Tender juicy and full of bold flavors these Italian Beef and Pepper Sandwiches will have everyone thinking you spend hours in the kitchen but the truth is they only took an hour!
(Original post date March 19, 2020/ Links and post updated September 4, 2021)
When Greg and I first moved in together I would slave away making dinners, being the perfect housewife, while holding down a job or 2 and apparently I made it look easy. When in reality I was exhausted.
Eventually, I decided something had to give. I am OCD so a dirty house was not in the cards without an absolute breakdown. Work… well it’s kind of a good and nice thing to pay the bills. That left meals and cooking.
The kitchen is my happy place. So instead of saying okay we will take the easy way out and eat out or spend extra money on those prepped meal kits, I decided to get creative. Turn dishes that used to take me hours into quick simple dishes without losing any of the flavors.
Here is one of Greg’s Favorites Italian Beef and Peppers Sandwiches.
Tips for Quick and Easy Meals
When you want to recreate a dish that used to take you hours into a dish that will only take you 1 hour here are a few things to consider.
- Equipment
- Slow Cookers:
- Great for “dump and go” meals, soups, roasts, stews.
- The only downfall to cooking meat in the slow cooker is the flavors get a little dull and one-note and the texture is usually a shredded meat consistency.
- You also have to let things cook in a slow cooker 4-8 hours, making these dishes plan ahead meals
- Instant Pot/Counter Top Pressure Cooker:
- Great for meats, soups stews, rice, pasta.
- They cook things quickly so you don’t have to worry about leaving something on that can possibly catch on fire when you’re at work.
- The downfall is they don’t always work, the valve gets stuck, the seal isn’t in place or clean.
- A large sheet pan:
- You would be surprised how many complete meals you can make just a sheet pan and how easy the clean-up is.
- The downfall is not everything can be made on a sheet pan
- Dutch Oven
- A Dutch Oven is a large pot that oven goes in the oven.
- Easy clean up because who has time to scrub dishes
- The downfall is most dishes will be complete in under 2 hours still making these dishes time consuming
- A Large Skillet
- A lot of complete meals can be made in a large skillet.
- Easy meal clean up
- Typically dishes are done in 45 minutes or under.
- The downfall is you tend to have to watch these closely because they have a tendency to burn.
- Slow Cookers:
- Ingredients
- Keep the simple
- Far too often we overcompensate. Simple herbs and spices go far no matter slow-roasted dinner or a quick and easy meal.
- Wine, stock, broth, bouillon base, and even juices add a simple boost of flavor.
- Add in some fresh herbs and/or cheese when serving the dish. This will give the dish the brightness and freshness those grandmas cooked all day meals had.
- Other food tips
- When making sheet pan meals or skillet meals keep in mind that veggies and potatoes should be cut the same size so they cook evenly and at the same rate.
- Remember the smaller things are cut the faster they will cook through.
- Things like altitude and the type of ingredient (long grain rice vs. short-grain rice) do play a factor in how things cook, and the amount of time they need to cook.
- Keep the simple
Now that you know some tips to make quick meals you are probably already thinking of a few you can make next week.
How to Make Quick and Easy Italian Beef and Peppers Sandwiches
- Cut Roast in half, then into chunks. Place the roast, peppers and onion mix, mushrooms, marinara sauce, beef stock, Italian Seasoning, diced tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce in the instant pot. Close the lid, make sure the nozzle is in the seal position, hit the meat and stew button, up the time to 60 minutes, and allow to cook.
- Meanwhile slicing the rolls in half, sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese (or a slice of provolone) on both sides of the roll, and toast in the oven on broil until cheese is melted.
- Once Instant Pot goes off allow to depressurize, remove the lid, remove the beef, leave peppers onions, and mushrooms in the instant pot, turn the instant pot on saute and allow the juices to reduce.
- While sauce is reducing shred the beef and place it back into the sauce. Turn Instant Pot off.
- Liberally scoop the beef, onions, and pepper mixture onto the rolls with the melty cheese and serve.
Simple meals are always the perfect fit for a busy week. These Italian Beef and Pepper Sandwiches are a family favorite as well as a crowd-pleaser served with simple parmesan garlic potato slices. The leftovers can be used in a sauce then tossed with pasta for another simple meal later on in the week.
Other Weeknight Meals
FAQ and Tips
Common Questions that get asked about the recipe, and tips to save you time and money.
- Can this dish be made in a slow cooker?
Yes, add all the ingredients to the slow cook and cook on high 6-8 hours. - Can this dish be frozen?
Absolutely, it can be made ahead and frozen for a quick weeknight meal. Keeps in the freezer for 2 months. - Beef is so expensive can I use pork or chicken instead?
You can always change out the protein, just keep in mind the cook time, flavor, and texture may change.
Get the Recipe for Easy Italian Beef and Pepper Sandwiches
Instant Pot Italian Beef and Pepper Sandwiches
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 8 large deli rolls
- 1 2 lb Top Round Beef Roast
- 1 16oz bag Frozen Three Bell Pepper and Onion Mix
- 4 oz mushrooms sliced
- ¼ cup marinara sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ cup red wine (or beef stock)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 8 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Cut Roast in half. Place the roast, peppers and onion mix, mushrooms, marinara sauce, beef stock, Italian Seasoning, diced tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce in the instant pot. Close the lid, make sure the nozzle is on seal, hit the meat and stew button, up the time to 60 minutes and allow to cook.
- Meanwhile slicing the rolls in half, sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese on both sides of the roll, and toast in the oven on broil until cheese is melted.
- Once Instant Pot goes off allow to depressurize, remove the lid, remove the beef, leave peppers onions and mushrooms in instant pot, turn instant post on saute and allow the juices to reduce.
- While sauce is reducing shred the beef and place back into the sauce. Turn Instant Pot off.
- Liberally scoop the beef, onions, and pepper mixture onto the rolls with the melty cheese and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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