These Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches are a delicious and easy meal that is perfect for busy weeknights or game day gatherings. The beef is cooked low and slow in a flavorful broth until it becomes tender and juicy. Then, it is shredded and served on toasted rolls with melted provolone cheese.
Italian beef is a great dish to enjoy on its own or piled on sandwiches dipped in au jus. It’s a great dish to make for a crowd, which I like to do for game days as everyone can serve themselves and can easily be doubled or tripled in the slow cooker.
Whether you prefer your sandwiches wet or dry this Slow Cooker Italian Beef recipe is sure to become a family favorite!
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Why You’ll Love This Italian Beef Recipe
- Tender and flavorful meat!
- Easy prep and set and forget it!
- Can be made in advance!
- Great for leftovers!
- Customizable to your liking!
Italian Beef Ingredients
- Beef chuck roast
- Onion
- Garlic
- Beef broth
- Italian dressing
- Italian seasoning
- Sliced pepperoncini peppers
- Pepperoncini juice
- Black pepper
- Hoagie rolls
- Sliced provolone cheese
Recipe Variations
- Swap provolone cheese for mozzarella.
- Add sliced jalapenos for a kick.
- Serve on different buns if you’d like.
How to Make Slow Cooker Italian Beef
Season the beef chuck roast with Italian seasoning and black pepper. Place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Add the sliced onions, pepperoncini peppers and minced garlic. Pour the beef broth, pepperoncini juice and Italian dressing over top.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours, until the beef is tender and can be easily shredded.
Remove some of the juices from the crockpot. Shred beef using two fork and mix together with juices. Cover and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to an hour.
If you’d like to toast your hoagie rolls, slice the hoagie rolls and place on a baking sheet. Brush the insides with melted butter and toast at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
Place a generous amount of the beef mixture on each roll. Top with sliced provolone cheese. Serve hot and enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Choose the right cut of meat. Boneless chuck roast has enough marbling to keep the meat moist during the slow cooking process.
- Don’t skimp on the seasoning. This is what make the meat so flavorful.
- To add an extra depth of flavor sear the chuck roast on both sides before placing in the slow cooker.
- Cook low and slow for juicy tender meat.
How to Serve Italian Beef
- Classic sandwich – pile high on top of hoagie buns.
- Open faced sandwich – place on top of garlic toast.
- Salad – add meat over a green salad.
- Sliders – great game day option!
- Tacos – makes a great filling for taco night.
- Pasta – toss some in your favorite noodles for a hearty dish.
How to Store
Allow the Italian beef to cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in microwave to desired temperature and assemble sandwiches.
FAQs
Provolone cheese is a popular topping for these sandwiches. You could also add mushrooms, banana peppers, jalapenos, horseradish, mayo or any toppings you’d like.
The French Dip features thinly sliced beef simmered in broth or au jus, whereas Italian Beef is slow-cooked with a blend of Italian herbs, spices, and tangy pickled vegetables.
There are plenty of sides dishes you can pair with these sandwiches. Some popular options are potato wedges, coleslaw, simple green salad with vinaigrette or pasta salad.
More Sandwich Recipes
- Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
- Hot Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
- Roast Beef Po’ Boys
- Roast Beef Sliders
- BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Grinder Salad Sandwich
Recipe
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. beef chuck roast
- 1 onion sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup Italian dressing
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 12 oz. jar sliced pepperoncini peppers with only 1 tablespoon of liquid from the jar
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 6-8 hoagie rolls
- Sliced provolone cheese
Instructions
- Season the beef chuck roast with Italian seasoning and black pepper. Place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the sliced onions, pepperoncini peppers and minced garlic. Pour the beef broth, pepperoncini juice and Italian dressing over top.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours, until the beef is tender and can be easily shredded.
- Remove some of the juices from the crockpot.
- Shred beef using two fork and mix together with juices. Cover and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to an hour.
- If you’d like to toast your hoagie rolls, slice the hoagie rolls and place on a baking sheet. Brush the insides with melted butter and toast at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
- Place a generous amount of the beef mixture on each roll. Top with sliced provolone cheese. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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