Pour stewed tomatoes over beef round steak, plus 2 ingredients, into slow cooker for a savory dinner that’s always a yes in my house

This slow cooker Amish-style tomato steak is one of those set-it-and-forget-it dinners that fits right into a busy workday. The whole idea is as simple as the headline: you pour stewed tomatoes over beef round steak, add just two more pantry ingredients, and let the slow cooker do the rest. It’s based on the kind of humble, tomatoey beef dishes you see in Amish and Midwestern church cookbooks—nothing fancy, just cozy, savory comfort that makes the house smell amazing and always gets a yes at the dinner table.

I like to serve this tomato steak spooned over fluffy mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles so all that savory tomato gravy has something to soak into. Rice works well if that’s what you have on hand. Add a simple green veggie—like steamed green beans, a tossed salad, or roasted broccoli—to round things out. A slice of crusty bread or dinner rolls is great for mopping up the extra sauce, and if you’re feeding a crowd, coleslaw or a basic cucumber salad stretches the meal without much extra effort.

Servings: 4

2 pounds beef round steak, about 1-inch thick

Lay the beef round steak on a cutting board and trim any large pieces of excess fat if you’d like. Cut the steak into 3–4 large pieces so it fits easily in your slow cooker, or leave it whole if it fits as-is.

Season both sides of the beef round steak evenly with the kosher salt and black pepper. Place the seasoned steak pieces in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, arranging them in a single layer as much as possible.

Open the can of stewed tomatoes and give it a quick stir with a spoon to break up any large pieces. Pour the stewed tomatoes, along with all their juices, evenly over the raw beef round steak in the slow cooker, making sure the meat is mostly covered.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2–4 hours, until the beef round steak is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.

Once cooked, taste the tomato sauce and adjust the seasoning with a little more salt and pepper if needed. Use two forks to gently pull the steak into big, rustic pieces right in the slow cooker, or leave it in larger steak-sized portions if you prefer.

Serve the Amish tomato steak hot, spooning the stewed tomatoes and juices over the beef and your choice of mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; the flavors get even better by the next day.

If your family likes a thicker, richer sauce, stir 1–2 tablespoons of tomato paste into the stewed tomatoes before pouring them over the steak, or mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir it into the slow cooker during the last 30 minutes of cooking. To keep it Amish-style simple but add extra flavor, you can sprinkle 1 teaspoon of dried onion flakes or garlic powder over the steak with the salt and pepper (this will technically add more ingredients, but it stays true to the spirit of the dish). For a slightly sweeter, more old-fashioned flavor, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the stewed tomatoes before pouring. If you prefer, you can swap beef round steak for chuck steak or blade steak for an even more tender result. To make it more veggie-forward without extra prep, toss in a drained can of sliced mushrooms or a handful of baby carrots on top of the steak before adding the tomatoes. Leftovers are great shredded and piled on buttered toast or open-faced over bread, kind of like a tomato-beef hot sandwich the next day.