
• Garnish with sliced scallions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1083kcal | Carbohydrates: 167g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 6164mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 103g | Vitamin A: 4396IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 7mg

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A Ground Beef Recipe You’ll Love

The thing about ground beef is it’s versatility. There’s just so many things you can make with it that it’s pretty hard to tire of the stuff.

This French onion beef with noodles is a ground beef recipe your family will look forward to eating. This is so good, that I’m sure it will be a regular entry in your dinner rotation. It’s pretty inexpensive too so it definitely will not break your budget!

And the best part of this? It comes together in a jiffy and that’s a godsend after a long work day where the family is so hungry they just want to eat yesterday.

Basic Ingredients Besides Ground Beef

I’m sure most of us with a well-stocked pantry have most of these ingredients readily on hand. However, until I made this, I never kept condensed French onion soup in my cupboard.

It’s handy to have on hand and it’s so much better than it’s dried package cousin. Just as a matter of personal taste, I don’t care much for the type you use to make the dip. It’s flavor is way too strong, the smell from cooking with it permeates the house and lasts, and last but not least, it’s way too salty. It’s liquid condensed cousin shares none of those properties, and surprisingly tastes very good too.

A Great Variation

Well, to get technical here, this recipe is my adaptation and is a variation.

I found it on my friend Lisa’s site, My Incredible Recipes. Lisa made her original recipe with sausage. Sausage is so flavorful that it would need little additional flavoring in the way of herbs.

My recipe substitutes ground beef for the sausage. I used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder and I omitted the cheese. I also tossed in some fresh thyme since I just love that flavor with beef, but you can eliminate that if you want with no real loss of flavor.

The Recipe

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French Onion Beef and Noodles

A skillet ground beef dinner that’s ready in a jiff

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ground beef, ground beef recipes, pasta, quick ground beef dinners

Servings: 6

Calories: 341kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup onion diced
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 can French onion soup (approximately 10 oz)
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 4 oz cream cheese cut in chunks
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme optional
• 2 cups medium egg noodles uncooked
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup French fried onions

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan.
• Now add the ground beef, onion and garlic and cook until the meat is browned.
• Add the cream cheese and stir until it’s melted and well blended. Pour in the soup, stock, thyme (if using) and the egg noodles; stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and gently boil until the noodles are cooked and liquid is reduced by 50%.
• Stir in the sour cream and top with the French fried onions.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg

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This chicken and noodles dinner goes above and beyond with creaminess. Your slow cooker makes this big bowl of comfort food easy peasy.

The Perfect Comfort Food

Chicken and noodles is usually on everyone’s list as a favorite comfort food.  It’s easy to see why because it’s simple, tasty and not in any way “fancy.”

Chicken and noodles always reminded me of pot pie filling and I do love a pot pie. This meal brings back many childhood memories because any time I was on the mend from being sick and was gaining my appetite back, it was usually the first meal my mother would give me.

Back in those days, there weren’t any slow cookers around so mom would make this on top of the stove.  In fact, I have a quickie version of Chicken and Noodles that only takes one skillet, but the longer, slower cooking that crock pots are famous for, produces a much more flavorful dish.

About The Noodles

Lots of people think noodles or pasta and crock pot cooking don’t mix. At face value, that’s totally correct. Placing uncooked, or worse yet, cooked noodles at the beginning of long, slow cooking will destroy noodles and pasta.

The very best way to deal with noodles and slow cooking is to partially cook the noodles so they are al dente and add them in the last hour of cooking. If you have leftover pasta or noodles, they just have to heat through so add any cooked noodles in the last half hour of the cooking time.

Totally uncooked noodles may be added at midpoint, but my experiments resulted in a rather poor-tasting product and the only reason I can think of for that is all the starch remains in the food. At least par-cooking noodles washes away some of the starch.

It’s always best to partially cook and add toward the end of cooking.

You Want Creamy, You’ve Got It Here

It’s no secret why this tastes so good and is so creamy. Not only does this use heavy cream but there’s half a bar of cream cheese added as well. Nope, this is definitely not a diet dish. I don’t recommend any lower-fat alternatives either. Reason being is most “diet” products simply do not taste good. So go for flavor and use the real deal. It’s not like this meal is an every-day indulgence.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Extra Creamy Chicken & Noodles

This chicken and noodles dinner goes above and beyond with creaminess. Your slow cooker makes this big bowl of comfort food easy peasy.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time6 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken and noodles

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 690kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut in chunks
• 1 cup high-quality chicken stock or broth
• 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup (I use low-sodium)
• 1/8 tsp thyme
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 4 oz cream cheese cubed
• 3 cups partially cooked egg noodles see NOTES
• 1 cup defrosted frozen peas see NOTES
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms optional
• 1 cup defrosted frozen sliced carrots see NOTES

Instructions

• Place chicken, stock, soup and thyme in the slow cooker. Stir to blend the ingredients so the mixture is smooth.
• Cover and cook on low 3 hours, high 2 hours (the chicken should be cooked at this point)
• Add the cream, cream cheese and veggies and cook on low 2-3 hours, high 1-2 hours. Times are approximate since all cookers cook differently.
• Add the noodles and cook for an additional 30-60 minutes on either setting.

