I love using my crockpot whenever I can. It has saved my sanity on many a busy day when I wanted to provide my family with a nice meal, and I was short on time. One of our newest favorite crockpot meals is my Italian beef recipe.
It is great to be able to throw everything in the crockpot in the morning and not have to worry about what to cook when suppertime rolls around.
Now, I want to make something clear. I really have no idea how to make “real” Italian beef. When I first came up with my version I simply threw some ingredients together that I thought were in Italian beef.
And, guess what? My family really liked it. I have tweaked the recipe slightly since the first time I made it, and now they love it even more.
This Italian beef recipe is fairly spicy thanks to using my homemade pickled pepperoncinis. You can definitely use store bought pepperoncinis instead.
I usually serve Italian beef on toasted hoagie rolls or subs. I have even made my own using this hoagie roll recipe.
We also like to dip our sandwiches in the juices, so I first dip out the meat using a slotted spoon so the sandwiches don’t get soggy. Then I give everyone a small bowl of the liquid that is left in the crockpot
- 2 lbs. Beef (stew meat works well)
- 1-2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
- 1 Pint Pepperoncini Peppers
- Salt
- Pepper
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chunks of stew meat and brown on all sides (Approx. 2 min./side.)
- Place the browned stew meat into the crockpot and turn it on low.
- Pour the water in the skillet and turn the heat to high.
- Bring the water to a boil and use a fork or whisk to scrape up any meat drippings in the pan (deglazing).
- Pour the water over the meat in the crockpot.
- Add the Italian seasoning and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and stir everything.
- Add the entire jar of the pepperonicini peppers into the crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Serve beef over toasted hoagie rolls, subs, or bread.
For freezer cooking, complete steps 1-8 and put everything in a freezer bag.
This recipe can be prepped ahead of time and frozen. Simply complete steps 1-8 and then put everything in a freezer bag in the freezer. Thaw the meat in the refrigerator the day before you want to serve it. Then cook it in the crockpot.
I made this recipe for my boys’ birthday party this past Saturday as part of a build your own sub meal plan I had. I will share more about what I served soon.
Do you like to make Italian beef? Have you ever made it in the crockpot?
