PREP TIME: 15 MINS | COOK TIME: 6 HRS 15 MINS | TOTAL TIME: 6 HRS 30 MINS | SERVINGS: 5
I love Chinese Pepper Steak. It’s one of my most ordered dishes whenever I visit my favourite Chinese restaurant. It has a rich and savoury flavour that I crave again and again. Then, the pandemic strikes, and we were on lockdown for months. Thank goodness for this easy Crock Pot Pepper Steak recipe I did not miss out on my favourite.
Ingredients
2 lbs sirloin cut into 2 x ½” strips
2 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp canola oil grapeseed oil, or a different neutral oil
1 large yellow onion
¼ c. plus 2 tbsp water, divided
2 green bell peppers cored and cut into ½” strips
2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers cored and cut into ½” strips
1 15-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes in their juices
¼ c. low sodium soy sauce plus additional to taste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
¼ tsp red pepper flakes plus additional to taste
5 tbsp cornstarch divided
Prepared brown rice quinoa or cauliflower rice, for serving
How to make Crock Pot Pepper Steak
Step 1: In a bowl, place the beef and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss well to evenly coat the beef.
Step 2: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the beef to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Then, into a 6-quart slow cooker, transfer the beef and the cooking juices.
Step 3: Add the onions to the same skillet. Adjust the heat to high and carefully pour in 1/4 cup of water, stirring and scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Now, saute the onions for approximately 3 minutes until soft and lightly browned and the liquid has cooked off. Then, to the slow cooker with the beef, transfer the onions.
Step 4: Now, add the green and red bell peppers to the slow cooker followed by the tomatoes.
Step 5: Stir the soy sauce together with Worcestershire sauce, honey, ginger, red pepper flakes, and 3 tbsp cornstarch in a small bowl. Then, pour this into the slow cooker. Put the lid on and set to cook for 6 to 7 hours on low until the beef is tender. Alternately, you can set the timer to 3 to 4 hours and cook on high.
Step 6: To make the slurry, whisk 2 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water in a small bowl. And stir this into the slow cooker. Continue to cook for additional 10 minutes on high, uncovered until the sauce has thickened. Give this a final stir and adjust the salt, soy sauce, and/or red pepper flakes according to taste.
Step 7: When done, serve immediately with the prepared brown rice garnished with green onion. Enjoy!
Notes:
If you prefer soft bell peppers, simply follow the recipe as is. But if you prefer it crisper, add the bell peppers about halfway through cooking.
In an airtight storage container, place the leftovers and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
In a large skillet, gently reheat the leftovers over medium-low heat. Alternately, you can warm the leftovers in the microwave.
You can also freeze the leftovers, just place them in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Before reheating, thaw the leftovers in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition Facts:
SERVING: 1(of 5); about 1.5 slightly heaped cups, CALORIES: 396kcal | CARBOHYDRATES: 29g | PROTEIN: 42g | FAT: 11g | SATURATED FAT: 3g | CHOLESTEROL: 111mg | POTASSIUM: 928mg | FIBER: 3g | SUGAR: 14g | VITAMIN A: 2036IU | VITAMIN C: 103mg | CALCIUM: 99mg | IRON: 5mg
