You may have noticed a string of oven baked recipes have posted to the blog recently. I’m the proud owner of a brand new oven after my 15 year old one finally gave its last dying breath. When pot handles catch fire and the tops of your baked potatoes are burnt and black but the undersides are still raw I finally had to admit defeat and acknowledge it was time to replace the oven. I’ve been itching to try these delicious Italian beef sandwiches for quite a while. I’m so very happy that they are one of the first things to come out of my new oven. These sandwiches are phenomenal! They’re packed with flavor, and the low and slow braising time in the oven produces fall part, juicy shredded beef that’s tender and delectably delicious. This is a must try sandwich!
How To Make Oven Braised Italian Beef Sandwiches
Use a chuck roast for the best flavor. The marbling produces the juiciest most flavorful results. Get it when it’s on sale if you can. The price of beef is getting ridiculous!
Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
Simple ingredients that produce the most flavorful results. I used an envelope of Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix, and made my own beef broth by combining water with Better Than Bouillon, roasted beef base. You could also use a can of beef broth if that’s what you have on hand. I love the flavor the Mezzetta medium heat peperoncini sliced peppers add to this recipe. They add a tangy zip without too much spiciness.
Season beef chuck roast generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven pot over medium high heat. When oil is hot add the chuck roast to the pot and sear until browned, about 4-5 minutes per side.
If you’re a busy working mom, now would be the time to transfer the beef to a slow cooker instead of braising the beef in the oven. You will get excellent results using a slow cooker, but I think you get a deeper, richer flavor, cooking it in the oven vs. the slow cooker. If you are going to be home I recommend the oven braising method. If you don’t have an oven safe Dutch Oven Pot this one by Lodge is an excellent option. Not only does it come in a variety of beautiful colors but it’s affordable as well. I have several cast iron items from Lodge and they’ve held up beautifully for years with a lot of use! My enameled cast iron Dutch oven pot is a real workhorse. It’s used more than any other pot I own. You can’t go wrong investing in a good quality enameled cast iron pot and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg either! You will be pulling it out of the cupboard, over and over, for years to come.
Add sliced onions and sliced peperoncini peppers to the pot.
In a small bowl, combine beef broth, Italian dressing mix, Italian seasoning, and peperoncini juice.
Pour broth over beef roast in the pot.
Place lid on the pot and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 3-4 hours (about 1 hour per pound of beef). Seven to eight hours in the slow cooker on low, or three to four hours on high.
Once the beef is fork tender, remove the pot from the oven. Use tongs or two forks to shred the beef and then stir in the sliced red bell pepper strips. I like to add them towards the end of the cook time so they aren’t cooked to mush.
Cover the pot with the lid and return it to the oven. Cook for an additional 30-45 minutes or until the red peppers soften.
Remove pot from the oven and let beef rest for 10 minutes before serving.
While beef rests, toast hoagie rolls and melt Provolone cheese onto each roll. I do this by placing the cut rolls in the oven under the broiler and toasting until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starts to brown along the edges.
Serve the shredded beef on the toasted hoagie rolls with the melted Provolone cheese and some of the pan drippings on the side for dunking your sandwich if desired.
Oh man, oh man, oh man, these sandwiches are oh so very, very tasty! Even my kids who typically don’t care for leftovers were lining up for another sandwich a couple nights later when I reheated the beef to make round two with the leftover beef. They are tender, juicy and packed with delectable flavor. Definitely one of our top ten favorite meals around here.
These sandwiches pair beautifully with this Iconic Olive Garden Salad Copycat Recipe. You can enjoy the tangy goodness of Olive Garden’s Iconic Salad at home anytime you get a hankering for it and you’ll love how easy it is to make too.
Pair with a side of these irresistible savory, slightly sweet, Easy To Make, Best Ever, Skillet Baked Beans. You’ll love their smoky bacon flavor that makes them mouthwateringly delicious! You can pop them in the oven to cook right alongside the beef. Talk about an easy peasy to cook meal that tastes great!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click on any of the links embedded in this post to make a purchase I will earn a small commission from Amazon. I will only recommend products I have purchased and used that I can vouch for their quality from my own personal experience. I so appreciate any purchases you decide to make. It helps fund my expenses associated with the blog and costs you nothing extra. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me so I can continue to create new content to share with you.
Oven Braised Italian Beef Sandwiches
Equipment
- Dutch oven with lid
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb beef chuck roast
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 8 oz sliced Pepperoncini peppers, plus 1 cup of the juices
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 8 Hoagie rolls
- 16 slices Provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
- Season beef chuck roast generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven pot over medium high heat.
- When oil is hot add roast to the pot and sear until browned, about 4-5 minutes per side .
- Add sliced onions and sliced pepperoncini peppers to the pot.
- In a small bowl, combine beef broth, Italian dressing mix, Italian seasoning, and pepperoncini juice. Pour over beef roast in the pot.
- Place lid on the pot and transfer to preheated oven.
- Cook for 3-4 hours (about 1 hour per pound of beef).
- Once beef is fork tender, remove pot from the oven.
- Use tongs or two forks to shred the beef and stir in sliced red bell pepper strips.
- Cover the pot with the lid and return it to the oven.
- Cook for an additional 30-45 minutes or until red peppers soften.
- Remove pot from the oven and let beef rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- While beef rests, toast hoagie rolls and melt Provolone cheese onto each roll.
- Serve beef on toasted hoagie rolls with melted Provolone cheese and some of the pan drippings on the side for dunking your sandwich.
Did You Make This?
Be sure to snap a pic and tag it #naturewayblog I love, love, love hearing from my readers! Please, don’t forget to leave a comment and a review below, and be sure to follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, TELEGRAM or TWITTER for all the latest happening here at Nature Way!
May I ask a small favor? If you enjoyed this blogpost would you be so kind and like the page? Just click the “like” button down at the very bottom, at the end of the post. It lets me know what you are enjoying the most. It also helps me focus my attention on creating content that will be most meaningful and beneficial to you, my readers. And don’t forget to subscribe:
When you sign up you’ll never miss out on all the latest that’s happening here at Nature Way. I promise to never spam you, ever! Cross my heart. Thank you and God bless!
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
Remember…Jesus ❤️’s you!