Slow Cooker French Dip Panini
In this Slow Cooker French Dip Panini Recipe, Classic French Dip Sandwiches are converted to a Panini Recipe, crispy sourdough bread being the perfect medium to soak up the delicious au jus.
I don’t utilize my slow cooker nearly as often as I should.
Which is ridiculous since every time I do I realize what a helpful kitchen appliance it is.
The truth is, I don’t have a lot of slow cooker recipes so I often forget to use a slow cooker on a busy day.
And slow cooker recipes can be difficult to photograph in an attractive manner.
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When my sister moved to Colorado she told me about an easy slow cooker French Dip recipe that a friend in Austin had prepared.
She said we should give it a try.
The shredded beef for the French Dip Sandwich is pretty easy and low maintenance to prepare, but here are a few of my favorite Slow Cooker tips to help you get the best results.
Tips for Cooking in a Slow Cooker
1. Always sear all sides of the meats first to brown the meat and seal in the moisture.
Bonus: if your slow cooker sleeve is stove-top safe you can sear the meat in it which eliminates an extra dirty dish and leaves all those tasty browned bits from searing in the pan for deep flavor.
2. Saute aromatic ingredients like onion, carrot, celery, and garlic before adding to the slow cooker to avoid a raw taste and add deeper, more fragrant flavor.
Bonus again if your slow cooker sleeve is stove-top safe.
I have one that is and I highly recommend looking for a model like that.
3. Cook low and slow for a longer period of time rather than quick and hot for fall apart in your mouth moist, tender meats.
4. Add dried herbs at the beginning of cooking and fresh herbs towards the end.
The flavor of herbs and spices can diminish with the long cooking times, particularly with delicate fresh herbs.
It is best to taste just before serving and add a boost of flavor with additional spices and/or fresh herbs if needed.
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Of course being me, I couldn’t resist tweaking things up a bit with this French Dip recipe.
Instead of serving the shredded french dip beef stuffed inside a sliced loaf of french bread, we made the french dip sandwiches into a panini recipe.
The insides of sourdough bread are slathered in herb and garlic Boursin cheese and gooey melted provolone seals the whole thing together.
We found that the crispy toasted bread is a great medium (even better than traditional rolls) for soaking up all that delicious au jus served on the side.
If you prefer a traditional French Dip sandwich, you can still use this meat recipe and serve it in your preferred bread.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Looking for some more recipes to make in your slow cooker?
Here are a few favorites below. You can find even more by browsing the Recipe Index archives.
Game Day Crock-Pot Queso con Carne features gooey cheese combined with spicy meat, tomatoes, and plenty of tortilla chips for scooping.
Next time you’re craving Pork Carnitas, try this Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Lettuce Wraps with Mango Salsa version. Top it off with some fruity Mango Salsa for a fresh burst of flavor.
Crock Pot Mexican Chicken is the perfect shredded chicken recipe for your next Mexican recipe. Packed with flavor and super tender thanks to hours in the crock pot, this recipe is sure to please!
Slow Cooker Ham Soup with Potatoes and Kale is both easy to prepare and flavorful, thanks to the use of a slow cooker and the rich flavor that a leftover ham bone imparts.
Slow Cooker Southwestern Pulled Pork, featuring the flavors of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cilantro and jalapeño, makes dinner easy on a busy day.
Slow Cooker Baked Bean Trio with Bacon and Peppers are loaded with flavor thanks to three types of beans, bell peppers, poblano peppers, and bacon. A perfect, easy side dish for game day entertaining!
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken and Noodles takes no time at all to prepare and it absolutely hit the spot as simple comfort food.
Wake up to the smell of chai, apple, and cinnamon goodness by making this recipe for Slow Cooker Steel Cut Chai Apple Oatmeal before you go to bed!
Do you use your slow cooker or do you often forget about it like me? What is your favorite recipe?
