French Dip Sandwiches
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There’s no getting around the truth–this dump-and-go Crockpot French Dip Sandwich recipe is absolutely mouthwatering! Perfect for busy nights or to serve to groups. As always, we’ll show you how to prep this meal ahead for the freezer, too.
Or try making Instant Pot French Dip instead.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- It’s SO easy to throw together and everyone loves it. (The same can be said about our Balsamic Shredded Beef recipe, too.)
- It can be made in the Instant Pot. Use our Instant Pot French Dip Sandwich recipe.
- It’s freezer-friendly. French Dips are a great recipe to double and freeze before cooking. You can also fully cook it and freeze it in small portions.
- It feeds a lot of people. When served on buns, this recipe can easily feed 10+ people. Here are 25+ Slow Cooker Recipes for a Crowd if you want more ideas
- It’s a Dump & Go Recipe. We know people love those!
What is French Dip?
French Dip is a hot roast beef sandwich recipe in which the juices left behind from cooking the roast serve as a dipping sauce.
This sandwich is typically served on a French roll or baguette and can include some melty cheese, like Swiss or Provolone, or cooked onions. Our version is super simple yet yields amazing results every time!
You might also like our Ground Beef Philly Cheesesteaks!
Ingredients
Gather up the following ingredients for this simple dump-and-go meal…
Ingredient Notes:
- Soy sauce – For gluten-free use coconut aminos or GF Tamari soy sauce.
- Boneless beef chuck roast – We get our beef from ButcherBox. The beef is grass-fed and curated from trusted farms.
- French steak rolls or ciabatta rolls – For gluten-free, either omit or use GF rolls.
- Provolone cheese slices – For dairy-free, either omit or use DF cheese slices.
How to Make French Dip Sandwiches
Let’s walk through how to make this French Dip Sandwich recipe together…
Season and Trim the Roast
Before getting started, go ahead and season both sides of the roast with salt and pepper and trim off any excess fat.
Cook Roast & Sauce in Crockpot
In the crockpot, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, minced onion, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Then, add in the roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the meat shreds easily.
Shred the Meat
Transfer the roast to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return the meat to the cooker and stir it into the au jus (leftover juice).
Toast the Rolls
Optional: Position the top oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler. Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place opened steak rolls or ciabatta rolls on the baking sheet and broil 1-2 minutes until toasted inside. Remove from oven.
Build & Toast the Sandwiches
Using a slotted spoon, add a layer of the shredded meat (be sure to drain the liquid first) to the roll. Top with 1 or 2 slices of cheese. Optional: Place the opened-up sandwiches back under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve with Au Jus
Serve each sandwich warm, with a small bowl of the juices from the cooker alongside for dipping.
What to Serve with These Sandwiches
Here are some ideas that would be tasty with this recipe!
How to Freeze French Dip
Like all of the freezer meals in our recipe index, this recipe provides freezing instructions as well! If you want to double this recipe and freeze one for later, here’s how to make it into a handy freezer meal kit:
Freeze For Later:
Follow step 1 in the recipe below. Pour the sauce into a gallon-size freezer bag or container. Season the roast lightly with salt and black pepper and add to the bag/container with the sauce. Seal and freeze. Place the bread and cheese in separate freezer bags or containers. Seal and freeze alongside the roast.
Alternatively, you can fully cook and cool the meat and juices. Then, freeze in an air-tight container.
Prepare From Frozen:
Thaw. Place meal in the slow cooker. Follow steps 3 through 6 in the recipe.
FAQs
For sure! Try our Instant Pot French Dip recipe. It’s simple and tasty!
The roast for French Dip cooks on LOW in the crock pot for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours. Be sure to grab our Crockpot Cooking Times Chart here…
For the most part! You’ll simply dump the meat and sauce ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and come back to it at night ready and waiting for you. But, you will still need to shred the meat and assemble the sandwiches at the end. This just takes a few minutes.
If you have meat that you didn’t use in the sandwiches, score! Here are some ideas on how to use it:
– Freeze it in the sauce and make the same recipe a few weeks down the road.
– Serve the meat and sauce over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or polenta.
– Make Baked Nachos. Add meat, cheese, and desired toppings over tortilla chips and bake.
