Slow Cooker Pepper Steak (Print View)
Tender beef strips slow-cooked with bell peppers and savory-sweet sauce for an easy comforting weeknight dinner.
# What You Need:
→ Meat
01 - 1.5 pounds flank steak or sirloin, sliced into thin strips against the grain
→ Produce
02 - 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), cored and sliced into strips
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced into half-moons
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
→ Sauce
05 - 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
06 - 1/3 cup beef broth
07 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
08 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
09 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
10 - 2 tablespoons cold water
→ Seasonings
11 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
13 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Serving
14 - Cooked white rice, for serving
15 - Sliced green onions, for garnish
# How to Make It:
01 - Slice the flank steak or sirloin into thin strips against the grain. Core and slice the bell peppers into strips. Halve and slice the onion into half-moons. Mince the garlic cloves. Place all of the sliced steak, bell peppers, onion, and garlic into the slow cooker.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, diced tomatoes with their juice, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Pour the sauce evenly over the steak and vegetables in the slow cooker.
03 - Stir gently to combine the ingredients. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and the peppers are soft.
04 - During the last 30 minutes of cooking, whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl to form a slurry. Stir the slurry into the slow cooker, replace the lid, and allow the sauce to thicken for the remaining cook time.
05 - Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed. Ladle the pepper steak over bowls of cooked white rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce practically builds itself while you are off living your life and comes back rich and silky every single time.
- It turns humble flank steak into something so tender it falls apart with just a fork and a little patience.
02 -
- Do not skip the cornstarch slurry step because without it the sauce stays thin and watery instead of clinging to the beef.
- Cooking on HIGH instead of LOW will toughen the steak and leave you chewing longer than you want.
03 -
- Freeze the flank steak for about twenty minutes before slicing and you will get paper thin even strips with almost no effort.
- Add a teaspoon of sesame oil and a splash of rice vinegar to the sauce and the flavor jumps from good to unforgettable.