Meal prep — preparing a bunch of meals altogether ahead of time — is a handy way to increase your chances of eating healthy during the week, save money on buying takeout, and save time and bandwidth by batching your cooking.
We’ve previously covered how to make easy, high-protein meal-prep breakfast casseroles.
But what about lunch? Are you tired of buying pricey frozen entrees or getting fast food burgers for your mid-day meal?
Well, I’ve got a recipe for a lunchtime (or dinnertime) meat that’s stupid easy. Really, you’ve got to have every one of your last marbles loose to mess this up.
Crockpot Italian shredded beef is what’s on the menu today, and I’m going to fill you in on how to make it and why it’s the ultimate lunchtime meal-prep meat.
Why Italian Shredded Beef Makes for an Awesome Go-to Lunchtime Meal-Prep Meat
It’s cheap. This recipe calls for a chuck roast. As of 2024, a pound of chuck roast is going for ~$7.50 a pound. Let’s say you buy a 3-pound chuck roast for $22.50, and you divvy that 3-pound chuck roast into a week’s worth of seven 150-gram servings of shredded beef. You’re looking at about $3 per meal (plus the small cost of adding a carb like rice). That’s pretty dang good.
It’s high in protein. A-150 gram serving of chuck roast will give you about 37 grams of protein along with essential micronutrients. The one downside of chuck roast shredded beef is that it’s high in fat. A 150-gram serving includes 23 grams of fat. But the fat makes it tasty and satiating.
It’s easy to make. It takes less than five minutes to make Italian shredded beef. You just put the chuck roast in a crock pot, dump in three other ingredients, and then let it cook for 6 to 8 hours. Stupidly easy!
It’s versatile. You can eat Italian shredded beef for lunchtime or dinnertime and accompany it with a variety of sides. It’s delicious on a sandwich roll, but I often eat mine with some rice or roasted potatoes, or put it in a tortilla.
It’s tasty. It’s slow-cooked beef. Of course it’s tasty and savory.
How to Make Meal-Prep Italian Shredded Beef
Here’s how to make easy Italian shredded beef. You’ll naturally need a slow cooker/crockpot.
Gather the Ingredients
- 3 lbs of chuck roast. The best cut of beef for this, due to its marbling, which helps in creating tender, easily shreddable meat. Alternatively, round or rump roast can also be used.
- 1 cup beef broth. Opt for low sodium if you want to reduce the saltiness of this dish.
- 1 16 oz jar of pepperoncinis, liquid included. (For less spiciness, use less of the liquid.)
- 2 packets of Italian dressing mix
Add Ingredients to Crockpot
Like I said, this is stupid easy. Just put all of your ingredients in the slow cooker. Set to cook on low heat for 7-9 hours. Set it and forget it. Cooking on low ensures the meat becomes perfectly tender and shreddable.
Shred the Meat
Once the beef is tender and easily falls apart, it’s time to shred. Grab two forks and shred the beef in the pot. After shredding, let the beef sit in the juices for a few minutes to enhance its flavor and moisture.
Using Your Crockpot Shredded Beef
Three pounds of chuck roast will give you about seven 150-gram servings of shredded beef. A week’s worth of lunchtime meat.
I put all the meat into one container and store it in the fridge. When it’s lunchtime, I just portion out 150 grams of the shredded beef and pair it with whatever starch I have at the ready or feel like eating that day. That could be rice, potatoes, pasta, tortillas, or a sandwich roll. The possibilities are many.
Alternatively, once your shredded beef has been prepared, dole it out into seven separate dishes along with your preferred starch. For example, you can put 150 grams of beef into seven meal prep containers along with a scoop of rice. Now they’re all completely ready to go. This makes it easy to grab in the morning and take to the office if you don’t work from home. Even if you do work from home, it’s nice to be able to simply grab something from the fridge, heat it, and eat it.
If you’re looking for a cheap, easy, high-protein meal-prep lunch, make yourself a batch of slow-cooked Italian shredded beef, and you’ll never have to reach for a Hot Pocket again.
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