Instant Pot Italian Beef and Peppers

updated Mar 6, 2020
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Credit: Photo: Christine Han; Food Styling: Pearl Jones

This Instant Pot version of Chicago-style Italian beef and peppers lets you enjoy all the slow-roasted flavors in a fraction of the time.

Serves4 to 6

Makes4 to 6 sandwiches

Prep15 minutes

Cook1 hour 30 minutes

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Post Image
Credit: Photo: Christine Han; Food Styling: Pearl Jones

A Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich with spicy giardiniera is a sweet, tangy, hearty staple of Midwest cuisine. Though there’s debate around who exactly created the beloved sammie, it definitely originated in the 1920s or 30s, when it was served at Italian immigrant weddings as a cheap and delicious way to serve a crowd. It quickly made its way to daily lunch menus and is now one of the city’s most iconic dishes.

Filled with slices of roasted beef, sweet peppers, pickled vegetables, and sometimes cheese, each bite is a mouthful of comforting flavor. You can order it “dry,” which means the beef is served on the bun with no additional beef jus; “wet,” i.e. with gravy ladled over the bread; or “dipped,” which means the whole sandwich is placed into the gravy before serving.

It’s a classic sandwich you won’t forget and one that isn’t easy to replicate it at home. At least it wasn’t — before we created a version for the Instant Pot.

Instead of slowly roasting a large piece of chuck roast until tender, you’ll cook it in the Instant Pot under high pressure, yielding slow-roasted flavor in a fraction of the time. Pile on some peppers (also cooked in the Instant Pot) and your favorite store-bought spicy giardiniera pickles, and you’ll instantly be transported to a Chicago sandwich shop. The beauty of making this recipe at home? You can make it exactly to your choosing!

Italian Beef and Peppers

This Instant Pot version of Chicago-style Italian beef and peppers lets you enjoy all the slow-roasted flavors in a fraction of the time.

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 1 hour 30 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 sandwiches

Serves 4 to 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the Italian beef:

  • 1

    medium yellow onion

  • 4 cloves

    garlic

  • 1

    (4-pound) boneless beef chuck roast

  • 1 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons

    olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons

    dried Italian seasoning

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    red pepper flakes

  • 2 cups

    beef broth

  • 1

    medium red bell pepper

  • 1

    medium yellow bell pepper

For the sandwiches:

  • 4 to 6

    hoagie rolls

  • 8 to 12 slices

    provolone cheese

  • 1 cup

    drained spicy giardiniera pickles

Instructions

  1. Make the Italian beef: Dice 1 medium yellow onion and mince 4 garlic cloves. Cut 1 (4-pound) chuck roast into 4 pieces and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with the Sauté function in an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker until shimmering. Working in two batches, add the beef and sear until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a plate.

  3. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 2 cups beef broth. Return the beef to the pot.

  4. Lock the lid on and make sure the valve is set to seal. Set to cook under HIGH pressure for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Meanwhile, trim and thinly slice 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper.

  5. When the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure. Transfer the beef to a clean cutting board. Add the bell peppers to the cooking liquid and simmer with the Sauté function until the peppers are softened, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the beef with 2 forks.

  6. Make the sandwiches: Divide the beef and peppers between 4 to 6 split hoagie rolls. Top each with 2 tablespoons spicy giardiniera pickles and 2 slices provolone cheese. Serve with the cooking liquid on the side if desired.

Recipe Notes

Storage: The leftover beef and peppers can be refrigerated up to 4 days.