If you have been following my food recipes and blog, you know that I LOVE any meal that is simple, has only a few ingredients, and does not take much prep time. This crock pot Italian beef recipe fits this to a tee.
The hardest part about this recipe is remembering you need to start it early morning in order for it to be ready for a 6pm dinnertime. Seriously…that’s the hardest part!
I try to start it around 8am. It takes about 10 minutes to trim the fat off the chuck roast, cut it into small chunks, place it in the crock pot and then add the additional 3 ingredients. It is THAT simple!
I have found the easiest way to cut the roast chuck down is actually using my kitchen shears. This is a total rookie tool, but there is no shame in my cooking game.
Place the crock pot on low for 9 hours and you are on with your day. This is what I absolutely love about this meal. And unlike chicken that can become super dry in the crock pot all day, the beef comes out so incredibly tender.
After the 9 hours is up, you leave the meat in the crock pot and shred it apart with a fork. Then let it cook for 1 more hour. At this point you are ready for dinner!
We have eaten this in 3 different ways. The most common way is on a hoagie roll with a slice of provolone cheese. The juice soaks into the bun perfectly. This is literally mouth watering as you bite into the hoagie roll.
The last time I made it, we decided to make it a little more healthy and ate it over jasmine rice for the first time. It was just as delicious. You can also eat it open-faced with the bottom half of a kaiser roll with provolone cheese. This too is fantastic!
Whatever way you choose to eat it, this crock pot Italian beef will be a treat for your taste buds. And the simplicity of it will make it a staple on your dinner rotation list.
Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chuck roast trim the fat and cut into large chunks
- 1 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian salad dressing mix
- 8 oz Banana Peppers, Hot Rings plus of splash of juice (the more juice you add the spicier the overall flavor); save extra for serving
- 8 oz Giardiniera Vegetables drained; save extra for serving
- 14.5 oz can beef broth
- provolone cheese sliced
- hoagie buns (alternative: jasmine or brown rice instead of hoagie buns)
Instructions
- Trim the fat from the chuck roast and cut it down into large chunks
- Place chuck roast into the bottom of the crock pot
- Sprinkle Zesty Italian salad dressing mix over the roast chuck
- Add banana pepper hot rings plus a splash of juice
- Add Giardiniera
- Add beef broth and then lift up chuck roast pieces to get broth underneath
- Place lid on crock pot and cook on low for 9 hours or until meat shreds with a fork
- Shred the meat and cook on low for 1 more hour
- Serve meat in buns with provolone cheese, open-faced or over rice. Top with additional banana pepper hot rings and Giardiniera, if desired, and serve.