Instructions

• Brown the beef
• Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Brown the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.
• Drain excess grease if needed, keeping about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
• Sauté
• Add the diced onion and sauté 3–4 minutes until softened.
• Stir in the garlic and cook 30–60 seconds.
• Flavor and season
• Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to caramelize.
• Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, stirring well.
• Cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
• Stir in the thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Bring to a boil
• Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire, stirring to dissolve the flour mixture and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Bring to a boil and add the uncooked egg noodles, stirring to submerge them as much as possible.
• Simmer
• Reduce the heat to medium.
• Cover and cook 8–10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking.
• If the noodles need more liquid, add a splash of broth or water as needed.
• Cook until the noodles are tender and the sauce is lightly thickened.
• Adjust to taste
• Stir in the butter (optional).
• Avoid stirring too much, the noodles are very tender at this point.
• Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Serve warm.