Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches Recipe - Pinch of Yum
icon-arrowicon-chevron-whiteicon-chevronicon-commenticon-facebookicon-hearticon-instagramicon-instant-poticon-listicon-lockicon-meal-prepicon-nexticon-pinteresticon-popularicon-quoteicon-searchicon-staricon-sugar-freeicon-tiktokicon-twittericon-veganicon-videomenu-closemenu-open
Our recipes, your inbox. Sign up

Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

29 reviews / 4.9 average

Instant Pot Italian Beef! Just a few minutes to prep and totally hands-off to make. Tender shredded beef, crusty buttered bread, melted provolone, salty tangy giardiniera, and some broth to dunk it all in.

This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo

Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches are here just in time for the chaos of back-to-school and they are ready to love you.

There is so much to love about food that takes 7 minutes to prepare and involves tender shredded beef with a lot of garlic and onion, crusty buttered bread, melted Provolone, salty and tangy giardiniera, and a superluscious and flavorful broth to dunk it all in.

Just… you’re going to make a huge mess eating this thing, and you’re going to love every crispy, cheesy, drippy, totally delicious bite. I mean, maybe not a good look for a first date or a business dinner, okay? This is the time to put your comfy pants on and grab a few napkins and just get in touch with your inner hungry person.



Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches, Coming Right Up:

Everything goes in the Instant Pot, and… that’s pretty much it. You really don’t need me at all for this.

It’s frozen? Just add a little extra time. You do / don’t want to saute your onions and garlic first? Go for it. You’re missing a spice? Just wing it!

Low maintenance and flexibility is the name of the game here.

Ingredients for Italian beef recipe in an Instant Pot.

After about an hour of pressure cooking, look at what you are treated to:

Italian beef shredded in a pan.

Things To Know About Giardiniera

Okay, beef is done, onto the toppings.

Here’s the deal. Giardiniera is basically a mix of pickled veggies that’s used as an appetizer, or in salads, or as a topping, depending on what’s in it and where you’re from. It’s an Italian / Chicago-an thing, from what I can understand?

But here’s the other deal: I am not Italian and I am not from Chicago and I still really, really love giardiniera.

DeLallo Giardiniera in a jar.

I like DeLallo giardiniera because I like DeLallo everything, but also, I really appreciate that the DeLallo giardiniera is not packed in oil. So you still get the pucker that cuts through all the rich stuff, without adding extra heaviness, and bonus that you can use a little bit of the brine to tangify the beef.

It’s good stuff.

Once your beef is done, you guys, the rest is history.

Broil some hearty (I mean like SUPER hearty) crunchy bread with slices of Provolone cheese, add your beef and giardiniera, and send it swimming in that brothy goodness.

Dipping Italian beef sandwich into sauce.

That first crunchy, hot, drippy bite? It is a MOMENT.

Watch How Our Video For How To Make Instant Pot Italian Beef:

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Shredded beef sandwich with au jus in a bowl.

Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Description

Instant Pot Italian Beef! Just a few minutes to prep and totally hands-off to make. Tender shredded beef, crusty buttered bread, melted provolone, salty tangy giardiniera, and some broth to dunk it all in. YES.


Ingredients

Units Scale
For the Italian Beef:
  • 3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into chunks
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • half an onion, diced
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1/4 cup brine from the giardiniera (optional)
For the Sandwiches:
  • 6 (6-inch) crusty hoagie or sandwich rolls
  • 1 1/2 cups DeLallo Giardiniera, chopped – hot or mild, either works
  • 6 slices provolone cheese

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for about 60 minutes. Natural pressure release for 10-20 minutes.
  2. Shred the beef (it should fall apart very easily when pulled with a fork). Save the broth / juices in the Instant Pot. 
  3. Layer each side of your bun with a slice of Provolone and place under the broiler until melty. Top with the beef and giardiniera.
  4. Serve the hot sandwiches with a little dipping bowl of the broth so you can dunk your sandwich in and experience true soppy, cheesy, crusty, tangy Italian beef sandwich bliss.

Notes

Cook time will be dependent on how big your chunks were – small cubes will be good to go in 45 minutes but bigger chunks will need 60 minutes.

