Worcestershire sauce has umami depth from anchovies and molasses sweetness; it coats beef and egg noodles in a quick, glossy sauce. This shelf has just the one bottle, so the whole dish pivots on it—the kind of simple weeknight dinner that tastes far more complex than the effort demands.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 20 at the stove.

About 730 calories a serving, 44 g protein, 74 g carbohydrate, 29 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in 6 ounces egg noodles; cook to al dente, then drain and set aside while you start the beef.
2. Cut 8 ounces beef into bite-sized pieces about 1 inch across, and slice 1 medium shallot thin. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide skillet over high heat until smoking, then add the beef in a single layer and let it sear 2 minutes without moving, stirring only when most pieces have darkened.
3. When the beef is well browned, add the shallot and cook 2 minutes more, stirring once, until the shallot softens at the edges.2 min
4. Pour in 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce and 3 tablespoons water, scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve any stuck bits, and simmer 1 minute for the sauce to warm through and coat the beef.1 min
5. Toss the cooked noodles into the skillet with the beef and sauce, add 2 tablespoons butter and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss over low heat until the butter melts and everything is glossy, 30 seconds.

Note A splash of soy sauce can stand in for some of the worcestershire if you run short; leftovers keep three days covered in the fridge and reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with a bitter green salad, or stir in a handful of cooked greens at the end.