Tender Beef Tips With Gravy

This recipe comes from a cute food blog called Mommy's Kitchen.  I really enjoyed this dish - probably because it's similar to stroganoff (one of my favorite comfort foods).  It calls for beef tips, but the slow cooking process makes it so you can use a tougher (and cheaper!) cut of meat like a chuck roast or stew meat.  I've slightly adapted the recipe because my husband and I found it to be a little salty and I wanted more sauce for the noodles. 

The directions call for baking this covered, for 3 hours.  I think you could just as easily throw it all in a slow cooker and leave it on low for 6-8 hours.

TENDER BEEF TIPS WITH GRAVY
slightly adapted from No Peek Beef Tips on Mommy's Kitchen

2 - 2 1/2 lbs. beef tenderloin tips, chuck roast, or stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (0.87 oz) packet brown gravy mix
1 (1 oz) envelope onion soup mix
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained, optional
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup sour cream, optional

1 (16 oz) bag egg noodles (cooked according to package directions)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place cubed meat in a 9x13 baking dish.  In a medium bowl, combine mushroom soup, brown gravy mix, onion soup mix, mushrooms (if using), and water.  Pour mixture evenly over meat, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 3 hours.  Stir in sour cream, if using, before serving over egg noodles.

Alternately, combine beef with soup mixture in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beef is tender.  Stir in sour cream, if using, before serving over egg noodles.