Craving a flavorful, family-friendly dinner that practically cooks itself? Look no further than this Pioneer Woman inspired Crock Pot Pepper Steak recipe. Imagine tender steak strips and vibrant bell peppers simmered in a savory, subtly sweet sauce, all day long in your slow cooker, filling your kitchen with an irresistible aroma. This isn’t just another weeknight meal; it’s a comforting, hearty dish that brings the warmth and ease of Ree Drummond’s style right to your dinner table.
A delicious serving of crock pot pepper steak with rice, garnished with chopsticks, showcasing the tender steak and colorful peppers.
This slow cooker pepper steak recipe is the epitome of set-it-and-forget-it cooking. Perfect for busy households, it delivers a punch of flavor with minimal effort. If you appreciate the simplicity and deliciousness of Pioneer Woman recipes, you’ll adore how easily this crock pot pepper steak comes together. It’s a fantastic way to enjoy a classic Chinese pepper steak at home, without spending hours in the kitchen. Serve it over fluffy rice, alongside a fresh salad, and you’ve got a complete and satisfying meal that everyone will love. For an extra touch of convenience, consider using an Instant Pot to cook your rice while the pepper steak simmers in the crock pot – a true time-saving kitchen duo!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Crock Pot Pepper Steak Recipe
Weeknights can be hectic, juggling work, school, and extracurricular activities. Finding time to prepare a wholesome and tasty dinner can feel like a challenge. That’s where the magic of the crock pot comes in. This Pioneer Woman style Crock Pot Pepper Steak recipe is designed for those busy evenings when cooking needs to be effortless.
This easy beef recipe is a lifesaver for ensuring a delicious dinner is always within reach, even on your most demanding days. Forget takeout menus – with a little prep in the morning, you can come home to a flavorful, home-cooked meal that tastes like it took hours to prepare.
Ingredients for Pioneer Woman Crock Pot Pepper Steak:
- Beef Strips: Opt for thinly sliced round steak, cut into strips for optimal tenderness. Flank steak or beef stew meat also work wonderfully.
- Bell Peppers: Use a mix of green bell peppers and red bell peppers, sliced into thick strips to maintain texture during slow cooking.
- Onion: Thickly sliced onion adds a savory base to the dish.
- Beef Broth: Provides rich, beefy flavor and moisture for slow cooking.
- Soy Sauce: Essential for that classic Asian-inspired pepper steak taste, adding umami and saltiness.
- Ground Ginger: A warm spice that complements the other flavors beautifully.
- Garlic Powder: Adds a savory garlic note throughout the dish.
- Black Pepper: For a touch of spice and to enhance the overall seasoning.
- Brown Sugar: Balances the savory flavors with a hint of sweetness, creating a delicious glaze.
- Cornstarch: Used to create a slurry to thicken the sauce at the end of cooking.
- Cold Water: To mix with cornstarch for the slurry.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Pepper Steak in a Crock Pot:
Step 1 – Prepare the Crock Pot: Place the beef strips, sliced bell peppers, and onions in your crock pot. This creates the foundation of your flavorful pepper steak.
Step 2 – Season Generously: Sprinkle the ground ginger, garlic powder, black pepper, and brown sugar evenly over the beef and vegetables. Pour the soy sauce over all the ingredients, ensuring everything is well-seasoned.
Beef broth being poured into a crock pot filled with steak strips, bell peppers, and onions, illustrating the step of adding liquid to the pepper steak ingredients.
Step 3 – Add Beef Broth: Pour the beef broth into the crock pot. Stir gently to combine all the ingredients, ensuring the seasonings are distributed throughout.
Step 4 – Slow Cook to Perfection: Cover the crock pot and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours, or until the steak is fully cooked and tender. Slow cooking allows the flavors to meld together beautifully and the steak to become incredibly juicy.
Step 5 – Thicken the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water until smooth to create a cornstarch slurry. This is your secret to a perfectly thickened pepper steak sauce.
