This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with tender beef, peppers and caramelized onions. Serve with au jus on the side for dipping. This is an easy dinner your whole family will love!
These Slow Cooker French Dip sandwiches are always a winner. With under 10 minutes of prep time, the crockpot does all of the work and delivers flavorful, tender French Dip sandwiches without all of the work. You can top them with peppers and onions if you’d like, and cheese is always a favorite whether it’s Swiss cheese, provolone cheese, or mozzarella. Served up on a toasted roll – it’s the kind of easy dinner I love for any night of the week! If you really want to be extra, try serving them with my homemade Creamy Garlic Dip. So good! Enjoy!
❤️-Ashley
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Effortless – the slow cooker does the majority of the work. Need I say more?
- Flavorful – the seasoning blend featuring garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and black pepper adds so much flavor.
- Tender Beef – is there anything better than tender beef made in the slow cooker?
- Versatile – this is a choose your own adventure kind of sandwich – make it with or without peppers and onions, and with or without cheese.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches:
- Beef Chuck Roast – you will need a 4 pound boneless beef chuck roast. A well-marbled piece of beef will provide the best flavor and tenderness.
- Seasoning Blend + Bay Leaf and Peppercorns
- Beef Broth – canned, boxed, or Better-Than-Bouillon
- Worcestershire sauce – I struggle saying Worcestershire sauce but it’s an ingredient I always keep on hand. It adds so much flavor!
- Sandwich rolls – choose your favorite crusty rolls from the bakery at the grocery store
- Peppers and onions – optional but adds flavor and texture!
- Cheese – provolone, mozzarella, or Swiss are all great options!
How to make French Dip Sandwiches
- Prepare the beef: often times recipes will call for searing the meat before adding it to the slow cooker. You can sear the meat if you wish, however, for this recipe I keep it simple and we skip that step. The meat is still tender, flavorful and delicious. Place the beef chuck roast in the slower cooker.
- Season the beef: garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns all add delicious flavor to the beef.
- Cover with broth
- Slow Cook – it will take about 8-10 hours on low heat for 4-6 hours on high heat.
- Prepare the peppers and onions – shortly before serving, make the peppers and onions on the stove.
- Prepare the au jus – simply pour the broth from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer, then serve on the side for dipping.
- Assemble the sandwiches – add meat, peppers and onions, and cheese to sandwich rolls, then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
- Enjoy!
Instant Pot Instructions
To make this recipe in the Instant Pot, add all of the beef ingredients to the Instant Pot then cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for about 15 minutes, then shred the beef and continue with the remaining instructions for the peppers and onions, and preparing the au jus.
What to serve with French Dip Sandwiches:
I served these sandwiches with carrots and celery with dip, and some apple slices to keep it a super simple supper that is perfect for hectic weeknights. Other suggestions:
- Potato Wedges
- Coleslaw
- Garden Salad with my favorite Ranch Dressing
- Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli
- Onion Rings
More Slow Cooker Recipes:
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Cheddar Bacon Ranch Potatoes
- Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
- Sloppy Joes
- Slow Cooker Smothered Pork Chops
If you try this recipe for Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches, please let me know what you think, I love to hear from you. This recipe is the perfect example of a minimal effort recipe that provides so much flavor. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
Beef Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless beef roast remove any excess fat
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary *I didn’t have any on hand so I left it out
- 1 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried I used dried
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 24 ounces low-sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
Caramelized Onion and Peppers Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large bell peppers red or green or one of each, seeded, ribs removed and cut into strips
Sandwich Ingredients
- 8 crusty sandwich rolls
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 8 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and black pepper.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the roast, then place the roast in your slow cooker.
- Add in the beef broth. If there’s not enough broth to cover the roast, add a little water until it’s covered.
- Add in the bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and the peppercorns, then arrange the sliced onion over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the beef is tender and will easily fall apart.
- Shortly before you’re ready to eat, prepare the caramelized onions and peppers. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add in the onions and season them with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. The process of caramelizing the onions will take time, about 30 minutes, so be sure to keep an eye on them as they are browning. If needed, add in a little water if the pan becomes too dry.
- When the onions are golden brown and tender, remove them from the pan.
- To the pan add in the peppers and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Remove them from the pan.
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred it. You can also cut it into slices against the grain, but I prefer shredded beef.
- Pre-heat your broiler to high.
- Poor the broth from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer. Allow the broth to stand at room temperature to allow the fat to separate and rise to the top. Use a spoon to remove any fat. Pour the broth into small bowls for dipping the sandwiches.
- Split the rolls, then spread about 1/2 tablespoon of butter on each roll. Place the rolls open faced on a rimmed baking sheet and broil for two to three minutes.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and place meat and caramelized onions and peppers on each sandwich. Top with a slice of provolone cheese. Broil for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve each sandwich with some of the broth (au jus) on the side.
- Enjoy!
