Crock Pot Pepper Steak with Tomato Gravy is an old-school slow-cooker dinner built around beef stew meat, bell peppers, Worcestershire sauce, stewed tomatoes, and beef broth. What makes this version different from my other pepper steak recipes is the tomato-based gravy and the flour-coated beef that gets browned before it goes into the slow cooker.
I like to treat this as a gravy-first pepper steak rather than a stir-fry-style one. The beef cooks low and slow until tender, while the tomatoes and broth pick up the browned flavor left in the skillet.
A note about the original recipe: the older ingredient list on this post dropped several measurements. I checked the matching published version of this recipe and restored the missing amounts rather than guessing: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour. The recipe uses 2 bell peppers.
What Makes This Pepper Steak Different
This is not the soy-and-brown-sugar pepper steak you may see elsewhere. Here, Worcestershire sauce supplies the savory depth, and stewed tomatoes form the base of the gravy.
Browning the beef first is worth doing. We are not trying to cook the meat through in the skillet; we just want color on the outside and browned bits in the pan. Those bits become part of the gravy once the broth and tomatoes go in.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces beef stew meat
- 2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 can beef broth
- 1 can stewed tomatoes, with the juice
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, plus a little more only if needed to thicken the gravy
My Best Tips Before You Start
Use stew meat in fairly even pieces. Similar-size pieces become tender at about the same time. If some pieces are much larger, cut them down before browning.
Do not crowd the skillet. If your pan is small, brown the beef in two batches. Crowding creates steam and makes it harder to get good color.
Keep the tomato juice. The liquid from the stewed tomatoes belongs in the gravy. Draining the can would remove part of the cooking liquid and flavor.
Thicken gradually. A small amount of flour is enough to start. The sauce will also concentrate during the long slow-cooker time, so I would rather add flour gradually than make the gravy pasty.
How to Make Crock Pot Pepper Steak with Tomato Gravy
- Combine the flour and seasoned salt in a bowl, then toss the beef stew meat lightly in the mixture.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef, minced garlic, and sliced bell peppers. Cook just until the beef starts to brown. The meat does not need to be cooked through.
- Transfer the beef and peppers to the slow cooker, leaving the pan drippings behind.
- Add the stewed tomatoes with their juice and the beef broth to the same skillet.
- Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits.
- Whisk in flour gradually, only as needed, until the liquid begins to look like a light gravy.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
- Pour the tomato gravy over the beef and peppers.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender.
- Stir before serving and taste the gravy before adding any extra salt.
How I Judge When It Is Done
For this kind of slow-cooker beef, tenderness matters more than the clock alone. The beef should yield easily when pressed with a fork and should not feel chewy in the center.
If your slow cooker runs hot, check before the full 8 hours. If the beef still feels firm, give it more time rather than turning the heat up and rushing it.
What to Serve With It
I would serve this over rice, mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or even a thick slice of bread. All four give you something to catch the tomato gravy.
If you want another version with a different flavor profile, my beef recipes include several slow-cooker and skillet dinners.
Storage and Reheating
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them in a covered container. The gravy will usually thicken as it chills.
Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a small splash of beef broth or water and stir before serving.
A Few Common Questions
Can I skip browning the beef?
You can put stew meat straight into a slow cooker, but this recipe is designed around the flavor created in the skillet. Browning also gives you the pan drippings used to build the gravy.
Why is my gravy thin?
Slow cookers trap moisture, and different tomato and broth brands vary. If the gravy is thinner than you like at the end, transfer some liquid to a saucepan and simmer it briefly, or thicken it carefully with a small flour or cornstarch slurry.
Can I use different colored bell peppers?
Yes. Use the colors you like. Red, yellow, and orange peppers taste a little sweeter, while green peppers give the dish a more savory, classic pepper-steak flavor.
