Italian Crock Pot Pepper Steak (Dump & Go)

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.

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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:

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.

Step 2: Add ingredients

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

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.

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.

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