Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
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Get ready to unleash your inner Italian chef with our Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwich recipe! It’s like a flavor explosion in every bite. Picture tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef, infused with zesty Italian seasonings and a hint of tanginess from the pepperoncini peppers. As it slow cooks to perfection, your kitchen transforms into a culinary Italian getaway. And when you pile that succulent beef onto a soft, crusty roll, you’ll understand why it’s amore at first taste.
Serve these sandwiches with a chopped salad, potato salad, or pasta salad for a filling meal that everyone will go crazy over!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Dinner
- Slow Cooker: Nothing beats the ease of a dump and cook dinner. Minimal effort with big results!
- Freezer Friendly: You can freeze this before or after cooking for a delicious meal that is ready in minutes.
- Flavor Packed: I can’t even begin to tell you how much flavor comes out in this pot roast. We never have leftovers last more than a day.
I was lucky enough to visit Chicago a few months back. We did a food tour and one of the things I still dream about is the Italian beef sandwiches. They are loaded with melt-in-your-mouth tender beef, peppers, and cheese. So simple, yet so so delicious. You can’t help but love them.
THIS sandwich is as close to the classic as I could get. You have a super tender roast, pepperoncini peppers, and big Italian flavor. Not to mention, this is a slow cooker recipe so there is almost ZERO prep. My very picky teenager gave this five stars and claimed it’s his new favorite comfort meal!
Italian Beef Crock Pot Recipe Ingredients
Inspired heavily by a Mississippi pot roast with just a minor tweak, instead of using a Ranch seasoning packet I opted for a Italian dressing packet! You cannot beat the flavor of this meat!
- Chuck Roast: Chuck roast has a rich, beefy flavor that intensifies during the slow cooking process. The marbling of fat throughout the meat adds moisture and flavor, resulting in a super tender finish.
- Au Jus Gravy: This packet is found in the seasoning aisle. In a pinch, you can substitute this with a brown gravy packet.
- Italian Dressing Seasoning: This is a dry mix, just like ranch seasoning. I found it in the salad dressing aisle, close to the ranch packets.
- Pepperoncini Peppers: BOTH the juice and peppers add flavor to this dish.
- Butter: Half a stick of butter to help add a smidge of fat to keep things nice an succulent, plus a little more to toast your rolls if you’d like.
- Rolls: We found that the sandwich rolls at Costco are 10/10. However, you can use any sub roll that you’d like.
- Cheese: Tested for you, we tried multiple cheese types. Our favorite were provolone, pepper jack, and American.
Can you believe how simple that ingredient list is? You can keep most of these items on hand for a quick meal that everyone will think you slaved over!
How To Make Italian Beef Sandwiches In A Slow Cooker
- PREP: Gather all of your ingredients. You can trim the roast if you’d like, however we like to remove the fat after cooking to help lock in some of that flavor.
- SLOW COOK: Place the roast in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with both seasonings and add about 1 cup of peppers and 1 cup of pepper juice. Dot with butter, cover, and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.
- SHRED: Carefully shred the roast, removing any larger fatty pieces, and mix in with the seasoning/juices.
- SANDWICH: Optional, but we like to toast our rolls and add a little butter. Build the sandwiches by layering a generous helping of the meat onto the bottom piece of the bread. Add cheese and additional sliced peppers, if desired.
- ENJOY: Add the top piece of bread and enjoy your sandwich!
Helpful Tools
- Slow Cooker: This recipe does require a slow cooker (affiliate). I really like this one that is linked here because it has a n automatic timer that helps manage your time for you.
- Bread Knife: Just in case your rolls aren’t sliced, you will want a sharp bread knife (affiliate).
- Napkins: This one gets messy. I love this new set of reusable paper towels (affiliate) to help keep us clean. They are SO cute and soak up even the toughest mess.
Recipe Notes:
Yes, you can use different cuts of beef. Chuck roast or bottom round are commonly used, but you can also try other cuts suitable for slow cooking, such as rump roast or brisket.
If you don’t have Italian seasoning mix or prefer to make your own seasoning blend, you can use a combination of dried herbs such as oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary. Adjust the quantities to your taste preferences. However, know that this will adjust the final flavor of the dish.
Yes, you can add vegetables such as onions, garlic, or bell peppers to the slow cooker for added flavor. Sauté them beforehand for a deeper taste, or add them raw to cook along with the beef. We also like to add carrots.
Absolutely! You can freeze the cooked Italian beef for later use. Allow it to cool completely, then store it in an airtight container or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
es, you can enjoy the Italian beef without making sandwiches. It can be served over cooked pasta, rice, or even as a filling for wraps or tacos. The flavorful meat works well in various dishes. We used some leftovers in grilled cheese and it was delicious.
More Go-To Slow Cooker Meals
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Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 lb chuck roast
- 1 (1oz) Au Just gravy packet
- 1 (.7oz) Italian dressing seasoning mix
- 1 cup pepperoncini peppers
- 1 cup pepperoncini juice
- 1/4 cup butter (cubed)
- 8 sub rolls
- 8 sliced chees (we like pepper jack or provolone )
Instructions
- Place the roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with both seasonings and add about 1 cup of peppers and 1 cup of pepper juice.
- Dot with butter, cover, and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.
- Carefully shred the roast, removing any larger fatty pieces, and mix in with the seasoning/juices.
- Optional, but we like to toast our rolls and add a little butter.
- Build the sandwiches by layering a generous helping of the meat onto the bottom piece of the bread. Add cheese and additional sliced peppers, if desired.
- Add the top piece of bread and enjoy your sandwich!
Notes
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Turned out great. Not to spicy. Cook time is correct. Toasted the buns & cheese. Perfect & easy. 1 suggestion, must use the shredded tool to seperate meat.
So glad you loved it, Jannie! Toasting the buns with cheese is such a game-changer—chef’s kiss. And YES to the shredded meat tip! That tool makes all the difference for juicy, tender bites. Thanks for the helpful suggestion!
These sandwiches were so good! We took your recommendation and toasted the bread and the cheese. We also added a horseradish mayo!
Yum! I cannot wait to try it again with horseradish mayo!