Well hello there! Yes, I know, it has been a HOT minute since I posted on this blog, but in my defense life has been a little crazy. That being said I have a confession. I LOVE watching food related stuff on Youtube. Vegan, vegetarian, standard American diet, you name it I love it. I am always getting inspired to create new things in my kitchen. That very thing happened the other day. I was watching She's In Her Apron and she was making Italian Beef Sandwiches. Oh man, they looked so good. I knew I wanted to try and veganize this recipe, so I got right to work! All I can say is that WOW this one really blew the entire family's mind.
Let's Get Started!
For these Easy Crockpot Vegan Italian Beef Sandwiches you will need a few simple ingredients.
To begin you will need to prep your giardiniera and pepperoncini.
- 1 lb Jackfruit
- 1 c Mild Giardiniera, finely chopped
- 2-3 Pepperoncini, sliced
- 1 pack Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix
- 1 pack Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix
- 1 Vegan Beef Bouillon Cube
- 1/4 Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Plant-Based Butter
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 c Water
You can also use Chicago-style giardiniera, which is finely chopped already, but they didn't have that at my store. You can also use banana peppers, but I already had the pepperoncini.
I do HIGHLY recommend using MILD giardiniera. It gives the beef a kick, but it is not painful or overpowering.
I know what your next question is. Where can I get it? It's become pretty popular lately with the rise of plant-based eating, so most grocery stores carry it. If not at your local grocer, try any Asian market. You can usually fined both canned and fresh there. Yes, you can buy it fresh, but it is a total pain to break down. I recommend buying canned or my personal favorite this vacuum sealed one from Amazon. (affiliate link)
I prefer the vacuum sealed one over the canned because usually the canned comes in a brine, which can affect the flavor. However, the vacuum sealed on has no flavoring whatsoever, so you can season it however you want. The only down side to the vacuum sealed jackfruit is that it does oxidize in the packaging, but that doesn't affect the flavor at all.
If using canned, drain and rinse your jackfruit and place into the crockpot.
Yes, you can make your own, I was just lazy on this day.
This ingredient is key in building that really rich beefy flavor you are looking for.
Add all of your spices.
Notice I am not adding any salt here. I wait until the very end.
Again, this helps build that meaty flavor we want in these Easy Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches.
Here I am using our favorite plant-based butter. I find that it gives a nice richness in flavor to this recipe.
I added 2 cups of water to the slow cooker and set it on LOW for 6 hours.
I let it cook for another hour and a half, tasted it for salt and pepper, and it was ready to eat!
Because you are not cooking a raw meat, the cook times can vary. If it is ready before you are, just simply turn your slow cooker to the WARM setting.
But look at that! Tell me that doesn't look like some luscious Italian Beef in that there crockpot!
First of all you are going to need a good, crusty bread. Something that can hold up to the moisture of the vegan Italian beef. I am using a baguette here, but ciabatta would work great as well.
Cut in half and butter it on both sides.
Trust me when I say this is necessary.
Brown=flavor every time baby!
Add a little (or a lot) of your favorite it vegan cheese.
Here I am using the smoked provolone cheese from Violife.
Place under the broiler so that the cheese can melt and get brown and bubbly.
Just make sure you keep an eye on it. You have invested some time into this and you don't want to lose it now!
Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,
~The Kitchen Wife~
THIS looks AHhhhh-mazing ❤️❤️
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