Notes

Noodles should be cooked so there is a "bite" to them--al dente. They will finish cooking in the crock pot.

I thaw the peas & carrots on the counter. You could also microwave them for about 1 minute before adding to the crock pot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 690kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 220mg | Sodium: 579mg | Potassium: 884mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7680IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 2mg

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Dinner’s on the table in 20 minutes with this quick, easy and tasty one-pan stroganoff. The surprise? No canned condensed soup!

If you want a dinner that’s super quick to make, tastes good and has all-natural ingredients, look no further than this stroganoff.

There’s so many good things to say about this dish–and that it cooks all in one pan is another bonus. This was adapted from a recipe from Pillsbury.

You need a very deep skillet to make it. A dutch oven or chef’s pan is even better because it has to hold over 3 cups of liquid plus a half a bag of egg noodles. What happens is the “sauce” reduces as the noodles cook. Just make sure to stir frequently so all the noodles cook. A non-stick pot would be your best choice for this.

Fresh chives should be used because of their excellent, mild oniony flavor, but if you don’t have fresh, then the dried kind you buy from the spice aisle is fine too. In a pinch you can substitute fresh or dry parsley for the chives. Fresh mushrooms can replace the canned if you have them on hand.

Greek yogurt may also be substituted for the sour cream here as well.

While I don’t mind using condensed cream soup in lots of dishes for convenience sake, I actually like it when I find something that doesn’t rely on it. This meal doesn’t.

This is a good meal for the holiday season because it’s quick and fuss-free. At this time of year most of us are busy with many other things and having an arsenal of easy peasy meals is a boon!

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One-Skillet Stroganoff

Dinner’s on the table in 20 minutes with this quick, easy and tasty one-pan stroganoff. The surprise? No canned condensed soup!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: beef, Comfort Foods, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef stroganoff

Servings: 4 -5

Calories: 574kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 lb very lean ground beef
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 4 oz cans button mushrooms,drained
• 1 cup light cream/half and half/evaporated milk
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 8 oz uncooked medium egg noodles 1/2 a bag
• 8 oz sour cream or greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives or 2 tsp dehydrated chives

Instructions

• Brown ground beef in a 4-5 quart dutch oven over high heat. Don't drain.
• Add salt, garlic powder, pepper and mushrooms.
• Cook stirring frequently until mushrooms begin to brown.
• Add cream and water; stir.
• Add noodles (noodles won't be submerged).
• Bring to boi lover high heat, lower heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure all noodles are cooked.
• Mix sour cream with the chives.
• Stir sour cream mixture into pan.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 1313mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 725IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 4mg

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Comforting chicken and noodles made entirely in one skillet in less than 30 minutes!

Comforting Family Favorite

Nothing spells comfort like chicken with noodles!

This meal can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes and it only takes one skillet–two things I happen to be crazy about lately–good tasting fast food and less dishes to wash!

Comfort food

I had some cooked chicken in the fridge so I was able to use some leftovers for this. I also used canned carrots so there was no cooking involved. I did use frozen peas because I prefer frozen to canned for that veggie.

If you have no leftover chicken and need to cook it for this dish, about 2 medium boneless skinless breasts would be about what you want. Steaming or sauteeing them would be the way to go, and I’d pick sauteeing personally because it will give the chicken some color.

Make with leftovers

To add some body to the sauce, I thickened it slightly, but that’s just a matter of personal preference and you can omit that step if you want a more soupy dish.

There’s also no need to pre-cook the noodles. They will cook just fine in the skillet and leave plenty of stock left over for the sauce.

A family-friendly meal

This is a simple, yet marvelous tasting meal. And the best part is, it can be made almost entirely of leftovers if you have them, making it very budget friendly.

Tastes great served with biscuits.

Watch The Video

The Recipe

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Creamy Chicken with Noodles

Comforting chicken and noodles made entirely in one skillet in less than 30 minutes!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken recipe, skillet dinner

Servings: 4

Calories: 491kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 6 oz 1/2 bag wide egg noodles
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
• 1 cup sliced carrots*
• 1/2 cup peas*
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cream or milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp flour

Instructions

• *May be omitted or substituted with veggies you prefer
• Place noodles in a large skillet (12+ inches). Add stock and olive oil; stir. Add peas and carrots at this point if using and if they are frozen and not already cooked.
• Cover and heat over medium heat until noodles are soft, about 10 minutes. Add peas and carrots (if you are using them and they are canned or already cooked) Add the chicken. Stir in cream or milk.
• Mix the 1/4 cup water and the 2 tbs flour so there are no lumps. Add gradually to noodle mixture, stirring constantly. Heat to boiling, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 582mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5970IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg

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