This beef chow mein recipe delivers a savory, saucy casserole with soft vegetables and rice bound by cream of mushroom soup, not the wok-charred noodles you might expect. The whole thing takes 1 hour 30 minutes.
It only works if you are looking for the baked Midwestern church-supper version from the 1960s, made with a can of soup and a third cup of oil; if you want Cantonese takeout, this will disappoint you.
Ingredients
This is a baked casserole-style chow mein, not the wok-fried kind, so the ingredient list looks more like a Midwestern church supper than a Chinatown menu. Thirteen items, and almost everything comes from standard grocery aisles:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/3 cup oil
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 1/4 cups boiling water
- 1 cup raw white rice
- 1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms with liquid
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons lite soy sauce
The cream of mushroom soup and canned mushrooms with their liquid are what make this a baked dish; they create the sauce that the rice absorbs during its hour in the oven.
I use lite soy sauce here, not the regular stuff, because the soup already carries plenty of salt.
Recommended Products
Thick restaurant style Chow Mein noodles in Teriyaki Beef Flavor
Spicy Teriyaki Beef flavor for a bold and savory meal with a kick
How to Make It
The oven goes to 350°F first, before anything touches a pan. That early preheat matters; the dish hits the oven hot and stays there.
- Brown 1 lb lean ground beef in a skillet and drain off the fat. A fine mesh strainer saves you from greasy puddles later.
- Heat 1/3 cup oil in a saucepan. Add 2 cups chopped celery, 1 cup chopped onion, 1 green pepper chopped, 1 red pepper chopped, and 8 cloves minced garlic. Cook gently 2–3 minutes until soft; you’re building flavor, not color.
- Pour 1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup and 2 1/4 cups boiling water into an ovenproof dish. Stir to combine.
- Add all other ingredients to the soup mixture: 1 cup raw white rice, 1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms with liquid, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 4 tablespoons lite soy sauce. Stir well so the rice doesn’t clump.
- Cover the dish and bake 1 hour. Total cooking time runs 1 hour 30 minutes including prep.
Recommended Products
Add a touch of Asian-inspired flavor to your favorite recipes with La Choy Chow Mein Noodles
Add a touch of Asian-inspired flavor to your favorite recipes with La Choy Chow Mein Noodles
The information below is per-pack only
Time and Yield
A finished plate of beef chow mein carries itself with some height: the noodles tangle and catch rather than pool flat, sauced to a dark sheen with beef and vegetables distributed throughout rather than riding on top.
Plan for 1 hour 30 minutes total, split as 30 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking. The recipe yields 6 servings, which in practice means a generous but not overstuffed bowl per person, roughly two packed cups each.
For weeknight math, that covers a family of four with lunch leftovers the next day, or stretches to six if you are pairing it with soup or spring rolls.
The dish sits at its best right off the stove; the noodles continue absorbing sauce as they rest, so portions loosen up with a quick fork toss before serving.
Recommended Products
WHAT'S INSIDE: One 10.5-ounce can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup is made with no preservatives, tender mushrooms, and farm-fresh cream
Contains organic cream of mushroom soup made with real mushrooms and organic cream
What This Actually Is
The first time someone landed here after searching "beef chow mein recipe," they were looking for wok-charred noodles and a soy-glossed sauce. This is a baked casserole with cream of mushroom soup.
Ground beef browns on the stove, then celery, onion, green pepper, red pepper, and garlic soften in a third cup of oil before everything goes into an ovenproof dish with the soup, boiling water, raw white rice, canned mushrooms, soy sauce, and black pepper.
An hour at 350°F and it comes out as a 1960s–70s Midwest church-supper dish, not Cantonese takeout.
That distinction matters because the technique is entirely different. No wok hei, no separate sauce to toss with cooked noodles, no quick high-heat finish.
The rice absorbs liquid in the oven and the soup binds everything into something closer to a hotdish. If you came here expecting to feed a craving for Chinese restaurant chow mein, this recipe will not satisfy it.
If you grew up with this version at a family potluck and want it back, this is the one.
Recommended Products
Contains one 42-oz. can of La Choy Chicken Chow Mein White Meat Chicken & Sauce With Asian-style Vegetables
Sweet with a Kick – Mrs. Campbell’s Hot Chow Chow brings the classic sweet flavor you love with a touch of heat for extra zing.
Chicken Chow Mein with vegetables, sauce and chicken
Storage and Leftovers
Leftover beef chow mein keeps best in an airtight container once the noodles have cooled to room temperature. The sauce tends to soak in as it sits, so the texture softens noticeably by the next day.
That softening is not always a bad thing. The flavors meld together, and some people prefer it after a night in the refrigerator.
Reheating works better in a skillet than a microwave. A hot pan with a small splash of oil brings back some of the original sear on the beef and keeps the vegetables from turning limp.
The microwave saves time but steams everything together into a softer, more uniform mass.
I would not plan to keep it longer than a few days. The vegetables lose their snap, and the noodles eventually break down into clumps.
Freezing is not worth the trouble: the texture of the noodles suffers, and the fresh crunch that makes this dish appealing disappears entirely.
Make what you will eat within a couple of days, or scale the recipe down from the start.
Recommended Products
La Choy Lite Soy Sauce is full of flavor, with half the sodium of regular La Choy soy sauce
Add a dash of Asian-inspired flavor to your favorite meals with La Choy Soy Sauce
The information below is per-pack only
Frequently Asked Questions
Recommended Products
Authentic restaurant quality Asian chow mein with vegetables
What is the total time for the beef chow mein recipe?
The total time is 1 hour and 30 minutes: about 30 minutes of prep plus 1 hour in the oven at 350°F. The dish needs that full hour covered so the rice absorbs all the liquid.
How many servings does the recipe yield?
It yields 6 servings, roughly two packed cups per person. For a family of four that leaves lunch leftovers; it stretches to six if you add soup or spring rolls on the side.
What is the secret to good chow mein?
For this particular baked version, the secret is the cream of mushroom soup and canned mushrooms with their liquid. They create the sauce that the rice absorbs during baking, binding everything into a casserole rather than a stir-fry.
What are common mistakes in chow mein?
The biggest mistake with this recipe is expecting wok-fried noodles. This is a baked Midwestern casserole, not Cantonese takeout; there is no wok hei, no high-heat finish, and no separate sauce to toss.
Another mistake is using regular soy sauce instead of lite; the soup already carries plenty of salt.
About The Author
