SLOW COOKER ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches made with a few ingredients & minimal prep work, to create flavorful savory hoagies perfect for lunch or dinner. This slow cooker Italian beef is packed with all the best fillings between every roll!

Toss everything in the crockpot and come home to an amazing smell and the most tender roast beef! Serve on fresh rolls with provolone cheese for an incredible and flavorful roast beef sandwich.

Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches Recipe

I have a large family, and sometimes pleasing everyone at mealtime can be very challenging. Thankfully everyone enjoys a good roast! Instead of going the “normal” slow cooker roast route, I decided to mix it up and try this delicious recipe for Italian Beef Sandwiches. Traditionally, these sandwiches call for sliced roast beef, but I couldn’t resist the long, slow method that yields a super tender, fall-apart roast. The meat was juicy and flavorful, and I absolutely loved that it was so lean. The family devoured it and I’m sure yours will too!

Why You’ll Love This Roast Beef Recipe

• Set it and forget it. While you can’t really “forget it,” this recipe is so simple and easy that you just toss everything together in the slow cooker and let it simmer for several hours. Don’t worry, the incredible smell coming out of the kitchen will work as a great reminder that dinner is almost ready!
• Two words- Toasted Bread. Instead of just slapping some juicy meat and cheese between a fresh bun, we take an added step to quickly toast the bread under the broiler, and that really upgrades this meal into an unforgettable experience.
• It’s great for a variety of meals. Serve this meaty filling in sliced dinner rolls for easy slider appetizers or on hoagie rolls for a simple lunch or dinner option. This meal is great for tailgating and football parties too.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Ingredients

Chuck Roast: You will need a 2-3 pound chuck roast for this recipe. This will give you enough meat for several sandwiches.

Italian Mix: Use 1 packet of Zesty Italian dressing mix to flavor the meat perfectly.

Beef Broth: One 14.5-ounce can of beef broth will make the meat juicy so that it doesn’t dry out (which is important for leaner cuts of meat).

Pepperoncini’s: Add in more depth of flavor by using ¾ cup pepperoncini peppers or Giardiniera Mix (Chicago-Style Italian Sandwich Mix). I like to use a little of both for maximum flavor. You can find this near the condiments in your grocery store, by the pickles.

Bell Pepper: You want 1 sliced bell pepper to give this dish more color and taste.

Rolls: This meat will produce enough to fill 6 hoagie rolls for this dish.

Cheese: 6 slices of provolone cheese should be sufficient as that will give you one slice of cheese per sandwich.

How to make Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

Crockpot

Start by placing the roast into a crockpot. Then, pour in the beef broth and sprinkle the meat with the packet of Italian dressing mix on top.

After that, add in the pepperoncini peppers/Giardiniera mix (which has a variety of vegetables) and stir the contents around a bit.

Proceed to cook the meat on low for 9 hours.

Shred

Now, remove the meat from the crockpot and transfer to a cutting board and use 2 forks to shred the meat apart.

Then return the meat to the slow cooker. Next, dice the bell pepper into thin slices and add the pieces to the meat mixture.

Continue to cook the meat and bell peppers for an additional hour.

Serve

When you are ready to serve, slice the hoagie rolls in half and toast them under the broiler for 2 minutes until toasted to your desired level of doneness.

Proceed to pile the shredded meat and peppers on top, top each hoagie with a slice of cheese and return the sandwiches to the broiler for 1 minute to melt the cheese.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Grass Fed Beef is Perfect For Slow Cookers!

I have to be hones, I had never actually tried Grass-Fed beef before, so I was really curious. You prepare grass-fed beef somewhat differently than you would regular beef simply because it has higher levels of protein and lower amounts of fat. It’s a leaner meat, so I found that low and slow is best, bring on the slow cooker. I also cooked the roasts on a low heat in my Dutch oven, and it turned out incredible!

What cut of meat is Italian beef made from?

Italian beef usually comes from a chuck roast, but you can also make it with other cuts of beef. Some examples would be sirloin, top round, or even bottom round. All of these would produce tasty beef hoagies.

Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crockpot?

Nope. While you can do this if you want to, we find that it isn’t necessary here. With the meat not getting browned in advance, we get an even soft texture from the beef with no surprising crunches from the crust/browned areas.

What sides are good with Italian beef sandwiches?

These sandwiches would go great with just about anything from BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES to a BLT PASTA SALAD. Potato chips and a simple Au Jus are also welcome too.

Should an Italian beef have cheese?

Versions of this sandwich do vary as some people choose cheese while others choose gravy. We like this sandwich with some melted provolone, but you may like it better with a mild cheddar or just a bowl of the juice left behind in the crockpot (it’s perfect for dipping in!)

Check out these other great crockpot recipes!

• HURST 15 BEAN SOUP
• SLOW COOKER BROWN SUGAR CINNAMON PORK ROAST
• SLOW COOKER PIZZA SOUP
• CROCKPOT SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
• SLOW COOKER ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN
• CROCKPOT POTATO SOUP
• BBQ PULLED PORK IN THE CROCK POT
• CROCKPOT PULLED BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES
• CROCKPOT HOT HONEY CHICKEN SANDWICHES
• SLOW COOKER FRENCH ONION SOUP
• SLOW COOKER PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SLOPPY JOES
• CROCK POT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN THIGHS

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches are made with simple ingredients & little prep work, to make the most flavorful hoagies perfect for lunch or dinner. These slow cooker Italian beef sandwiches are loaded with amazing filling between every roll!