A close-up shot of cornstarch and cold water being whisked together in a small bowl, demonstrating the preparation of the cornstarch slurry to thicken the pepper steak sauce.
Step 6 – Thicken and Simmer: Pour the cornstarch slurry into the crock pot and stir it into the pepper steak mixture. Increase the heat to high and cook for an additional 30-60 minutes, or until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
Step 7 – Serve and Savor: Serve your Pioneer Woman Crock Pot Pepper Steak hot over a bed of fluffy white rice. Garnish with sesame seeds or chopped green onions for an extra touch of flavor and visual appeal, if desired. Enjoy this effortless and delicious meal!
Tips for the Best Crock Pot Pepper Steak:
- Steak Preparation: Slice the steak into uniformly thin strips. This ensures even cooking and prevents some pieces from becoming overcooked while others are still raw.
- Pepper Texture: Cut bell peppers into larger strips. This helps them retain some texture during the slow cooking process, preventing them from becoming too mushy.
- Resist Stirring: Avoid stirring the ingredients too frequently while they are cooking. Allowing the steak and peppers to cook undisturbed helps the steak retain its strip form until you are ready to serve.
- Low and Slow Cooking: Cooking on low heat is key to tender steak. This method gently cooks the beef, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
A black crock pot filled with cooked pepper steak, garnished with sesame seeds, presented as a close-up of the finished dish ready to be served.
Customizing Your Crock Pot Pepper Steak: Variations & Substitutions
- Steak Options: Feel free to experiment with different cuts of beef. Flank steak, beef stew meat, or any thinly sliced steak will work well.
- Pepper Power: While green and red bell peppers are classic, you can use any color combination or just one type. For a sweeter flavor, try adding yellow or orange bell peppers.
- Onion Alternatives: In a pinch, dried minced onions can substitute fresh onions. Use about a tablespoon or two for a similar flavor.
- Meat Swaps: Chicken or even pork strips can be used instead of beef for a different twist on this recipe.
- Stir-Fry Style: To adapt this to a quick stir-fry, cook the steak and vegetables in a skillet or wok over high heat with a bit of olive oil.
- Broth Boost: If you don’t have beef broth, water with beef bouillon cubes can be used for added flavor.
- Mushroom Magic: Add sliced mushrooms to the crock pot for an earthy flavor dimension. Alternatively, sauté mushrooms separately and add them as a topping when serving.
- Spice it Up: For a spicier pepper steak, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the crock pot.
- Worcestershire Sauce: A tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce can add a deeper, tangy flavor to the sauce.
Serving Suggestions for Pioneer Woman Pepper Steak:
This versatile dish pairs well with a variety of sides. Here are some family-favorite serving ideas:
- Classic White Rice: A bed of white rice is the traditional and most popular choice for serving pepper steak.
- Nutritious Brown Rice: For a healthier option, serve over brown rice.
- Egg Noodles: Egg noodles are a comforting and delicious alternative to rice, especially when tossed with the flavorful sauce.
- Low-Carb Veggies: For a lower-carb meal, serve with roasted vegetables like broccoli, carrots, or zucchini.
- Protein-Packed Quinoa: Quinoa offers a high-protein, nutritious base for your pepper steak.
- Crispy Fried Wontons: Serve fried wontons as a delightful appetizer alongside your pepper steak.
Storing and Freezing Leftover Pepper Steak:
Leftovers of this pepper steak are fantastic! The flavors meld together even more overnight, making it even tastier the next day.
- Storing: Store leftover pepper steak in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s perfect for meal prepping lunches or enjoying a quick and easy second dinner.
- Freezing: Yes, you can freeze pepper steak! Place cooled leftovers in freezer-safe containers or zip-top freezer bags. Properly frozen pepper steak will last for about 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through. Serve with fresh rice or your favorite sides.
A plate of pepper steak and white rice, showcasing a single serving of the dish, ready to be enjoyed.