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In this Slow Cooker French Dip Panini Recipe, Classic French Dip Sandwiches are converted to a Panini Recipe, crispy sourdough bread being the perfect medium to soak up the delicious au jus. To Prepare the Slow Cooker French Dip Meat: To prepare the panini: The meat can be made in advance and frozen for a later use. Perfect for busy days! As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Slow Cooker French Dip Panini Recipe
Ingredients
For the Slow Cooker French Dip Meat
For the French Dip Panini
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it by leaving a comment below
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Thank you! This is delicious- and I adulterated your recipe quite a bit! I can’t eat garlic and oinions, so I left that out entirely. For the same reason, I didn’t use the spread cheese. I had white wine to get rid of, so I used that. Hubbie can’t have dairy, so his had no cheese at all. I had no fresh thyme because it’s winter in Wisconsin, and I can’t get myself to buy it. Your fantastic recipe held up through all of that! My family and I loved it!!
Yummy! Glad you liked it 🙂
This looks awesome! Have you tried freezing this successfully? (It’s only my husband and I, so we are going to have a ton of leftovers!)
I have not tried freezing it, but I have tried freezing similar meats so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Good luck!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it 2 times now and it’s definitely made it into my favorite recipe book. Thank you!
There aren’t many Crock Pot recipes which make my husband’s eyes light up with joy, but this is one of them! I generally use chicken broth instead of beef because that’s what I have in the freezer, and I skip the red wine because we never have any around the house. Still tastes amazing. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
I am going to make this on sunday – i had planned on making the classic french dip but it looks too good smashed and grilled together like that. i dont have access to provolone – i will just use dutch cheese.
Hi Katie,
Host the Toast featured this recipe in our “Link Love” post today!
You can see it at http://blog.hostthetoast.com/link-love-10-crock-pot-recipes-you-will-love/
What a great idea this recipe is. I absolutely love it! The picture is wonderful, as well.
-Morgan from Host the Toast
Hi Katie,
Great post! I love slow cooking (as evidenced by my blog) and these are great tips. Do you have a slow cooker that you can use on the stove top? What kind is it? I look forward to meeting you next week in Chicago!
Karen
Hi Karen,
Really looking forward to meeting you as well – I have been hearing about you for years from friends both in and out of the blogging world. Here is the slow cooker that I have I love that you can use the actual pot part of it on the stove top to sauté or sear in. Makes for less cleanup!
This sounds so yummy and perfect for the cool weather we are having here in the Pacific Northwest.
What would you suggest to use instead of the red wine? We are not much drinkers here and the rest of the bottle would go to waste. Thanks!
Just use additional beef broth or you can use red cooking wine.
This looks delicious! I love french dip sandwiches 🙂
Hey Katie – This is the most scrumptious recipe I’ve seen all week! I’m discovering a new appreciation for the slow cooker and definitely will give this a go. Cheers for sharing!
Wow, this is so different! I loved your slow-cooker panini recipe.
I had to laugh at the tips but only because I’m lazy and don’t follow any of them. I guess that really proves how amazing slow cookers are! I’ve always been astonished at how yummy everything comes out, despite my “dump it in and get it done quickly” method. 😉 But you’re right, I have to try it the proper way! Thanks for including my link. 🙂
Looks incredible, Katie!! I’m not pregnant, but now you have me craving a midnight snack. 😉
These look so good, Katie! I love french dips and slow-cooked is even better!
This looks like the ultimate sandwich! Yum! Thank you for including me in your links, Katie! 😀
Oh my gosh I’m dying for this.
This looks so good, Katie! We just got our slow cooker so I’m on the lookout for good recipes. 🙂
Wow! These look delicious. I am a huge fan of crockpot meals – I use the crock pot at least once a week. My favorite crock pot recipe these days has been Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls from Simple Bites – – so yummy!!
how good does that look! wow! right up my husband’s alley… 🙂
This recipe looks so good. I made a similar recipe a couple months ago, but I love the idea of using Boursin cheese…sounds amazing. I always forget to use my slow cooker as well…
-m