Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches are perfect for tailgating, whether you’re at the football stadium or in the bean field! These warm and hearty sandwiches made in the slow cooker are perfect for sharing with a crowd!

I am always on the hunt for food I can feed people on the go, like these Italian beef sandwiches and their cousin, French dip sandwiches. Because this easy recipe comes together in minutes and cooks with hardly any effort on my part, it makes an amazing field meal and one of our family favorites.
I'll call if a cousin to the equally delicious Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken Sandwiches.
And while I love our slider rotation of Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken and Baked Italian Sliders, there’s no doubt these crockpot Italian beef sandwiches are a crowd pleaser!
Why I love Crock Pot Italian Beef
Easy - I have the seasonings in my pantry, I have the beef in my freezer. Sidenote: If you've ever wondered about buying a side of beef to stock your freezer, I've got details!
And other than pre-cutting the meat, it’s all hands off. Some people would refer to this as a slow cooker dump recipe, which is much more appetizing than it sounds.
Versatile - which means virtually everyone can eat it, provided I have a bun option available that suits everyone.
Wholesome - made with real ingredients you can pronounce!
Ready at the end of the day - I can be out and about and come how to a meal that’s cooked. Isn’t that why we all love slow cooker recipes?
Ingredients
This is an Italian beef recipe without Italian dressing mix. We’re basically making our own flavors using ingredients from our pantry.
- beef roast- there are several types of beef roast you can use. These cuts of beef will benefit from the slow cooking method and become tender, juicy bites of tender beef. If I had to pick a favorite, it’d be a boneless beef chuck roast. That’s kind of my go to hunk of meat!
- Garlic and onion
- Italian seasoning and oregano - to add some flavors of Italian salad dressing without any of the fillers.
- Pepperoncini peppers- even if you don’t like these little peppers on their own, their brine brings something special to the party! You can used sliced pepperoncini peppers or whole peppers
- beef broth - I use a low sodium beef broth. You could also use beer or even water, but I like to use the broth or beef stock because it concentrates the beefiness! <--- I don’t know if that’s a word right there but spell check didn’t argue so we’re rolling with it.
- Hoagie buns - or other crusty rolls for serving. I usually find these in the deli section at the grocery store, but also in the bread aisle.
- Cheese - I’m a no cheese gal on my Italian beef sandwiches but my family opinion is different. Shredded mozzarella cheese or provolone cheese are both good options.
How to Make Slow Cooker Italian Beef
Step 1: Prep the Roast: Cut the roast into several large chunks. This allows the flavor to get everywhere as opposed to having to work into a big cut of meat. It also makes your shredding job easier in the end.
Step 2: Add the seasonings: Everyone into the pool - the oregano, garlic, onion, Italian seasoning and pepperoncini. Be sure to include the liquid from the pepperoncini, too.
Step 3: Cook: Every crockpot is different, but if you cook Italian beef 7-8 hours on low or 5 hours or so on high should do the trick.
Step 4: Shred beef: Remove the Italian beef from the pot and shred it on a platter using a couple of forks. Or, you can cut it into thin slices. Sometimes the roast tells me what to do!
Return it to the pot and if you can, allow it to hang out in the juices for 15-20 minutes before serving.
What goes well with Italian Beef sandwiches
Remember before when I said this is versatile? Here are a few ways you can customize your Italian beef.
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
Add shredded mozzarella cheese or sliced provolone cheese.
Top with giardiniera, which is pickled vegetables which are usually on the spicy side. You could also use banana peppers, hot peppers or roasted green bell peppers.
Reserve some pepperoncini pepper slices for topping
Dip your prepped sandwich into the au jus (fancy for juices) for a “dipped” version that’s messy but delicious. It’s how we love it!
FAQS
What to serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches
If we're being super simple, let's go with chips! Step it up a little bit and make Creamy Potato Salad of your favorite pasta salad to serve alongside it.
How long to cook crock pot Italian Beef
Honestly, some of this will depend on the age and size of your slow cooker. When the meat easily shreds, it’s ready!
What to make with leftover Beef
- Use the shredded Italian beef in these roast beef sandwiches
- Serve with mashed potatoes as an Italian roast
- Freeze it for leftover
- Chop it up and add it to minestrone soup or vegetable soup.
How to store leftovers for later
Place the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
You can also freeze leftovers, including the extra cooking liquid, in a freezer safe container or freezer bag.
Other Crock Pot Beef Recipes You’ll Enjoy
These are such a great meal, I know they'll become a favorite thing of yours as well. Give this Italian Beef crock pot recipe a try and leave a comment below!
Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 5 pound rump roast or chuck roast cut into large pieces
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 8 ounces jarred pepperoncini undrained
- 2 cups beef broth
- For serving:
- Sturdy Italian style rolls
- Shredded mozzarella cheese or provolone cheese
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
Instructions
- Prep Roast: Cut your roast into several large pieces and add to the slow cooker.
- Add ingredients: Add garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, oregano, jarred pepperoncini including juices and beef broth. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.
- Shred the beef: Remove the Italian beef from the pot and shred it on a platter. Return it to the pot and if you can, allow it to hang out in the juices for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Serve on rolls with cheese and extra pepperoncini, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Add shredded mozzarella cheese or sliced provolone cheese.
- Top with giardiniera, which is pickled spicy vegetables, or roasted green bell peppers.
- Reserve some pepperoncini pepper slices for topping
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Stephanie Fossum says
This recipe turned out great for me! I love the flavor that the pepperoncini added. My beef stredded great also! Thanks so much I made sandwiches with this and had plenty leftover!
Bethany says
Very easy to put together, I love a good slow cooker recipe. This was good, the peppers in there gave the meat really good flavor. we topped ours with shredded Italian cheese, we cleaned our plates. 🙂
Joy Striggow says
I have always wanted to make Italian Beef sandwiches at home and this recipe was a hit! Served it this weekend for a small family get-together and everyone loved it!
5 out of 5 stars
I even had to print the recipe to give my mom.
Jennifer says
This was delicious! I love that I can control the level of salt and flavoring in it. Basic ingredients are easy to keep on hand too.
Amy Pitts says
I am making this today! I am so excited to see how it turns out.
Nivedita Harish says
https://www.thisfarmgirlcooks.com/about/contact-me/
Nivedita Harish says
Hi
How are you doing?
I want post in your site thisfarmgirlcooks.com
How much will you charge for permanent post with do follow link?
Regards
Nivedita
Harish
[email protected]
Jennifer says
We love easy crock pot recipes like this one!