Slow Cooker Pepper Steak (Printable)
Tender beef strips with bell peppers in a savory-sweet sauce, slow-cooked to perfection for an easy weeknight dinner.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Meat & Main
01 - 1.5 pounds flank steak or sirloin, sliced into thin strips
→ Produce
02 - 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), cored and sliced into strips
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
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
08 - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
09 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
10 - 2 tablespoons cold water
→ Seasonings
11 - 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
13 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ For Serving
14 - Cooked white rice
15 - Sliced green onions, for garnish
# How-To Steps:
01 - Slice the flank steak or sirloin across the grain into thin strips. Core and slice the bell peppers, peel and slice the onion, and mince the garlic cloves. Place all prepared ingredients into the slow cooker insert.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the low-sodium soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, diced tomatoes with their juices, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves.
03 - Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the steak and vegetables in the slow cooker. Stir gently to coat everything well. Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and the peppers have softened.
04 - About 30 minutes before the cooking time finishes, combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl to form a smooth slurry. Stir the slurry into the slow cooker, replace the lid, and let it finish cooking. The sauce will thicken as it continues to cook.
05 - Taste the finished dish and add salt as needed. Ladle the pepper steak over bowls of cooked white rice and garnish with sliced green onions. Serve hot.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce does all the heavy lifting with just pantry staples you probably already have.
- It transforms an inexpensive cut of steak into something genuinely tender and restaurant worthy.
- Cleanup is basically one slow cooker insert and a cutting board.
02 -
- Do not cook on HIGH to save time because the beef will tighten up and turn chewy instead of tender.
- Slice the steak while it is still slightly chilled from the fridge for cleaner, more even strips.
03 -
- If you want a thicker sauce without cornstarch, remove the lid for the last forty five minutes and let it reduce naturally.
- Toaster oven rice bowls with leftovers the next day are somehow even better than the original meal.