Philly Cheese Steak Crock Pot Recipe
Nothing beats a Philly Cheese Steak piled high with peppers and onions, melted provolone, and all that amazing flavor. Make them in the crock pot and you’ll be rewarded for letting time and temperature do the cooking.
Why This One Works on Busy Days
- The combination of peppers, onions, and that little packet of Italian seasoning creates a symphony of flavor. The flavors meld over the course of the 8 hours of cooking and result in something way bigger than the sum of its parts. It’s great to have an easy meal that tastes like it took forever.
- The meat falls apart with a fork. We love the tender meat piled high on a hoagie with provolone that’s been broiled for color and flavor. The provolone is fantastic on these and we’d highly recommend it.
- It makes a lot. There’s easily enough for 6 sandwiches (see below).
What We Eat These With
- If you’re feeling indulgent, we suggest putting frozen fries in the oven or making some crispy potato wedges to bake while you’re broiling the hoagies.
- Coleslaw adds some creaminess and crunch to a meal. We always like something like that with our sandwiches to balance out all that meat and provolone.
- In the cold weather months (and it is FALL, people), half a sandwich and some tomato soup sounds pretty dang perfect to us. We’ve even had these with French Onion Soup.
How It Keeps and What to Do With Leftovers
- The meat and veggie combo will last for 4 days in the fridge. Store away from your buns and cheese and make sure everything is in an airtight container.
- To reheat, we’d suggest transferring what you need to a saucepan and warming over medium-low heat. You can also microwave in 60 second intervals. Assemble the sandwiches and broil as directed.
- You can freeze the meat and veggie combo in a ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Move to fridge, let it thaw, and reheat as directed. Assemble sandwiches as directed.
Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak FAQ
Do I have to brown the meat first?
We love the color and flavor browning adds to meat before slow cooking. Just 5 minutes of cooking adds tons of flavor and those little browned, toasty bits you can’t get from cooking meat that’s gone into the crock pot raw.
We’d suggest taking that small extra step for optimal flavor.
Instead of cooking the beef raw in the crock pot, I like to brown it first for added color and flavor. Place a large, heavy pan over high heat.
When it’s screaming hot, add the beef in a single layer. Sear for just a few minutes and remove to slow cooker.
Repeat with remaining beef.
Can I use a different cut of beef?
- Round steak is the most commonly used and the least expensive. Its dense, tough muscles and connective tissues lend themselves well to long cooking on the low heat of a crockpot, during which they soften and break down.
- Chuck roast is more marbled with fat and has a richer flavor. It takes longer to cook, 8 hours in my opinion, but shreds more easily.
- Flank steak will take less time to cook, and I’d check it after 6 hours.
Can I cook this on high instead of low?
You can also make this recipe on HIGH in the slow cooker, reducing the cooking time to 4-5 hours, or less for flank steak.
What if I don’t have Italian dressing mix?
Want to change it up a bit?
Use a different type of dressing to season your slow cooker cheesesteak beef. For example, ranch is delicious.
Or, if you’re out of Italian seasoning, you can make your own by combining 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried basil.
Can I make this for a crowd?
If you’re entertaining, double this recipe in at least a 6 quart crockpot and leave it on the low setting. Set out all of the fixins’ for your guests to fix their own cheesesteaks.
Perfect for game day.
What cheese is most authentic?
Traditional Philly Cheesesteaks are made with Cheez Whiz or American cheese. However, provolone is the most popular choice for making Philly Cheesesteak at home, and the one I prefer.
If you want to broil your sandwiches, American cheese will melt the easiest. Either way, no one will be complaining about the tender, savory, perfectly-seasoned beef in their homemade cheesesteak.
Other Slow Cooker Beef Dinners Worth Making
- Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes – use ground beef and enjoy classic cheesesteak flavor, minus the fuss. Perfect for a speedy weeknight meal.
- Philly Cheese Steak Sliders – miniature Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches perfect for entertaining.
- Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches – tender beef sandwiches and au jus for dipping, all made in your Crock Pot.
- Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff – slow cooker beef and creamy sauce served over egg noodles; comfort food perfection.
- Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Pasta – salty, tangy ranch chicken with a pile of cheese and pasta; a family favorite, all made in your slow cooker.
This crockpot cheesesteak recipe makes an easy, flavorful, slow-cooked meal that’s ready to eat in about eight hours.
Philly Cheese Steak Crock Pot Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef round steak sliced thin
- 2 green peppers sliced thin
- 1 onion sliced thin
- 1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 3 teaspoons garlic salt
- 6 hoagie buns
- 12 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Spray the crock pot with cooking spray.
- Cut beef round steak into thin slices and brown briefly in a hot pan for color.
- Add browned beef, green peppers, onion, beef stock, garlic salt, black pepper, and Italian dressing mix to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, until beef is tender.
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
- Spoon the beef and vegetable mixture onto sliced hoagie buns.
- Top each sandwich with 2 slices of provolone cheese, overlapping as needed.
- Bake at 350°F or broil on low for a few minutes, just until the cheese melts.
- Serve warm.