– Put the meat in wraps. Add sautéed bell peppers and onions. Yum!
Tip: Make This Recipe for a Group
French Dip Sandwiches would also be an good meal to serve a group of people. You can easily double this recipe in a large crockpot.
We have lots of other recipes that would work for large groups, too. Make sure to check them out!
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French Dip Sandwiches
Slow cooked shredded beef and au jus make the most delicious French Dip Sandwiches ever!
Ingredients
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed in hand
- 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 (approx. 2.5 lbs) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
- 6 French steak rolls or ciabatta rolls, sliced open
- 6 slices Provolone cheese (or 12 slices, if you want double the cheese)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Make Sauce: In the crockpot, whisk together the broth, minced onion, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes.
- Slow Cook & Shred: Place the roast in the slow cooker and spoon over the sauce. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat easily shreds. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return the meat to the cooker and stir it into the au jus (leftover juice).
-
Toast Rolls: Optional: Position the top oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler. Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place opened steak rolls or ciabatta rolls on the baking sheet and broil 1-2 minutes until toasted inside. Remove from oven.
-
Build Sandwiches: Using a slotted spoon, add a layer of the shredded meat (be sure to drain the liquid first) to the roll. Top with 1 or 2 slices of cheese. Optional: Place the opened up sandwiches back under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Serve: Serve the sandwiches warm, with the juices from the cooker in small bowls alongside for dipping.
Freeze for Later: Add the ingredients from Step 1 into a gallon-sized freezer bag, gently squeeze to combine, and then add in the roast. Seal and freeze. Place the rolls and cheese in separate freezer bags or containers. Seal and freeze alongside the roast for a meal kit.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw the meal. Place the roast and sauce in the slow cooker. Follow steps 2 through 5.
Notes/Tips
Flavor Tip: I’ve more recently started adding in 1-2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce to the au jus, as well. It adds even more depth of flavor. I like the Lea & Perrins brand, because it’s all natural and gluten free.
Doubling the Recipe: This recipe makes a LOT of au jus, so if you want to double the meat you don’t have to double the sauce.
Gluten-Free Version: Instead of soy sauce, use coconut aminos or gluten-free Tamari soy sauce. Use gluten-free rolls. Sometimes I just skip the rolls and eat the meat by itself.
Dairy-Free Version: Omit the cheese or use dairy-free cheese slices.
Make French Dip Grilled Cheese: For an extra amazing sandwich, make your sandwich into a grilled cheese using sourdough bread that’s buttered on the outside. Toast in a skillet on both sides. Yum!
Instant Pot Directions: Find the Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches recipe here.
Freezing Leftovers: If you have leftovers you won’t eat right away, freeze the shredded meat in it’s juices in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave when ready to use.
Where We Get Our Beef: We get our beef from ButcherBox. The beef is grass-fed and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, chicken, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.
Amazing!! I’ve made this multiple times and always get tons of compliments so thank you for sharing! I have kiddos who are allergic to soy so we sub Worcestershire and it’s still so yummy!
Hi Lauren! So good to know that Worcestshire sauce is a good substitute for soy sauce in this recipe. We use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce at our house.
This is a family favorite! The meat and au Jus are so flavorful! I toast both sides of the buns.
So glad you enjoyed this Emily! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
I made this for my husbands birthday and he’s continued to request it for every other special meal! It’s so delicious and SO easy! Thank you again for a new favorite recipe!
Love it when my family picks an easy meal for special occasions! This is such a flavorful recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Cherry.
I can’t believe I made a delicious french dip sandwich at home with THE best Au Jus! This recipe is a keeper and on repeat at our house. Thank you for making life easier 🫶🏼
Hi Chana! So glad you loved this recipe. It is on repeat at my house too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Loved this recipe!! Made this as a freezer meal prep for postpartum. Though instead of freezing raw, I cooked and shredded the meat and then portioned it out into sandwich baggies to freeze. This made for a super quick lunch!!
Hi Madeline. So glad this has been a quick lunch for you! Thanks for taking time to leave a review and specifically letting others know how you portion into individual servings. It can be such a help to anyone to have quick meals in the freezer.
Easy and a favorite at our house. It’s in the regular rotation.
So glad you found an easy favorite for your family Amber. Thanks for leaving a review!