Weeknight Winner: Just 5 ingredients. I love tossing this together when the week gets busy and I need dinner completely handled for me.

This 5-ingredient slow cooker ginger beef is the kind of recipe I lean on when the week gets away from me and I still want a real, sit-down supper. It starts with raw shaved beef, the same kind my mother used to fry up in a cast-iron skillet, but here we let the slow cooker do the work. A glossy, sweet-and-savory ginger sauce hugs every tender strip, and by the time you lift the lid, the meat is fall-apart soft and the kitchen smells like you fussed all afternoon. It’s a simple, modern shortcut with the cozy, stick-to-your-ribs comfort I grew up with in the rural Midwest.

Serve this ginger beef over hot white or brown rice so it can soak up the sticky sauce, or spoon it over buttered egg noodles if that’s what you keep in the pantry. Steamed green beans, broccoli, or a simple bagged coleslaw on the side add some crunch and freshness. If you like, pass extra soy sauce at the table and a sprinkle of sliced green onions or sesame seeds for those who want to dress up their bowls a bit.

Servings: 4

1 1/2 to 2 pounds raw shaved beef (thinly sliced beef, such as sirloin or round)

Lay the raw shaved beef in the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, gently loosening any clumps so the strips are spread out in an even layer.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger dressing or ginger stir-fry sauce until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and glossy.

Pour the ginger-soy mixture evenly over the shaved beef, turning the beef gently with tongs or a fork so that all the pieces are lightly coated in sauce. Cover the slow cooker with the lid.

Cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the beef is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork. Avoid lifting the lid more than once or twice so the heat stays in and the beef stays moist.

About 20 minutes before serving, scoop 1/4 cup of the hot cooking liquid from the slow cooker into a small bowl. Whisk the cornstarch into this liquid until completely smooth with no lumps.

Stir the cornstarch slurry back into the slow cooker, mixing it gently through the beef and sauce. Cover and cook on HIGH for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened into a shiny, sticky glaze that clings to the beef.

Give everything a final stir, taste the sauce, and adjust with a splash more soy sauce or a pinch of brown sugar if needed. Serve the ginger beef hot, straight from the slow cooker, with plenty of the amber sauce spooned over each portion.

If you prefer a little heat, stir 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes into the sauce mixture before pouring it over the beef. For a more pronounced ginger flavor, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger along with the bottled ginger dressing. You can also swap the brown sugar for honey for a slightly different sweetness and sheen. If you’d like some vegetables in the pot, add sliced onions or thick-cut carrot coins at the very bottom of the slow cooker before adding the beef; keep in mind that adding a lot of vegetables can thin the sauce slightly as they release moisture. For a leaner dish, choose shaved sirloin or round and trim off any large pieces of visible fat before cooking. Always start with fully thawed beef—never cook frozen meat directly in the slow cooker, as it can sit too long in the temperature “danger zone” (40°F to 140°F) and increase the risk of foodborne illness. Make sure your slow cooker reaches and maintains a safe temperature by not overfilling it and keeping the lid on as much as possible. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, and reheat gently until steaming hot all the way through before serving again.