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This French dip sandwich with au jus is incredibly easy to make. With two layers of gooey melted cheese, flavorful Italian roast beef, a toasted bun and savory au jus for dipping, you will recreate this French dip sandwich recipe again and again.
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The first time I had this style of French Dip sandwiches we were visiting my brother and sister-in-law, DJ and Katelyn. Katelyn made these for dinner and I was so impressed with how quick, easy, yet incredibly yummy these sandwiches are! I’ve made this French Dip sandwich throughout the years and it is the perfect meal to make when you want something different from your normal cold-cut sandwich.
French Dip Sandwich Ingredients
- Roast beef –
- Condensed beef consomme –
- Lipton onion soup mix –
- French rolls –
- Provolone cheese –
- Cream cheese –
How to Make a French Dip Sandwich
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the beef consomme’ and onion soup mix to a boil.
- Add the sliced roast beef to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
- While beef is simmering in the sauce prepare French rolls by spreading 1 tablespoon of cream cheese on the bottom bun of each roll. Place 2 slices of cheese on each top bun.
- Place rolls (tops and bottoms) face-up on a baking sheet. Broil on high for about two minutes or until the Provolone cheese has melted. Remove from broiler.
- Using tongs, pull the sliced roast beef from the au jus and place it on the bottom buns with cream cheese. Top with the top buns.
- Use a ladle to scoop the au jus evenly into four dipping cups or small bowls. Serve the sandwiches with a side of au jus.
What is a French Dip Sandwich?
A French dip, or beef dip, is basically sliced roast beef on a French roll, or baguette. The beef on the sandwich can be from a leftover roast or deli-sliced roast beef. Both are delicious. The sandwich is served with a side of rich beef broth, or au jus for dipping. Before each bite, the sandwich is dipped in au jus just enough to cover a small section. The bread and meat absorb the au jus making every bite juicy and flavorful.
A traditional French dip doesn’t necessarily have to have cheese, but melted Provolone or Swiss cheese on the sandwich adds great flavor. Sauteéd onions and peppers can also be added to the sandwich. If you haven’t had one before, you are in for a real treat!
What is Au Jus?
What really sets the French dip sandwich apart is the au jus. Au jus is a French term for “in juice”. For the sake of this recipe, the beef is cooked in a “juice” made with onion soup and beef broth. The beef-flavored juice is then set aside and used to dip the sandwich into. It is absolutely fantastic!
What’s the best beef to use in French Dip Sandwiches?
The key to this fabulous sandwich is good beef. This can be a bit challenging to find sometimes, but it’s oh-so-worth-it! You have several options for a good beef filling to choose from.
- Try the deli within the grocery store to see if the butcher can thinly slice the roast beef. While there is sometimes pre-packaged roast beef available to purchase, the deli counter will have a cut that is far better tasting.
- You can use leftovers to make this meal. Cook a beef roast for a meal during the week like this easy roast beef recipe. Then slice or shred the leftovers into thin pieces and use it for this French Dip dinner for two or three nights later.
- If you have steak for dinner, grill an extra piece or two and set it aside. The next day, use a thin knife and slice it as thinly as possible.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A French Dip sandwich is a hot sandwich on a crusty, toasted roll. It has tender pieces or slices of beef, melted cheese, and is served along side an “au jus” for dipping. Au jus means with broth in French. And honestly, it kind of tastes like dipping your beef sandwich into French onion soup, which like, yes please.
Au jus is a light sauce made from the pan drippings of beef, pork, or chicken. Beef au jus is a common dipping sauce for roast beef sandwiches like the French Dip Sandwich, and pairs especially well with prime rib.
The difference between what we call an au jus sauce and beef broth is that “au jus” is the drippings from the meat being cooked, and beef broth is sometimes added.
The best side dishes to serve with French dip sandwiches are crispy green beans, chicken wings, fries, nachos, tomato sauce, cheese dip, coleslaw, roasted or steamed vegetables, pickles, fruit salads, spicy onion rings, been soup and jicama Fries.
Other Sandwich Recipes to Try
French Dip Sandwiches with Au Jus
Ingredients
- 1 pound deli Italian roast beef sliced
- 21 ounces condensed beef consommé or beef broth
- 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
- 4 french rolls
- 8 slices provolone cheese or Swiss cheese
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the beef consomme' and onion soup mix to a boil.
- Add the sliced roast beef to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
- While beef is simmering in the sauce prepare French rolls by spreading 1 tablespoon of cream cheese on the bottom bun of each roll. Place 2 slices of cheese on each top bun.
- Place rolls (tops and bottoms) face-up on a baking sheet. Broil on high for about two minutes or until the Provolone cheese has melted. Remove from broiler.
- Using tongs, pull the sliced roast beef from the au jus and place it on the bottom buns with cream cheese. Top with the top buns.
- Use a ladle to scoop the au jus evenly into four dipping cups or small bowls. Serve the sandwiches with the side of au jus.
Nutrition Information
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Super easy and absolutely delicious!!
I’m confused by the recipe. Do we dilute the condensed beef broth per the instructions on the can (equal parts condensed soup and water), or do we simmer the condensed soup right out of the can?
You simmer the soup right out of the can. Do not add water.
Soooo delicious! Definitely one of my favorite lunches to make!
One of my mom’s favorite sandwiches so I wanted to make her it again. Turned out really good and pretty easy so make too!
My husband’s favorite! Thank you for this amazing recipe, it’s so good!
I was wondering if anyone has put the meat in the crockpot still frozen? I forgot to thaw mine yesterday.
You can put it in frozen but you need to give it more time to cook.
Actually, we just went to a conference where they talked all about the ins and outs of starting your own blog and how to help it grow. I know they videotaped the whole thing and you can buy it for around $30. It would be a great starting point! It was put on by Six Sister’s Stuff and I believe you can find the link on their site. It was called Build Your Blog conference and they are doing another one next year.
My husband is making this for my mother's day dinner. Yummy! I love your blog, I, too, have used it as my weekly meal planning site. Thank you for making my life a little easier (and dinners so much more delicious). 🙂
It freezes great! Just put it in a freezer ziploc bag and squeeze all the air out of it.
How we do you think this would freeze?
I love this blog! I just found it and half my weekly menu is from it!
Your site is SO AWESOME! I stumbled on it via another blog and I feel like I’ve found a gold mine. Coming up with new meal ideas is a HUGE challenge for me, and you make meals that look delicious AND use ingredients I recognize. I am telling all my friends. THANK YOU for rescuing me from another month of boring meals!!! 🙂
Thanks so much! You are too kind. 🙂
I make Italian beef like this. Instead of using onion soup mix, I used Good Seasons Italian dressing mix. I also add some pepperoncini. How many depends on how spicy you like it. Sometimes, I just add some of the juice to the meat as it’s cooking and serve the pepperoncini on the side. I’ve also sauteed peppers and onions to be served with the sandwich. However it’s done, it’s good!
Those sandwiches look SO good. I will have to try them!