My mother relies on this easy weekend supper that takes exactly 4 ingredients. You will not believe how much savory flavor cooks right into the pasta

Add the frozen beef meatballs to the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spreading them into an even layer so they cook evenly.

Pour the condensed beef gravy over the meatballs, then add the beef broth. Stir gently to combine, coating the meatballs in the brown sauce while keeping them mostly in a single layer.

Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the gravy is bubbling around the edges.

About 35 to 45 minutes before you want to serve, give the sauce a stir and taste for richness. If it seems too thick, you can splash in a little hot water; if it seems thin, leave the lid off for the first 10 minutes after adding the noodles so some steam can escape.

Stir the uncooked wide egg noodles directly into the hot gravy and meatballs, making sure the noodles are mostly submerged in the bubbling brown liquid so they can absorb flavor and cook evenly.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the noodles are tender but not mushy and have soaked up a good amount of the savory brown gravy.

Once the noodles are glossy and cooked through, give everything a final stir to coat the pasta with the thickened sauce and to redistribute the meatballs over the bed of noodles.

Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the dish sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving; this brief rest lets the noodles drink in even more flavor and helps the gravy cling to them for that rich, comforting texture.