Pour stewed tomatoes over round steak, coupled with 2 ingredients, into slow cooker for a hearty meal that’s my default when I don't know what to make

This slow cooker 4-ingredient Amish-style Swiss steak is the kind of recipe I lean on when I’m staring into the fridge at 4:30 p.m. without a plan. It’s rooted in the practical, thrifty cooking traditions you see throughout Amish and Midwestern farm country: inexpensive round steak, a can of stewed tomatoes, and just a couple of pantry staples transformed into something tender and comforting. You simply layer the raw steak in the slow cooker, pour stewed tomatoes over the top, add two more simple ingredients, and let low, steady heat do the work. The result is a hearty, tomato-braised beef that tastes like it took all day at the stove, even though you barely touched it.

I like to serve this Swiss steak spooned over creamy mashed potatoes so the tomato-rich juices soak in, but buttered egg noodles or steamed white rice work just as well. A simple green side—steamed green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, or a crisp salad with a tangy vinaigrette—balances the richness. On the table, I’ll sometimes add a basket of crusty bread to mop up the extra sauce and a small dish of pickles or a vinegar-based slaw for a bit of brightness against the slow-cooked beef.

Servings: 4

2 pounds beef round steak, about 1/2-inch thick, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces

Lay the pieces of raw round steak in an even layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. If the pieces are large, you can slightly overlap them, but try to keep most of the meat in a single layer so it braises evenly.

Scatter the thinly sliced onion evenly over the top of the steak, tucking some slices down along the sides so they mingle with the juices as everything cooks.

Sprinkle the kosher salt evenly over the steak and onions. This simple seasoning is important—it draws out the meat’s flavor and balances the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes.

Open the can of stewed tomatoes and pour the entire can, juices and all, directly over the steak and onions in the slow cooker. You should see the raw meat just peeking through in spots under the chunky tomatoes—this is exactly what you want for a good braise.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the round steak is very tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork.

Once cooked, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with a pinch more salt if needed. If you like, add the freshly ground black pepper at this point and gently stir it into the tomato and onion mixture around the steak.

Serve the Swiss steak hot, spooning plenty of the tomato-onion sauce over each portion. It will be very tender, so you can serve the pieces whole or lightly shred them into the sauce before ladling over your choice of potatoes, noodles, or rice.

To keep the spirit of this recipe—stewed tomatoes poured over round steak with just two supporting ingredients—you can swap the onion for other aromatics you already have. Try sliced bell peppers instead of, or in addition to, the onion for a more classic Swiss steak feel, keeping the total count to two add-ins. If you prefer a slightly thicker sauce, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of tomato paste with the stewed tomatoes before pouring over the meat, but then skip any extra vegetables to maintain the minimal-ingredient approach. For a deeper, more savory flavor, you can season the steak with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder or smoked paprika along with the salt (treating the spice blend as part of your simple seasoning rather than extra ingredients). This recipe also adapts well to leaner cuts: top round or bottom round work nicely, though they may need the longer end of the cooking time. If you’re cooking for two, halve the steak and tomatoes, but keep the onion and salt amounts close to the original for plenty of flavor, and use a smaller slow cooker to avoid drying out the sauce.