Make ahead Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak freezer meal
We’ve been living off our crock pot, ok ok slow cooker I guess, for about 7 weeks now and mostly loving it. You know with all that remodeling and all we’ve got going on I just don’t have time to cook and soon I won’t have a stove or counters or kitchen space. They’re all going way as soon as our cabinets get delivered and we put them together. Let’s be honest though, my husband will be putting them together and I will be staining and sealing the floor, it’s how our team works best, divide and conquer as needed. (you should see us parent, BAM!)
Anyway this crock pot make ahead freezer meal started as humble Italian Beef and Peppers Sandwiches recipe but once it was cooking all I could smell were the onions and peppers. That led, of course, to a Philly Cheese Steak craving, um no more like CRAVING. And that’s funny because my husband and I were just discussing the validity of a cheese steaks in Alaska, can they be the real deal. So long story shorter I morphed the Italian Beef and Peppers recipe into a passable crock pot cheese steak. I’m pretty sure I’d be booed out of Philadelphia if I tried to get someone to eat it there but here in Alaska, home of the NO cheese steak, this sandwich was delicious. It will be made again.
Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak
Ingredients
- 1 1/2--2 pounds boneless beef no need to get stew meat or slice just a big hunk--chuck or other tough cuts work well in the crock pot
- 3 peppers any color I used green and red
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 gallon ziploc bag
- 2 cups shredded cheese cheddar or parmesean
- 8 hoagie rolls
Instructions
- put the beef in the freezer bag
- slice the peppers, remove the seeds first! add them to the bag
- slice the onions and add them too
- top off with the broth
- seal it up and freeze until ready to cook
- to cook thaw the night before if desired
- pour it in the crock pot
- cook on high at least 6 hours 8 is better
- when the meat is tender gently break apart into chunks do not shred it
- sprinkle or cover with cheese
- cover and let melt for 10 minutes
- serve on hoagie rolls, hot dog buns or hamburger buns
Notes
Nutrition
 |
| melty cheesy goodness |
Now buy the ingredients to make 4-5 of these and have dinner you don’t have to fuss with once a week. I’m going to try and post all of our favorite crock pot freezer meals in the next week or so with perhaps a complete round up of all the recipes together in one big post. Summer remodel eating is changing my life, I LOVE not worrying about dinner and knowing it’s cooking without me micro managing it.
What are you freezing your make ahead meals in? Ziplock bags? Any tips on keeping out the ice crystals? I would love to freeze ahead, but the quality suffers so much. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong in the freezing process.
I use real Ziploc gallon size bags–I found the store brand just don't cut it for me–I get minimal ice on mine but when I plan on keeping them less than 6 weeks or so I am not so worried–I use a food saver on long term storage items but even those after a 9 months begin to look sketchy and freezer burned–I do try to squeeze out all the air I can too it seems to help a lot
I have a crock pot and I've used it exactly once, but your closeup photos of that gooey melty cheeseteak have me wanting to go tear open the carton it's packed away in and get cooking!!!!
OH! you really should try them they are so so so good! my family asked for them this week ALAS we are out and I need to make another batch–good thing payday is this week!