Beef

Italian Beef

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Italian Beef Sandwich

If you’ve never had an Italian Beef Sandwich from Chicago you are in for a treat. The closest I can compare it to is a French Dip but with a lot more flavor. I don’t recall the Italian Beef Sandwiches I used to get in Chicago having bell peppers and mushrooms, but I think they are a great addition. It’s your call though. Definitely don’t omit the pepperoncinis.

This recipe is as simple as throwing everything in the slowwcooker, turning it on and walking away. I often get everything ready the night before and keep this in my refrigerator so I only have to pull it out the next morning and turn it on.

I recommend using a sirloin roast, but a chuck roast will work too. Be sure to trim as much of the outer fat off the chuck roast as  you can.

After cooking on high for 2 1/2 hours, flip the roast over and stir things around. It’s not necessary, but if you can, it will help distribute all the flavors and juice throughout the meat.

After cooking for 5 hours, pull the roast out and pull/shred the beef. Return it back to the slow cooker, reduce the heat to low and cook for another hour. By shredding and letting it cook longer, the flavors get infused throughout the meat. You can let it cook longer after shredding, the meat will be more flavorful and tender.

It’s time to eat!

Toast a hearty bun with some mozzarella cheese on it if you desire. Add the meat and veggies, I always add more pepperoncinis to my sandwich and a side of the juice to dip my sandwich in.

Enjoy!

Italian Beef Sandwich
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Italian Beef

One of the things I really loved about Chicago was getting a great Italian Beef Sandwich. I haven't been there in many years but sometimes crave Italian Beef, so I decided I had to come up with a recipe. Make sure you have a sturdy bun, this is a sloppy sandwich, toast and melt some mozzarella cheese on it. I always add more pepperoncini to my sandwich.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Course: Lunch, Sandwich
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beef, Sandwich, Slow Cooker
Servings: 6 sandwiches
Calories: 308kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • 4 to 6 quart slow cooker
  • Cutting board and knife

Ingredients

  • 2 pound beef roast
  • 2 cups pepperoncini
  • 1 each bell pepper julienned
  • 4 cups mushrooms sliced
  • ½ each onion sliced into half moons
  • 2 packets zesty Italian dressing mix Good Seasonings Brand works great
  • 2 cups beef stock

Instructions

  • In the bottom of a slow cooker crock (4 to 6 quart) layer the vegetables and pepperoncini. Add the beef roast and sprinkle on the Italian seasoning packets. Pour the beef stock around the edges.
  • Turn slow cooker on high and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
  • Flip roast over and stir around veggies and juice. Cook on high for another 2 1/2 hours.
  • Remove roast from the slow cooker and pull/shred the roast. Return the meat back to the slow cooker, reduce heat to low and cook another hour.
  • Put on a toasted bun with melted mozzarella cheese.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 959mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 4mg

Jamaican Jerk Beef and Vegetables

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I love the bold flavors of Jerk dishes, but they can take time to make. Don’t let the cooking time on this recipe scare you away, most of that is the rice cooking time. This one has minimal hands-on prep, and time to let the beef and veggies marinate, all of which can be done while the rice is cooking.

After you get your rice cooking, mix your marinade, trim and cube the beef and cut the vegetables.

Remove 1/3 cup of the marinade and stir it in the beef. Then add your vegetables to the rest of the marinade and stir in.

Now set it aside and wait for about 30 minutes. Give each a stir once or twice while waiting.

Heat a large saute pan, on medium high heat and add the beef and marinade. Saute for about 5 minutes until the beef is brown.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the veggies plus the marinade they were in. Stir and saute for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened and veggies have slightly cooked but are still crunchy.

Put some rice in a bowl and top it with the beef, veggies, and sauce, and you have a one bowl, delicious, bold dinner.

Enjoy!

