Beef steak, spring onions, ginger, hoisin sauce, star anise, and cinnamon go into the slow cooker with beef stock and a red chilli. Rice noodles join for the last 20 minutes. One batch serves 4 and takes just under 2 hours on HIGH.

Nathan Anthony from Bored of Lunch drops the charring step that traditional pho needs. His Healthy Slow Cooker Book built an entire approach around that kind of working shortcut. Hoisin sauce in the broth base replaces charred aromatics and takes the prep down to under five minutes.

The rice noodles go in during the last 20 minutes only. Added at the start, an hour of simmering turns them sodden and breaks them down before the broth even reaches the bowl. Those 20 minutes are enough for the noodles to soften through and absorb the broth without losing structure.

Bored of Lunch Beef Pho Slow Cooker

Recipe by Shili MohamedCourse: SoupsCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

35

minutes

Calories

275

kcal

Bored of Lunch Slow Cooker Beef Pho from Nathan Anthony. Beef steak, hoisin sauce, lime, star anise, ginger, and rice noodles. Serves 4, ready in under 2 hours

Ingredients

• Broth

• 900ml beef stock

• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 star anise

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 2.5cm fresh ginger, grated

• 1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

• Zest and juice of 1 lime

• Beef and noodles

• 400g beef steak, thinly sliced

• A few spring onions, chopped

• 200g rice noodles

• To garnish

• Fresh coriander

• Lime wedges

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

• (Optional) Heat a nonstick frying pan over high heat on the hob and sear the beef and spring onions for about 1 minute until just browned. Skip this step if time is short.
• Add the beef, spring onions, cinnamon stick, ginger, lime zest and juice, hoisin sauce, star anise, garlic, beef stock, and red chilli to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beef is tender and the broth is aromatic.
• Add the rice noodles to the slow cooker, making sure they are submerged in the broth. Stir, cover, and cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes.
• Lift out the cinnamon stick and star anise. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh coriander and lime wedges. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

FAQs

Can this recipe be cooked on LOW instead of HIGH?

Cooking on LOW is an option; allow 2½ to 3 hours for the beef to turn tender and the broth to develop. The noodles go in for the final 20 minutes, ideally after switching to HIGH to keep the liquid simmering. These timings are estimates; check the beef is fully tender before adding the noodles.

Which cut of beef holds up best in this recipe?

Sirloin or rump steak gives the most consistent result, as both slice cleanly and stay tender at this short cook time. Casserole or stewing cuts need 6 to 8 hours to soften and remain chewy here. Slicing the steak as thin as possible before it goes in helps it cook through evenly in the 1¼ hours.

Why does Nathan Anthony use hoisin sauce rather than fish sauce here?

Hoisin carries both the salt and the savoury body that separate ingredients would normally supply together. Fish sauce adds straight salinity; hoisin adds umami, sweetness, and depth alongside the salt in one ingredient. That consolidation is how Nathan Anthony approaches every slow cooker recipe: cut the ingredient count without losing the flavour.

What other slow cooker soup works well alongside pho for a second night of the week?

A broth-based soup with a completely different protein and flavour profile covers a second night without any overlap. A slow cooker chicken and sweetcorn soup on this site is lighter and egg-drop-style, at the opposite end of the Asian soup range. Together the two cover different proteins and textures across one weekly rotation.

What if a more substantial beef dish suits the plan better than a soup?

Pho is a broth-forward dish; a slow cooker beef bourguignon on this site takes the same beef in a completely different direction. The French braised method swaps pho’s clean, spiced stock for a deep red wine gravy. Together they cover the same protein from opposite ends of the slow cooker range.