Slow Cooker Pepper Steak (Print Version)
Tender beef and bell peppers slow-cooked in a savory-sweet sauce for an easy comforting dinner.
# What You 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, peeled and minced
→ Sauce
05 - 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
06 - 1/3 cup beef broth
07 - 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
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 & Garnish
14 - Cooked white rice, for serving
15 - Sliced green onions, for garnish
# How-To Steps:
01 - Arrange the sliced beef strips, bell peppers, onion, and minced garlic evenly in the bottom of the slow cooker.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, diced tomatoes with their juices, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Pour the sauce evenly over the beef and vegetables.
03 - Gently stir to combine all ingredients. Cover with the lid and cook on the LOW setting for 6 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and the peppers have softened.
04 - During the final 30 minutes of cooking, whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl to form a smooth slurry. Stir the slurry into the slow cooker, replace the lid, and allow the sauce to thicken.
05 - Taste the finished dish and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed. Ladle the pepper steak over bowls of cooked white rice and garnish with sliced green onions.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce walks a perfect line between savory and sweet, clinging to every strip of beef like it was meant to be there.
- It asks almost nothing of you beyond slicing and stirring, which makes it the rare weeknight meal that actually feels effortless.
02 -
- Slice the beef while it is still slightly firm from the refrigerator because fully thawed meat wiggles around and makes clean even cuts nearly impossible.
- The cornstarch slurry only works if you add it during the last thirty minutes on heat, not at the beginning or it will lose its thickening power entirely.
03 -
- Pat the raw beef strips dry with a paper towel before adding them to the slow cooker because excess moisture dilutes the sauce and weakens the flavor.
- Brown the beef quickly in a hot skillet before adding it to the slow cooker if you want a deeper caramelized flavor that feels like you spent all day cooking.