Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches are a 5-ingredient crock pot recipe version of the popular hot sandwich recipe. This easy dinner recipe is a crowd-pleaser!
“All I can say is WOW!!!! … My husband, who doesn’t get all that worked up about food and doesn’t care for roast, LOVED this recipe!! After we finished our dinner, he asked me if I could make it again soon for his men’s group!”
Recently I asked my Facebook and Instagram friends if they’d like to see a crock pot recipe on the site sooner vs later. There were so many exclamation marks in the comments, which I took to mean, ‘heck yes!’ that I immediately started brainstorming.
Everyone knows crock pot recipes are a busy person’s best friend but many of them can be heavy and unappealing at times. While brainstorming a new and interesting crock pot combo I decided the recipe would have to meet the following criteria:
- Beef-based, as I have many chicken-based crock pot recipes already.
- Easy. Nobody likes crock pot recipes with several cooking steps before you even plug the dang thing in.
- Very delicious, unique, and not gloopy whatsoever.
With the aforementioned criteria in mind, I settled on Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches. A mouthwatering, 5-ingredient flavor combo that has just the right amount of zip and zing!
Watch How to Make It
Slow Cooked Italian Beef
Chuck roast is slow cooked for 10 hours in a mixture of pepperoncini peppers, Giardiniera, Italian dressing mix, and beef broth then shredded and served on a chewy hoagie bun with melted provolone cheese.
Crazy (CRAZY) good, and did I mention that it’s made with just 5 ingredients?!
My husband was skeptical about eating the crock pot version of one of his favorite sandwiches, which is typically made with thinly sliced beef.
“Oh…I’ve never heard of a shredded Italian beef sandwich before…” he said in a tone that I knew meant, I am definitely going to hate this.
But guess what? He didn’t! While I stood eating the shredded beef straight out of the crock pot like the refined woman that I am, he inhaled an entire sandwich in under 2 minutes. That is to say, this dish is a total hit!
How to Make Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches:
Start by trimming any large pieces of fat off a chuck roast then cut the roast into seven or eight big hunks and place them in the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot.
Next sprinkle in a packet of gluten free Italian Dressing Mix like Good Graces brand, or Simply Organic. If you don’t need to eat gluten free, you can use Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix.
Add sliced pepperoncini peppers plus a splash of pepperoncini juice, and Chicago-Style Giardiniera which you can find in the olive/pickle aisle at the grocery store. I love Mezzetta brand for both, which is gluten free.
If you’ve never had Chicago-style Giardiniera, a type of relish made with pickled olives and vegetables that’s packed in herbs and oils, you are in for a treat! It’s typically served over Italian beef sandwiches, but I love infusing the beef with the mixture from the get-go.
Because this style of giardiniera is packed in oil, drain the mixture using a fork or fine mesh sieve before adding to the crock pot. You can get Giardiniera that’s packed in vinegar, but I find this style to be a real treat.
Finally, add beef broth then place a lid on top of the crock pot and let it cook on low for 9 hours, or until the beef can be easily shredded with a fork.
Once the roast is extremely tender, shred with two forks then slip the meat back into the slow cooker to cook in the juices for 1 more hour on low.
Lastly, scoop the meat onto hoagie buns then slap a slice of provolone on top to melt from the heat of the beef. Serve with extra pepperoncini peppers and Giardiniera, and you’re set!
This is one of my all-time favorite crock pot recipes. Could not be easier to make and the flavors from the pickled vegetables, pepper rings, and Italian dressing mix really made the beef sing. SO GOOD. Enjoy!
More Crock Pot Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
- Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Crock Pot Mojo Pork with Cuban-Style Black Beans
- Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
- Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb chuck roast, trimmed of large pieces of fat then cut into large pieces
- 1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix, see notes
- 8 oz pepperoncini pepper slices + splash of juice, plus extra peppers for serving
- 8 oz Chicago-Style Giardiniera, drained, plus extra for serving
- 14.5 oz can beef broth
- provolone cheese slices
- buns
Directions
- Place chuck roast into the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot then sprinkle with salad dressing mix. Add pepperoncini peppers plus a splash of juice, drained Giardiniera, and beef broth then lift up chuck roast pieces to get broth underneath. Place a lid on top then cook on low for 9 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Shred then place meat back into juices inside crock pot and cook on low for 1 more hour.
