Got a bunch of hungry family members? The kind that ask you what’s for dinner? Repeatedly? I find myself in that situation a lot. Well, here is a quick-to-prepare meal idea that helps me prevent a hunger crazed mutiny on the farm. This recipe requires only FOUR ingredients. And those four ingredients are things that you can keep stocked in your pantry most all the time. Think of this meal as a delicious backup plan. One you can throw together in minutes, using things that are easy to stock. Even if you don’t have a crowd of hungry kids, this meal is a great one for only one or two, also.

Begin this quick and easy plan with a roast. A chuck roast is my go-to for this recipe. A 2.5 lb chuck roast, to be exact. Place that in the bottom of a large slow cooker.

We are now ready for ingredient number two. Onion. Vidalia onion, preferably. They are sweet and add a special touch to beef. Cut the onion in half and slice it thinly. Then toss it in on top of your roast.

Ingredient number three coming up: Peperoncini peppers. Try to spell that without double checking yourself. Or googling it. I dare you. These peppers are awesome. Not hot, but they give a little tang and peppery goodness. We are going to use the entire bottle, juice and all.

Pour the entire bottle of peppers over your roast and onions. You actually won’t need to add any salt to this recipe. The bottled peppers have plenty of salt in them.

Now, all you have to do is cover the slow cooker and let it work its magic. On low for 10 hours. I like to assemble this at night and let it cook until morning. You might wake up in the middle of the night and wonder what that yummy aroma is, but that’s a good thing.

After ten hours, spoon the meat, onion and pepper mixture out of the slow cooker. The roast will now be fall-apart-tender and infused with onion and pepper wonder. Spoon it out onto a pan so that you can pull apart the meat (this will take minimal effort) and discard any bits of fat.

While you’re at it, go ahead and strain the juices that were left behind in the slow cooker. This is good stuff. Like liquid gold. Full of flavor. Hang onto this, you will want to use it in a bit.

Toss the meat mixture back into the empty slow cooker to keep warm until your hungry crew demands it is meal time.

Here is how we assemble these awesome beef sandwiches. Fill the bun with beef. Be sure to include a couple of peppers and onions. You have options with your bun choice here. My favorite is a warm, crusty hoagie roll. With a smear of soft butter. Since we do not live nearby a grocery store, we often times use what we have on hand. Such as a slider-sized sweet roll. A regular hamburger or hotdog bun work just fine, too.

Remember the reserved pan juices? Spoon a little of that over the beef in your sandwich. Deliciousness.

Now, if you want your sandwich to be extra special and you don’t mind adding a fifth ingredient, top your sandwich with your last ingredient: CHEESE. And of course, the cheese is optional. I must admit, I realize some of us are not cheese fans, and that’s ok. But, if you are using cheese, slide your sandwich into a warm oven and melt your chosen variety of cheese. Swiss is my favorite.

Four Ingredient Beef Sandwiches

2.5 lb chuck roast

One vidalia onion, halved and sliced

16 oz. whole peperoncini peppers

Sandwich buns of your choice

Place the roast in the bottom of a large (5 to 6qt) slow cooker. Top with onions and peperoncini peppers. Cover and cook on low 10 hours. Remove mixture from slow cooker and discard any fat and/or bone. Drain pan juices from slow cooker, straining the liquid. Return meat mixture to the slow cooker to keep warm. Heat buns in a warm oven. Top buns with meat mixture and spoon a little reserved pan juice over the top. If you want to take the sandwich one step further, top with a slice of swiss cheese. Place the sandwich in a warm oven until cheese is melted. Enjoy!