French Dip Sandwich with Au Jus (Slow Cooker – SRC)
I don’t eat much red meat. While I love a good steak on occasion, I typically opt for a seafood, veggie or poultry dish when cooking at home. Boy, that might change after making this fuss-free recipe!
I adapted this dish from The Spiffy Cookie’s recipe for a slow cooker French dip sandwich. I was assigned Erin’s delicious blog this month for the Secret Recipe Club and could not choose what I wanted to make! I was salivating just looking through her recipes with many calling my name like her Reese’s Oatmeal breakfast cookie and Guiltless Avocado Alfredo with Spicy Chicken.
I’ve already started a list of must-makes from her archives but in the end, I selected a dish that forced me to dust off my crockpot that I hadn’t used in ages and get outside my comfort zone with my protein choice– the French dip.
I adapted the recipe slightly by using London broil in place of chuck roast, rubbed the meat with onion powder and a pinch of dried rosemary and then seared the meat prior to adding to the slow cooker to add a little color. I also used a combo of coconut aminos and gluten free tamari in place of the soy sauce and omitted the Worcestershire sauce as I didn’t have any on hand. Since I love mushrooms and will find any excuse to include them in a recipe, I sauteed a few for an added bonus to my sandwich.
Not only did I break out my crockpot, I made my own homemade grain-free rolls to serve with this oh-so-tender meat (recipe to come)! Topped with melted cheese, sautéed mushrooms and onions, this French dip sandwich was one tasty, flavorful bite! Plus, the leftovers are yummy in a beef and veggie soup or on top of salad greens 🙂
French Dip Sandwich with Au Jus (Slow Cooker) (adapted from The Spiffy Cookie)
French Dip Sandwich with Au Jus (Slow Cooker - SRC)
Ingredients
- 3 tsp oil, Earth Balance or butter, divided (use oil or Earth Balance for dairy free)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth/stock
- 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce, tamari, Braggs or coconut aminos (I used 3 Tbsp coconut aminos and 1 Tbsp tamari)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp creole mustard
- ~3lb London Broil (or chuck roast)
- pinch of dried rosemary, optional
- sea salt & pepper
- 2-3 cups sliced mushrooms
- 6-8 gluten free sandwich rolls, split
- 6-8 slices of provolone or swiss cheese (can use a dairy free cheese or omit if needed)
Instructions
- Slice the onion into ~1/4-inch rounds. Keeping the rounds intact, place them in the bottom of the crockpot.
- Sprinkled the meat with salt, pepper and onion powder. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tsp oil/butter. Sear the meat on all sides until golden brown to seal in the juices and give the meat a little color.
- Add beef broth, soy sauce/tamari/ aminos, mustard, rosemary and garlic to the crockpot.
- Place meat on top of the onions.
- Cook on low 6-7 hours until beef is fall-apart tender.
- Shred meat with a fork or transfer the roast to a cutting board and thinly slice.
- Remove the onions and set aside. I strain the juice into a large “defatter” measuring cup and get rid of the oil that collects on top (I .
- Return the roast, juice, and onions to the crockpot for up to an hour before serving (I usually switch it to “Keep Warm” so it doesn’t continue cooking).
- While meat is on "warm", heat a medium saute pan with remaining 1 tsp of oil/butter. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper is desired.
- Heat the broiler. Place the split sandwich rolls on a lined baking sheet and toast for 1 minute or just until the bread begins to brown.
- Remove the tops from the pan. Lay the beef on the bottom of the rolls and top with mushrooms and cheese.
- Return to the oven just until cheese is melted. Top with onions and sandwich halves and serve with small bowls of au jus, Enjoy!