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Jamaican Jerk Beef and Vegetables

Jerk dishes have very bold flavors that awaken the taste buds. Many of them are time consuming and require a lot of different seasonings. I made this simple, and most likely you have the seasonings in your pantry. Switch out any of the vegetables you may not like or replace the beef with turkey, or go vegetarian and replace it with seitan or portabello mushrooms.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Jamaican
Keyword: Jamaican Jerk, Jamaican Jerk Beef, Jerk
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 417kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Large stainless steel saute pan
  • 4 quart sauce pan or larger
  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 medium bowl
  • Knife and cutting board

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup beef stock
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp thyme dried
  • ½ tsp. cloves
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 1/2 each yellow onion diced
  • 2 each jalapeno peppers seeded & minced
  • 1 tbsp garlic fresh, minced

Beef and Veggies:

  • ½ pound beef cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 each zucchini or yellow squash, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 each tomato cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 each green bell pepper cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cups broccoli florets

Rice

  • 1 cup brown basmati rice
  • 3 cups chicken stock

Instructions

  • Put the rice and chicken stock in the saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until done.
  • After you've started the rice, it's time to make the marinade for the beef and veggies.
  • For the marinade, in a large bowl combine soy sauce, red wine vinegar, canola oil, beef stock and cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
  • Trim and cut beef steak into cubes and put in a bowl. Remove 1/3 cup of the marinade and toss it with the beef.
  • Prepare the veggies and add them to the other bowl with the rest of the marinade. Let the beef and veggies soak for about 30 minutes.
  • Heat a large, stainless steel sauté pan and add the beef along with the marinade. Sauté on medium high for about 5 minutes until the beef is brown.
  • Reduce heat to medium and add the vegetables and marinade. Stir in and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until cooked through and everything is hot.
  • Serve over rice.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

If you are watching nutrition information, 1 cup of just the beef, veggies, and sauce without the rice cooked in chicken broth:
Calories: 120; Carbohydrates: 4g; Protein: 9g; Fat; 8g; Cholesterol; 27mg; Sodium; 39mg; Sugar 1g.
To reduce the amount of sodium, cook the rice in a low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
I like to serve this on a bed of kale or spinach for a healthier/lighter meal.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 1335mg | Potassium: 631mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg

Salisbury Steak

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Back in my college days, I could buy 4 frozen Salisbury steaks with gravy for a dollar. I would toast a slice of bread, heat up a steak and gravy, and put it on top of the toast. I remember it being good, but, like most college students, I was also poor. My tastes have changed, however, I now make my own Salisbury steak at least once per year.

I also make larger batches of mashed potatoes and freeze what I don’t need at the time so I can have them almost ready to go when I need them. I know, when thawed they are very runny, just put the mashed potatoes in an ovenproof crock (sprayed with cooking oil), cover and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. They will be ready by the time your steaks are done.

I start by getting my steaks ready to go. Mix the ground beef with the bell pepper, onion, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Be careful to mix only to the point where everything is just blended together. Over mixing results in a tough steak. Make 4 patties and set this aside.

Next slice your mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms, no worries, just omit them and go on.

Heat a large saute pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter, then your mushrooms. Saute until they start turning brown. Then add the flour and thoroughly combine and cook for a minute or 2 to brown the flour a little bit.

Now you want to slowly whisk in the beef stock. Only add about 1/2 cup at a time and whisk it in so you can get all the lumps out of the gravy. If you pour it in all at once, you run the risk of having a very lumpy gravy.

Now it’s as simple as adding your steak patties. Cover the pan and simmer for about 7 minutes. Flip the patties over, cover and simmer for another 7 minutes.

Taste the gravy – careful, it’s hot – and add some sea salt and/or black pepper if you desire.

Served with mashed potatoes and a veggie, I’m ready for a cold, winter or fall evening!

Enjoy!

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Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a vegetable is a delicious comfort meal to warm you on a cold winter night
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Hamburger, Salisbury Steak
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 299kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Large saute pan

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef I like using ground chuck
  • ½ cup bell pepper fine diced (optional but adds a good flavor)
  • ¼ cup minced onion red or yellow
  • 3 tbsp bread crumbs Italian seasoned
  • 1 each egg
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Gravy

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Mix all Salisbury steak ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix or they will be tough. Make 4 patties and set aside.
  • In a large sauté pan, melt butter, add mushrooms and sauté until they turn brown. Stir in flour and cook for a couple minutes to start browning the flour.
  • Slowly whisk in the beef stock, about ½ cup at a time. Make sure to thoroughly whisk in the stock with the mushroom mixture as you pour in to get all the lumps out.
  • Once beef stock is mixed in, add your beef patties, cover and simmer for 7 minutes or so. Flip patties, cover pan and simmer for another 7 minutes or so.
  • Taste gravy, add salt or pepper if needed. There is enough gravy to serve mashed potatoes with the steaks.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 870mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 761IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 4mg