- Split buns in half then scoop the shredded meat mixture on top and add provolone cheese slices (if using gluten free buns, toast/broil first). Top with additional pepperoncini peppers and Giardiniera, if desired, then serve.
Notes
- I like Simply Organic or Good Grace’s gluten free Italian Dressing Mix. Good Season’s Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix is a good option if you do not need to eat gluten free.
- Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Love this recipe. Can I cook on high for a shorter amount of time?
Hey Sharon! You can cook on high for 4-5 hours, though with beef cuts such as this one, I recommend low and slow for the most tender beef.
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s become a family favorite!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Kelly! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Best Italian beef recipe by far! Thank you
Amazing to hear, Brenda! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Love it
I’m thrilled to hear that, Sharon!
I would appreciate clarification on the peppers. The instructions call for pepperoncini peppers. However, when I look at the ingredients for Mezzetta’s Deli-Sliced Hot Pepper Rings (the jar you have pictured), it lists banana peppers. Should I use a jar of Mezzetta’s Sliced Golden Greek Peperoncini instead?
Proceeded with following the written instructions to a tee using Merzzetta Pepperoncini slices, not the ‘deli-style hot pepper rings’ and it was awesome! This recipe is a winner!
Hi Rita! For their purposes in this recipe, you can use either mild or hot banana peppers, or pepperoncini peppers, depending on availability and if you want the peppers to be spicy or not. There are of course differences between these two peppers but they are subtle enough that you can use either.
Can I leave out the Giardiniera and just put extra pepperoncinis?
Hey Kim! You can — the flavor will be a touch different, but still very delicious. :)
This has been my go to Italian beef recipe for years now! N n my family requests it!
Oh I am so, so happy to hear that, Diane!! Thank you so much for your feedback!!
Loved it was great I did add a Tbl of Italian seasoning
So glad this was a hit, Michael! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This will be the 4th time I have made this. My family loves it. When they come to town, this has become one of my most requested dishes, and it makes a so delicious and EASY! After. Made it the first time, I could find the recipe again, and it got most in my photos. I hunted and searched until I found it again! Nothing else would do! Awesome recipe! Thank you for it!
Oh my gosh, this THRILLS me to hear, Vicki!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
If I double this recipe, do I need to double the ingredients and cooking time as well? I was able to fit all the meat in my crock pot.
Obviously if you’re doubling the amount of meat you need to double the entire recipe or the flavor/broth ratio won’t accommodate the extra meat. Common sense
Its not “common sense” Grains and Beans
in many cases can not be doubled. For example, one cup of rice cooked in one and a half cups of water could easily become two cups of rice cooked in three cups of water and turn out the same. But that’s not the case, though. Rice absorbs water in a 1:1 ratio, no matter the volume, so simply doubling both the rice and the water leads to mushy rice because there is an excess of water.
The same goes for other ingredients cooked with the absorption method (though using the pasta method of cooking grains will help you avoid this fate). If you double all the ingredients for a batch of beans, for example, “you will have twice as much liquid, but the same surface area as a single batch, so you’ll need to allow more time for evaporation for that double batch,” Cook’s
You got it – double the ingredients, and if all that meat is able to fit into your crock pot, you might need to tack on several extra hours.
Can the beef mixture be made and frozen and thawed? Prepping g food to take to the beach to make dinners easier. .
Yes, absolutely — the cooked beef freezes >> thaws really well. :) Have fun!
I bought bottom round roast. Will that work too? Thanks.
That should be fine! Bottom round roasts have less fat than chuck roasts, so check to see if it’s done a little sooner than the directions advise.
I love this recipe and make it for my family of six all the time! But I wanted to make it for my extended family when we go to the beach this summer and will need about 20 pounds of meat. Obviously, this will not work in a crockpot. How would I go about cooking it on the stove? At what temperature and for how long before I try to shred it? Please help.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Erin! I’d bake a 3-4lb roast for 3-4 hours at 275 degrees, or until the meat shreds easily!