Slow Cooker Depression Era Swiss Steak 

Slow Cooker Depression Era Swiss Steak: A cozy meal made with just four simple foods! This slow cooker Swiss steak turns beef, tomatoes, onions, and peppers into a soft, warm dinner. The meat cooks nice and slow until it falls apart, sitting in a thick tomato sauce. It’s old-time comfort food made easy — perfect for busy days when you want supper ready when you get home.

This slow cooker Swiss steak feels like a warm hug from long ago. It only takes four foods, but it tastes like something my family has made for many years — because we really have! My great aunt made this meal back in tough times, using whatever she had at home. That’s what I love most: it’s just beef, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. But once the slow cooker does its job, you get soft, juicy steak covered in thick, yummy tomato sauce. I love that I can put it all in the pot in the morning before a busy day, and when I get home, my house smells just like Sunday dinner.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 900g to 1.1kg beef round steak, sliced into 6 portions (roughly 2.5cm thick)
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 large green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, with their juice
• Optional but great to add: 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Optional but great to add: ½ teaspoon black pepper

Slow Cooker Depression Era Swiss Steak : Directions

1. Get the meat ready. Cut off any big pieces of fat from the round steak. Cut the meat into 6 even pieces so they fit well in the slow cooker. Pat each piece dry with a paper towel — this helps the meat cook better and brown a little.
2. Add some flavor. If you want to use the salt and pepper, sprinkle a little on both sides of each steak piece. This easy step gives the meat more taste, even though you’re only using a few ingredients.
3. Build a veggie layer. Spread the sliced onions across the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker, making sure they cover the whole bottom. Then spread the sliced green pepper on top of the onions in an even layer.
4. Put in the steak. Lay the steak pieces on top of the onions and peppers. Arrange them in a single layer where possible, though a little touching or overlapping is fine, they’ll shrink down as they cook anyway.
5. Pour on the tomatoes. Pour both cans of diced tomatoes, juice and all, right over the top of the steak. Make sure every piece gets some tomato on it. Do not add water or broth,  the tomatoes turn into a rich, tasty gravy all by themselves as they cook.
6. Let it cook low and slow. Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook it on LOW flame about7 – 8 hours, or on HIGH heat for 3½ – 4 hrs. You’ll know it’s done when the steak is very soft and falls apart easily with a fork. The onions and peppers should be soft too, and the tomato sauce should look thick, like gravy.
7. Check the taste. When it’s finished cooking, taste the tomato gravy. If you think it needs more flavor, add a bit more salt and pepper. Gently fold the ingredients together so the steak becomes coated in sauce, taking care to mix softly enough that the meat stays in nice big chunks rather than breaking apart.
8. Serve it up. Scoop the steak onto plates with lots of the thick tomato gravy, onions, and peppers on top. Serve it with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice for the best comfort-food meal.