Easy Slow Cooker Fajitas

Over the last few days, I’ve come to realize that I do not use my slow cooker enough! Perhaps because I think of it as a good tool for someone who works all day outside the home, and I’m someone who works all day, at home, specifically in the kitchen.

Every time I make something in my slow cooker, I ask “Why am I not using this every day!?”

Probably because it takes like 5 minutes of planning, and I just…struggle with that sometimes. The recipes that I make for the blog are all planned out in advance, but when I cook dinner for myself and Taylor (aka when we run out of blog food leftovers), I’m often throwing stuff together at the last minute. That’s why I love ground beef, because it can thaw in an hour!

Taylor and I live with his parents during this interim phase while we are transitioning from Houston to Santa Barbara. The difference in living expenses between the two cities is astronomical, and we need a place to figure out what we’re doing before we start paying 8 zillion dollars a month in rent for a studio apartment.

My mother-in-law and I both do a lot of cooking, and sometimes we can help each other out. Last week, there were guests staying over, and she defrosted a Costco sized, 5 lb package of sirloin to cook for them. Somehow, plans changed, and the steaks never got made. She had to go out of town for a few days, and the steaks were still sitting in the refrigerator, threatening to lose their freshness. I volunteered to figure out something to do with 5 lbs of sirloin. I was a little overwhelmed with the task of trying to figure out what to do with all that meat. I’ve only made grilled steaks a couple of times, and they weren’t very good. Also, what were Taylor and I going to do with 2 1/2 lbs of steak per person?

I just wanted a recipe where I didn’t have to DO anything to the meat. Slow cooker options started to pop up in my brain, and I remembered how long it had been since I’d made fajitas.

The slow cooker just has this magic way of taking meat that in any other cooking method could become dry and flavorless, and making it tender and juicy. That’s what happens to the sirloin in these fajitas. The fact that achieving perfectly fall-apart, tasty meat requires zero fuss makes it that much more satisfying.

The bell peppers and onions nestle down to the bottom of the dish.

Then they are topped with the sirloin (only half. I tried to do it all in one batch, but it wouldn’t fit)

My super secret (except not really a secret) spice rub goes on top of the meat.

Top that with a lot of lime juice and some diced up garlic and jalapenos.

6-8 hours later, fajita magic is in your kitchen.

If you want to keep things simple, you literally just need a package of your favorite tortillas to wrap this deliciousness up. Taylor and I ate ours in Fajita Bowls (coming soon! Edit: Recipe is now available —> Beef Fajita Bowls), but you can eat it however you want!

Thanks for reading!