I like to have smaller pieces of giardiniera on my sandwich so I usually run a big knife through all the pieces to get a more chopped texture.

Stovetop Instructions: Combine the oregano, basil, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper in a small dish. Season the beef with the spice mixture. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the beef on all sides until browned, but not cooked through. Remove the beef from the pot. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Pour in the beef broth and giardiniera brine. Add the beef back to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook on low for 2 hours until the beef is fork tender and can be easily shredded.

Crockpot Instructions: Cook on high for 5-6 hours.

Freezer Meal Version

  1. Freeze Together:
    3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed + cut into chunks
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    half an onion, diced
    2 teaspoons dried oregano
    1 teaspoon dried basil
    1 teaspoon onion powder
    1 teaspoon paprika
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  2. Instant Pot Instructions: Add 2 ½ cups broth and ¼ cup giardiniera brine before cooking. High pressure 75 mins + 15 mins natural release.
  3. Slow Cooker Instructions: Add 2 ½ cups broth and ¼ cup giardiniera brine before cooking. High setting 6 hours (thaw first).
  4. Final Step: Serve on toasted rolls with melted cheese and giardiniera!
  5. Check out our full freezer meal posts with all recipes and instructions here!
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Instant Pot, Italian food, weeknight dinner, easy dinner, beef, sandwiches

Thank you to DeLallo for sponsoring this recipe!


One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our easy Italian-inspired recipes page. Check it out!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

80 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I believe Delallo is very similar to the italian salad mix used in the famous Muffalatta sandwich sold at Central Market ,French, QuarterNew Orleans.

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made this Saturday for the first football game of the season. I cut down the beef broth to two cans and added about a teaspoon of beef Better than bouillon. I also added half a jar of pepperoncini peppers and some of the brine from them. Cooked it in slow-cooker mode for 7 hours and it was PERFECT. Thanks for the recipe. We loved it on toasted hoagie buns with melted Provolone cheese. I made an Italian pasta salad to go with it. A HUGE hit.

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Made this last night and it was so so so good! And easy. Thank you for a great recipe! It will def be going in my go to rotation list.

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    What an amazing recipe and those pictures, thank you so much, Lindsay. This Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwich is looking very delicious. All of the above those notes you have mentioned are very useful. Thanks again.

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made this and the only change was I added a few pepperoncini in to the IP. It was incredible. Will make again.

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made this for my husband for his birthday dinner last night. We all loved it. My three kids (11, 9, 6) skipped the Giardiniera but my husband and I LOVED it on the sandwiches. It was a huge hit and everyone voted this as a must make again recipe. Thank you!

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    How long would you recommend putting the meat in the instant pot for if you were to half the recipe?

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Just made this – SOOO good!!!! Definitely will be making again this fall/winter season!!! Thanks for another great recipe Lindsay!

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made this for dinner the other night and my family loved it. I don’t own an instant pot, or a crock pot, so I put the beef in a cast iron dutch oven at a very low temp in the oven for several hours and it turned out great.

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made this for dinner and it was a winner! I added a whole onion and extra garlic just for fun. My only recommendation is to trim the meat well or it will come out fatty. That’s it. My family loved it.

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    If I froze these ingredients to make at a later date, should I thaw them or still put them in instant/crock pot frozen and cook for a bit longer?

    Please let me know.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Good question, Alysse. We’d recommend freezing everything but the liquid and adding 2.5 cups of beef broth and 1/4 cup giardiniera brine before cooking in the Instant Pot for about 1 hour 15 minutes.

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Tried this today in my new Instant Pot. High pressure 60 min and 10 release and the meat was melt in your mouth tender and shredded so easily with some gentle
      fork stirring. Will add more oregano next time, otherwise super happy for a first try!

  12. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I have made this recipe this twice and everyone loved it! I want to bring it to a party. What do you suggest for cooking times if I double the recipe? Thank you!!

  13. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I add to my sandwich I put pizza sauce on it and wrap it up and bake it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees

  14. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This was delicious!
    The peppers really added a nice layer of flavor.
    I used a bottom round roast because they were on sale, worked wonderfully.

  15. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Hi, with the half teaspoon of crushed red pepper, how spicy is this? Will my 8 and 4 year old enjoy?