What Do You Think of School Lunch?
Executive Chef Chad Taylor shows off a new lunch menu item: Savory Beef Tips and Noodles.
“What’s for lunch?” It has to be one of the most oft-considered questions in students’ homes. Every school day, the DMPS Central Nutrition Center provides breakfast and lunch for thousands of students. Much of the food is chosen, tested, tasted and tested again right here in Des Moines, downtown at 2nd and University in the building under the historic Colonial Bread sign.
Well, CNC staff would now like you to consider a new question: “How did you like your lunch?”
Thursday, the CNC is adding a new menu item: Savory Beef Tips and Noodles. It’s a dish they believe you will enjoy. It’s been tested, tasted and tested again, several times over, to be sure it not only tastes good, but keeps that taste when it’s prepared in quantities large enough to serve the whole district.
“One of my favorite memories from my childhood was coming home from school and smelling the aromas of a great slow-simmered crockpot meal,” said Executive Chef Chad Taylor. “I’m happy to be able to share the experience with our students.”
And Taylor wants to know what students think about the new menu item. As part of the new lunch feedback program, students are being encouraged to open up their DMPS apps and give the food a star rating or tweet their thoughts to @DMPS_Dining.
Taylor is also sharing the recipe:
Savory Beef Tips and Noodles (Makes 5,000 servings)
- 1,250 lbs. sirloin tips, 1-inch cubes
- 250 lbs. flour
- 100 lbs. margarine
- 5 lbs. black pepper
- 200 lbs. beef concentrate
- 15 lbs. dry minced onion
- 750 gallons water
- 800 lbs. whole wheat wide egg noodles
But if you’d like to make it at home, here’s the family-sized version:
Savory Beef Tips and Noodles (Makes 8 servings)
- 1lb sirloin tips, 1-inch cubes
- 1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can low sodium beef broth
- 1 Tb dry minced onion
- 1 (4.5oz) can mushrooms
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tb low sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 (16oz) package wide egg noodles
Directions: Combine all of the ingredients (except noodles) in a crockpot (set on low). Cook for six hours. Add noodles and cook for one more hour.
