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Published: Jan 13, 2023 by Anne Aslanides

Italian Crock Pot Pepper Steak (Dump & Go)

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This italian inspired steak with peppers and onions also incorporates diced tomatoes and plenty of italian seasoning for a delicious and hearty meal the whole family will love.

The best thing about a slow cooker meal is being able to toss everything in and then come back to a ready-to-eat dinner hours later. I'm a huge fan of dump and go slow cooker dinners for busy days. This easy recipe with steak, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes is a delicious meal that tastes like it took a lot more effort than it actually does. Served over egg noodles or a bed of rice this is one of those comforting meals that's also reasonably healthy.

White plate with slow cooker Italian pepper steak on a bed of egg noodles in front of crock pot.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.

Why you'll love this great crockpot recipe:

  • Easy- we are just dumping, stirring, and turning the slow cooker on.
  • Low prep- Cutting everything takes about 15 minutes of prep time, but if you want to cut that down you can buy precut beef (like stew meat) and use a blend of precut onions and peppers from the freezer section.
  • Limited dishes- we are not browning the meat in a large skillet or mixing anything in a small bowl. So we won't need to wash those things!

Let's get started! Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients on a kitchen counter with text labels overlayed on each.

Ingredients:

Steak- I used sirloin tip because it was on sale, but any cut of beef will work- we're cooking it low and slow so even round steak will transform into tender beef.

Bell pepper- My family likes red peppers (did you know they have more vitamin C?) so that's what you see here, but green peppers are more commonly used in this style of dish- use your favorite!

Onion- I'm using a yellow onion here, but a white onion or even sweet onion would be good too.

Tomatoes- Don't drain them! The acidic liquid helps tenderize the beef. If you're using fresh be sure to transfer any juice that leaks out while you're cutting them to the slow cooker.

Italian seasoning- This and the tomatoes is what really gives it that Italian flavor. While the term pepper steak may make you think of a Chinese restaurant (and that's delish too!), there are different ways to make pepper steak. This version has more of a Tuscan flare.

Olive oil- ideally extra virgin olive oil, but we're only using a tablespoon so it's not a big deal if you need to use a regular olive oil or even vegetable oil.

Garlic powder- you can use fresh garlic cloves if you prefer.

Sea salt & black pepper- the usual suspects making their usual appearance.

Equipment:

You'll of course need your handy dandy slow cooker. Aside from that we'll want to use a measuring spoon or two, a knife and cutting board, and a spatula or wooden spoon to stir everything with.

How to make this slow cooker pepper steak recipe:

Step 1: Slice & dice

Trim any large chunks of fat off of whatever type of beef you're using if necessary. Then cut it up into bite sized pieces. Go ahead and dice up your onion and bell pepper as well.

Diced white onion on cutting board.
Diced bell pepper on cutting board.

Step 2: Add ingredients

Dump all the ingredients into your slow cooker insert, starting with the meat and veggies you just chopped up.

Ingredients in slow cooker insert before stirring, veggies and meat on bottom, seasonings on top.

Step 3: Stir and cook

Stir everything together and turn on your slow cooker. For best results, cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, but you can cook on high for 3-4 hours if you need dinner ready faster. If you really need it fast, you can also use your instant pot on high pressure for 20 minutes and use a natural release.

Raw ingredients in slow cooker after stirring together.
Tuscan pepper steak in crock pot after cooking on low for 6.5 hours.

Step 4: Serve and enjoy

About half an hour before you're ready to eat, cook up some egg noodles or white rice. For an even easier option, costco mashed potatoes go well with this and just need heated up. Serve over your favorite carb (or cauliflower rice if that's your jam) and enjoy! If you have any leftovers be sure to store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Plate of Italian pepper steak on a bed of egg noodles in front of slow cooker with title text in front.

A note on meal prep

This dish is a great choice for preparing ahead- you can do all of your cutting and freeze everything, then transfer it to the fridge the day before cooking it.

My preference is to put everything except the tomatoes in a gallon ziplock and lay the bag flat so it's as thin as possible for quicker defrosting. That way it generally thaws overnight or in the sink with water while we have breakfast in the morning, and all I need to add are the tomatoes.

Freezing it this way also lets you cook it in the instant pot from frozen- adding the tomatoes last minute gives the liquid necessary to build pressure, just increase your cook time to 30 minutes.

More beef recipes and slow cooker recipes you may like:

For slow cooker meals, this pulled pork and this chicken potato chowder are regular meals in our kitchen. Looking for a new favorite recipe? This list has over 30 dump and go crock pot dinners!

Looking for another way to use up beef? If you have leftovers you can use them in these crescent sandwiches. If you're looking for a crock pot meal where you don't need to make your starch on the side, try this beef stew.

Enjoy!

I hope you love this easy crockpot pepper steak recipe, and if you do be sure to come back and leave a star review!

📖 Recipe

White plate with slow cooker Italian pepper steak on a bed of egg noodles in front of crock pot.

Slow Cooker Italian Pepper Steak

Anne Aslanides
This dump & go slow cooker Italian pepper steak is perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends.
4.66 from 23 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 6 hours hrs
Total Time 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 214 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb steak bites I used sirloin
  • 1 ea onion medium
  • 1 ea bell pepper
  • 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your onion, pepper, and meat by chopping into bite-sized pieces.
  • Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker and stir together.
  • Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.
  • Serve over egg nooodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Podcast

Notes

To make in an instant pot, cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and release pressure naturally.  If dish was frozen raw for meal prep, cook for 30 minutes on high pressure (tip: freeze without the tomatoes and add them the day of cooking so they can provide the liquid to come to pressure without thawing).

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 27gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 781mgPotassium: 735mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 251IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.

Keyword Slow Cooker
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ann K. says

    April 09, 2024 at 4:48 pm

    5 stars
    I substituted crushed tomatoes for the diced tomatoes since that’s what I had on hand. Also used just a pinch of salt. I will definitely keep this in my rotation

    Reply
    • Anne Aslanides says

      April 10, 2024 at 9:21 am

      Crushed tomatoes are a great swap for the diced, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it Ann!

      Reply
  2. Alison Oyler-Mitsch says

    June 30, 2024 at 5:48 pm

    5 stars
    Made for dinner and it was a 5 star! Super easy to prep and just threw in crockpot for 6 hours and served over egg noodles! I made two additions - I added mushrooms only because I had them and they were about to go bad, and a sprinkle on parmesan on top! Meat just fell apart and sauce was flavorful!

    Reply
  3. Karen White says

    July 31, 2024 at 1:48 pm

    5 stars
    This was such a great quick supper. My husband loved it. I did add more onion and garlic.

    Reply
    • Anne Aslanides says

      July 31, 2024 at 4:27 pm

      Thank you Karen, I'm so glad to hear that!

      Reply
4.66 from 23 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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